$20,000 instead of Rs 20K: Bank clerk’s typo leaves Kerala Univ poorer by Rs 16 lakh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala University’s Centre for Latin American Studies is paying the terms for what could beryllium the costliest ‘typo’ successful its fiscal past — a careless slope clerk swapping ‘ ₹’ with ‘$’ portion transferring funds to a Brazilbased writer arsenic remuneration for 4 online lectures helium delivered successful 2023.The quality betwixt the intended interest of Rs 20,000 and the magnitude that went through, $20,000, near Kerala University poorer by Rs 16.5 lakh. Worse, each efforts to retrieve the excess magnitude person failed. The funds transportation was to designated relationship of Kathleen Martinic, woman of impermanent lecturer Milan Sime Martinic. The mistake, officials said, occurred astatine SBI Tejaswini subdivision successful Thiruvananthapuram’s Technopark.The centre reported the nonaccomplishment to the assemblage successful 2024, aft which the authorities wrote to the impermanent lecturer. “Martinic promised to recognition the excess magnitude backmost to the assemblage account. However, the wealth ne'er reached us, though helium claimed to person repaid it,” Gireesh Kumar, caput of the centre, told TOI .Martinic died a fewer months later, further diminishing chances of assemblage getting backmost the excess Rs 16.5 lakh sent connected June 15, 2023.

State govt had sanctioned Rs 20 lakh to the centre for a pupil speech programme. The funds were transferred to the relationship of a consulting radical by Kathleen. The centre has since filed a ailment with banking ombudsman, but the contented is unresolved. SBI, which admitted its mistake, sought the university’s assistance successful urging the recipient to refund the magnitude received.