{"id":1304678,"date":"2026-01-12T08:55:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1304678"},"modified":"2026-01-12T08:55:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:25:47","slug":"rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/","title":{"rendered":"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk’s Typo In Kerala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometimes, a single symbol is enough to tilt the scales of fate.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u20b916.5 Lakh Lost to Dollar\u2013Rupee Transfer Error<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerala University is grappling with a financial setback of \u20b916.5 lakh following what officials describe as one of the most expensive clerical errors in its recent history. The loss stemmed from a routine international bank transfer meant to pay honorarium to a Brazil-based journalist who delivered a series of online lectures in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Centre for Latin American Studies at Kerala University had approved a payment of \u20b920,000<\/a> for four virtual lectures conducted by guest faculty member Milan Sime Martinic. However, during the transaction, a bank clerk at the State Bank of India\u2019s Tejaswini branch in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, mistakenly entered the amount using the dollar symbol instead of the rupee sign. As a result, $20,000\u2014rather than \u20b920,000\u2014was transferred on June 15, 2023, draining an additional \u20b916.5 lakh from university funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The money was credited to the bank account of Kathleen Martinic, the wife of the lecturer. The error went unnoticed initially and was formally reported to the university only in 2024, prompting efforts to recover the excess payment. According to officials at the Centre, Martinic was contacted and acknowledged the mistake, assuring the university that the surplus amount would be returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refund Eludes University, Recovery Efforts Stall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite repeated follow-ups, the refund never materialised. Centre head Gireesh Kumar told The Times of India that while Martinic claimed to have transferred the money back, no such credit was reflected in the university\u2019s accounts. Complicating matters further, Martinic passed away a few months after these communications, significantly dimming hopes of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funds involved were part of a \u20b920 lakh grant sanctioned by the Kerala government for a student exchange programme. University officials later learned that the mistakenly transferred amount had been moved from the original account to that of a consulting firm operated by Kathleen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SBI has acknowledged the clerical error and approached the university for assistance in persuading the recipient to return the money. The Centre has also taken the matter to the banking ombudsman, but the issue remains unresolved, leaving the university to absorb the loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, a misplaced sign lingers like a ghost in the ledger, reminding institutions how fragile numbers can be.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerala University lost \u20b916.5 lakh after a bank clerk mistakenly transferred $20,000 instead of \u20b920,000 to a Brazil-based lecturer\u2019s family account. Though assurances of repayment were given, no refund came. The lecturer\u2019s subsequent death and fund transfers complicated recovery, leaving the error unresolved despite SBI admitting fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, a single symbol is enough to tilt the scales of fate. \u20b916.5 Lakh Lost to Dollar\u2013Rupee Transfer Error Kerala University is grappling with a financial setback of \u20b916.5 lakh following what officials describe as one of the most expensive clerical errors in its recent history. The loss stemmed from a routine international bank transfer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":1304842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[460,9234],"class_list":["post-1304678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-sbi","tag-typo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk's Typo In Kerala - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk's Typo In Kerala - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sometimes, a single symbol is enough to tilt the scales of fate. \u20b916.5 Lakh Lost to Dollar\u2013Rupee Transfer Error Kerala University is grappling with a financial setback of \u20b916.5 lakh following what officials describe as one of the most expensive clerical errors in its recent history. The loss stemmed from a routine international bank transfer […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-12T03:25:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-12T03:25:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rohit Kulkarni\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rohit Kulkarni\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/\",\"name\":\"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk's Typo In Kerala - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-12T03:25:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-12T03:25:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/4486219a5d31e657b529e6e874cead8b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":576},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk’s Typo In Kerala\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups\",\"description\":\"Trak.in is a popular Indian Business, Technology, Mobile & Startup blog featuring trending News, views and analytical take on Technology, Business, Finance, Telecom, Mobile, startups & Social Media Space\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/4486219a5d31e657b529e6e874cead8b\",\"name\":\"Rohit Kulkarni\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52ba60e3a61a3517cad7b5dd6bce76c6e7a4d8b337f4240839e8737c4ab8b1bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52ba60e3a61a3517cad7b5dd6bce76c6e7a4d8b337f4240839e8737c4ab8b1bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rohit Kulkarni\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/author\/rohit-kulkarni\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk's Typo In Kerala - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk's Typo In Kerala - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups","og_description":"Sometimes, a single symbol is enough to tilt the scales of fate. \u20b916.5 Lakh Lost to Dollar\u2013Rupee Transfer Error Kerala University is grappling with a financial setback of \u20b916.5 lakh following what officials describe as one of the most expensive clerical errors in its recent history. The loss stemmed from a routine international bank transfer […]","og_url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/","og_site_name":"Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups","article_published_time":"2026-01-12T03:25:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-12T03:25:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rohit Kulkarni","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rohit Kulkarni","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/","url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/","name":"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk's Typo In Kerala - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-01-12T03:25:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-12T03:25:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/4486219a5d31e657b529e6e874cead8b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg","width":1024,"height":576},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-16-5-lakh-loss-due-to-sbi-clerks-typo-in-kerala\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rs 16.5 Lakh Loss Due To SBI Clerk’s Typo In Kerala"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/","name":"Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups","description":"Trak.in is a popular Indian Business, Technology, Mobile & Startup blog featuring trending News, views and analytical take on Technology, Business, Finance, Telecom, Mobile, startups & Social Media Space","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/4486219a5d31e657b529e6e874cead8b","name":"Rohit Kulkarni","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52ba60e3a61a3517cad7b5dd6bce76c6e7a4d8b337f4240839e8737c4ab8b1bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52ba60e3a61a3517cad7b5dd6bce76c6e7a4d8b337f4240839e8737c4ab8b1bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rohit Kulkarni"},"url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/author\/rohit-kulkarni\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/images-1280x720-1024x576-1024x576-1-1.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1304678"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1304844,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304678\/revisions\/1304844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1304842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1304678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1304678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1304678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}