Viral Video: Odisha man exhumes sister’s skeleton, takes it to bank to claim inheritance

BHUBANESWAR: In a shocking incident in India’s Odisha state, a tribal man exhumed his sister’s skeletal remains and carried them to a bank in an attempt to claim her inheritance, local media reported.

The incident occurred in Keonjhar district, where the man, identified as Jitu Munda from Dianali village, resorted to the extreme step after failing to withdraw approximately Rs19,000 from his late sister’s account.

According to reports, officials at a branch of Odisha Gramya Bank had asked him to provide a death certificate and other necessary documents to process the withdrawal.

Unable to produce the required documents, Munda exhumed his sister’s remains and carried them on his shoulder for nearly three kilometres to the bank as proof of her death. He then staged a sit-in outside the branch, demanding immediate release of the funds.

Local police later intervened, persuaded him to leave, and arranged for the reburial of the remains.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and are working to facilitate the legal process to help him access the money.

The video showing him carrying the remains went viral on social media, drawing mixed reactions. Many users described the incident as heartbreaking and criticized the lack of empathy in institutional processes, while others highlighted broader systemic issues and the challenges faced by marginalized communities.

On X, a user, Sanjeev Atrey, described the incident as “heartbreaking,” especially in an era defined by the internet and social media.

A man in Odisha dug up his deceased sister’s grave and brought her skeleton to the bank Just to prove she had died.

He had been trying to withdraw ₹20,000 from her account, but bank officials kept insisting he bring the account holder in person. Despite repeatedly telling them… pic.twitter.com/hICEqwvPFu

— Woke Eminent (@WokePandemic) April 28, 2026

He said it highlights a lack of empathy among bank staff toward customers, adding that the man appeared to be poor and elderly. He criticized officials for failing to properly guide or assist him. “A banking system must be foolproof and fail-safe. But in trying to be ‘foolproof,’ the system itself has failed,” he remarked.

Another user, Neeraj Agarwal, commented that if this reflects the condition of a poor person, it paints a grim picture of the country.

Mahpara Yousafzai wrote that the incident was painful and underscored the consequences of systems replacing human judgment. She noted that when respect for the dead and responsibility toward the living are lost, society loses more than efficiency—it loses its humanity.

Shivangni Sharma added, “It’s not about people failing to understand the system; it’s the system that has failed to understand people.”