Indian man takes sister's exhumed body to bank for withdrawal

An Indian
man dug up his sister's body and carried it to a bank branch to prove she was
dead after being refused access to her account without a death certificate, the
lender has said.
Jitu
Munda, from a constitutionally recognised tribal community in the eastern state
of Odisha, went to an Indian Overseas Bank branch on Monday to withdraw money
from his deceased sister's account.
But bank
staff told him that "withdrawals by a third party are not permitted
without proper authorisation", the lender said Tuesday.
Angered by
being turned away because he did not have her death certificate, Munda returned
to the branch carrying the "human remains" of his sister, who had
been buried days earlier, the bank said.
Television
networks broadcast footage of Munda carrying what appeared to be a corpse
partially wrapped in plastic, with skeletal legs visible and slung over his
shoulder.
"This
created a highly distressing situation at the premises," the bank said.
It added
that the incident stemmed from a "lack of awareness", and the
individual's unwillingness to follow procedures.
"The
claim will be settled on priority, once the death certificate is
submitted," it added.
Registration
of births and deaths is mandatory in India. But gaps in documentation persist,
particularly in rural areas, leaving many families without formal certificates.
















