This unusual and macabre act was the desperate response of the man after the financial institution refused to allow him to withdraw the savings that the woman had deposited in her personal account.
The protagonist of this story, identified as Jeetu Munda, told local media that he had visited the bank office on several occasions after his sister's death, which occurred approximately two months ago. According to his account, the branch staff informed him that it was essential for the account holder to physically appear in order to access the cash. "Even though I told them she had passed away, they did not listen and insisted that I bring her to the bank. I dug up the grave and removed her skeleton as proof of her death," Munda stated.
The involved institution, the Indian Overseas Bank, was compelled to issue an official statement to clarify its position amidst the criticism. According to the bank's management, the incident resulted from a lack of understanding of legal protocols. The bank defended that their intention was always to "protect the interests of the poor tribal woman's funds" and that they never requested the physical presence of the remains, but rather the legally required death certificate for these procedures. Additionally, the institution pointed out that the man was allegedly in a state of intoxication during the altercation.
The conflict was resolved with the intervention of the local police in Patna, who mediated for Munda to re-bury his sister's remains. Chief Inspector Kiran Prasad Sahu highlighted that the man is illiterate and did not grasp the administrative value of an official certificate compared to physical evidence of death. Currently, authorities are assisting the man in bureaucratic procedures so that he can legally retrieve the 19,300 rupees (around 200 dollars) that make up the family's inheritance.