Viral: Dead Father's old passbook makes sun a millionaire overnight; Here's what he found | Today news

In an expected fate change, a Chilean man became a millionaire overnight, thanks to the 60-year-old bank pass book of his dead father. Ten years after the death of his father, Exequiel Hinojosa was looking for the possessions of his deceased father when he found a six-decade-old bank pass book and changed his fortune forever. Reuters only reported the story in 2022, and it has now become viral again. In 1960-70, Exequiel’s father saved money to buy a home. According to the viral picture of the passbook and several media reports, the old man stored £ 1.4 Lakh he never used. With an interest of 6 decades and inflation adjustment, Exequiel received a huge $ 1.2 million (£ 10 crore). Here’s what happened: No one in the family knew about the specific bank account and savings of his father. The passbook remained in a box ten years after the death of his father until Exequiel stumbled on it as he cleaned the house. Exequiel decided to withdraw the savings of his father, only to discover that his father’s bank closed long ago. In a general scenario, it would have meant that the passbook was useless and the money was gone. However, the Passbook Exequiel had an important detail: a stamp that says, ‘State Guarantee’. This promise indicated that the government would take control if the bank could not make payments. However, the Chilean government initially refused to respect the commitment. Exequiel then waged a long legal battle to resolve it with the state. “That money is our family. He saved it by working really hard, ‘he said, adding that the family didn’t even know that the passbook existed before they found it. “I never thought this process would become a kind of lawsuit towards the state,” Exequiel added. But Exequiel’s journey to a millionaire was not easy; Despite multiple court rulings in his favor, the government appealed to every step – which led the legal battle to the country’s Supreme Court. He argued that the funds represented the hard -earned saving of his father, assured by the government’s commitment. “If the justice system, the Supreme Court, rules the Court of Appeal in my favor, that’s just what’s left to solve the problem, which is due, nothing more, nothing less,” Execiel said. Eventually, in 2022, the Chile High Court ruled in its favor, which forced the government to compensate him 1 billion Chilean pesos (about £ 10 crore), along with accrued interest and grants. First published: 16 Apr 2025, 07:26 AM IST