# UK says no record of 109-year-old ₹35,000 war bond investment

> UK Debt Office finds no evidence of 1917 Indian War Loan subscription by Bhopal merchant.
- Title: UK says no record of 109-year-old ₹35,000 war bond investment
- Summary: UK Debt Office finds no evidence of 1917 Indian War Loan subscription by Bhopal merchant. UK's Debt Management Office says it has no record of a 1917 ₹35,000…
- Keywords: uk debt office, indian war loan, bhopal merchant, seth jumma lal ruthiya, 1917 war bond, madhya pradesh family, british war bond, news, india, record, 109-year-old, 000
- Source: mint — https://livemint.com/news/india/uk-says-it-has-no-record-of-bhopal-merchant-s-109-year-old-35-000-british-war-bond-investment-what-mp-family-claims-11792432688248.html
- Author: Bhanu Pratap
- Published: 2026-10-19T18:36:17+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: uk debt office, indian war loan, bhopal merchant, seth jumma lal ruthiya, 1917 war bond, madhya pradesh family, british war bond, news, india
## UK Debt Office Response
UK's Debt Management Office says it found no evidence of a 1917 ₹35,000 Indian War Loan subscription by a Bhopal merchant.

> We have investigated and can find no evidence that the loan you refer to was or is an obligation of the UK govt
## Family's Claim
The Ruthiya family claims a 1917 certificate shows Seth Jumma Lal Ruthiya subscribed ₹35,000 to the British war bond.

> The document records a subscription of ₹ 35,000 by Seth Jumma Lal Ruthiya, a businessman associated with the firm Seth Rama Kishan Jaskaran Ruthiya in the princely state of Bhopal
## Historical Context
The 1917 Indian War Loan was raised during World War I for military funding with 5.5% annual interest.

> The Indian War Loan was floated during World War I, when the British administration raised money to finance military expenditure
## Family's Repayment Claim
The family says they have not received repayment of the principal or interest on the 1917 investment.

> The family maintains that it has not received repayment of the principal or a satisfactory account of the loan's settlement
## Document Discovery
Vivek Ruthiya found the century-old documents among his grandfather's will papers in 2026.

> Vivek Ruthiya has said he found the documents among papers preserved in his grandfather's will
## Family's Request
The family wants UK to clarify if the loan appears in historical records and how it was settled.

> We submitted the documents they asked for, including the historical certificate
## Historical Timeline
Seth Jumma Lal Ruthiya died in 1937, 20 years after the alleged subscription, with British rule ending in 1947.

> Seth Jumma Lal Ruthiya died in 1937, two decades after the alleged subscription, as per TOI
## Key takeaway

UK's Debt Management Office says it has no record of a 1917 ₹35,000 British war bond investment by a Bhopal merchant, leaving the family seeking repayment clarity after 109 years.