Madhya Pradesh family gets UK response on 1917 war loan

Many years ago, in 1917, a businessman named Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia lived in a town called Sehore in India.

During World War I, he gave the British government 35,000 rupees to help pay for the war.

Back then, Britain ruled India, and the money was given through a political agent named WS Davis in Bhopal.

The family kept the old paper certificate showing the money was given on 4 June 1917.

The businessman died in 1937, and the family says the money was never paid back.

In 2026, 109 years later, his grandsons Vinay and Vivek Ruthia asked the British government what happened to the money.

They received what they believe is the first official reply from the UK's Debt Management Office.

The office asked them to send the original certificate and related letters so it can check its records, but it did not confirm whether the loan was repaid.

The family thinks that with interest, the loan could now be worth crores of rupees.

Vivek says it is no longer just about money — it is a 'matter of ego' to get an answer, like when someone borrows your toy and you want to know if they gave it back.