Amid reports alleging misconduct by bank officials, the bank issued a clarification on the incident at the Malliposi branch of Odisha Grameena Bank, a sponsored regional rural bank.
“Contrary to some media reports, bank officials did not demand the physical presence of the deceased customer for withdrawal,” the statement said, adding that procedures were followed in line with banking regulations.
According to the bank, a person named Jitu Munda had approached the branch to withdraw funds from the account held in the name of his sister Kalara Munda. Officials informed them that third party withdrawals were not allowed without proper authorization. When he said the account holder was dead, the branch manager explained that claims could be settled only on submission of valid documents including death certificate.
The bank further said that the man, “who was in an inebriated condition, became rowdy and later returned with human remains, allegedly taken out after being buried a few days ago, placed them in front of the branch and claimed to be his sister and demanded to withdraw money from her account”. It described the situation as “extremely worrying” and said local police were immediately informed.
After information from bank employees, police reached the spot. The man later removed the remains and reburied them after discussions with authorities.
Presenting its assessment on the episode, the bank said that the incident occurred due to lack of awareness about the claim settlement process and the refusal of the individual to accept the procedures explained to him. It said there were “no cases of any harassment” and that the intention was to protect account holders’ money.
“The bank is in constant coordination with local authorities for the issuance of death certificates. The claims will be settled on priority basis once the death certificate is submitted,” the statement said.
The incident occurred around 1 pm in Mallipasi village under Patna police station limits in Keonjhar district, and caused brief panic among bank employees and customers before police intervened.
