Bhubaneswar:
Jitu Munda, a tribal man who carried his sister’s skeleton to a local Odisha bank to withdraw over Rs 19,000 from her account, was forced to do so because of the “bank’s fault,” an investigation has found. The bank allegedly did not cooperate with the 42-year-old man and was negligent of his needs.
According to the initial investigation, Munda visited the Odisha Grameen Bank in Keonjhar district on April 27. He spent 32 minutes, met four people, including bank manager. When his requests went unheard, he brought the exhumed skeleton to prove his sister’s death and claim money deposited under her name.
Sangram Keshari Mohapatra, the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) of Northern Division, along with Keonjhar District Collector Vishal Singh and other officials, visited the Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank on Thursday. Mohapatra reviewed the CCTV footage and questioned the bank officials.
April 27: Jitu Munda’s 32-Minute-Visit To Bank
CCTV footage shows that Munda entered the bank at 11:26 am and left at 11:58 am. During the 32 minutes he spent at the bank, Munda met the bank manager twice and returned aggrieved. He met other officials as well.
“As there is no audio version of the CCTV footage, we are not able to ascertain what exactly the bank staff told him,” Mohapatra said.
Munda wanted to withdraw money from the account of his sister, Kalara Munda, who died in February without any legal heirs. Bank officials reportedly refused, asking for a death certificate and a legal heir certificate.
“Eventually, the bank manager asked him to leave,” Mohapatra said.
Agitated, Munda exhumed his sister’s body and carried it to the bank to prove her death. The video of the incident went viral.
Also Read | Man Carrying Sister’s Skeleton To Bank Sparks Uproar In Odisha Assembly
Calling it “extremely shameful,” Mohapatra said the bank staff was negligent, despite being familiar with the man and his sister who had visited the branch at least eight times in the past.
“I spoke to the bank officials and Jitu Munda. Preliminary findings indicate that the bank was at fault. Munda and his sister had visited the bank several times in the past and withdrawn money. Munda is not illiterate, but he is ignorant of banking procedures,” Mohapatra told reporters.
What The Bank Said
The Indian Overseas Bank, a sponsor of Odisha Grameen Bank, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), dated April 28, rejected the reports that Munda was asked to bring the dead for a claim settlement.
“The reports circulating on various social media platforms alleging that Mr Jitu Munda carried the mortal remains of his sister to a bank branch for withdrawal from her account, purportedly due to a demand by bank officials for the physical presence of the deceased for claim settlement, are incorrect and not based on facts,” the bank stated.
Also Read | ‘Only Asked For Papers’: Odisha Bank After Man Goes With Sister’s Skeleton
The bank claimed that Munda was in an “inebriated state”. The incident, according to the bank, happened due to Munda’s “lack of awareness of the claim settlement process and unwillingness to accept the procedures explained by the Branch Manager.”
After the death certificate and legal heir certificate were issued, the bank settled the claim amount of Rs 19,402, IOB noted.
Reported Incident at Odisha Grameen Bank of claimant bringing sister’s skeleton for death claim process.
We would like to submit that, today the Government Authorities have issued the Death Certificate and Legal Heir Certificate. Immediately on receipt of these documents, Bank…
— Indian Overseas Bank (@IOBIndia) April 28, 2026
Revenue Divisional Commissioner Questions Delay
The Revenue Divisional Commissioner questioned the three-month delay in issuing the death certificate for Kalara Munda who died in February. The official also questioned the bank for insisting on documents without guiding the man despite knowing him as a customer.
The commissioner assured that strict action would be taken against those found negligent. The administrative probe is examining lapses at both the bank and the local registrar level for the delay in the issuance of the death certificate.
(With inputs from Kumar Dev)
