Clerical error turns ₹20,000 into $20,000, costs Kerala University nearly ₹16.5 lakh
Thiruvananthapuram: A clerical mistake during an international fund transfer has left Kerala University’s Centre for Latin American Studies facing a financial loss of nearly ₹16.5 lakh, making it one of the institution’s costliest administrative errors in recent years.
The error occurred in June 2023, when the institution paid money for four online lectures given by a Brazilian journalist. The Times of India reported that a bank employee misinterpreted the rupee symbol as a dollar sign and transferred the approved honorarium of ₹20,000 as $20,000, resulting in a significant debit from the university's account.
University officials said the transaction was carried out through the State Bank of India’s Tejaswini branch at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. The amount was credited to the bank account of Kathleen Martinic, wife of the invited speaker Milan Sime Martinic.
The discrepancy was discovered in 2024 and the Centre informed the university authorities and contacted the lecturer. Gireesh Kumar, head of the Centre, said Martinic had initially assured officials that the excess amount would be returned. However, the refund was never received, despite later claims that the money had been sent back.
Efforts to recover the funds have since been complicated by Martinic’s death a few months after the transfer, which was made on June 15, 2023. Officials said this has significantly reduced the chances of recovering the money.
The funds were part of a ₹20 lakh grant sanctioned by the state government for a student exchange programme. After the money was received, Kathleen Martinic reportedly transferred it to the account of a consulting firm.
The Centre has approached the banking ombudsman, but the issue remains unresolved. While SBI has acknowledged the error, it has asked the university to help persuade the recipient to return the excess amount.
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MP: Woman, lover conspire to get husband killed; police looking for contract killer
Dhar (MP) (PTI): A 25-year-old woman and her lover have been arrested in the district for allegedly conspiring to kill her husband by hiring a contract killer, police said on Thursday.
The case was solved within 36 hours of the murder though the woman initially tried to mislead the police by claiming that robbers killed her husband, an official said.
Dev Krishna Purohit (28) was stabbed to death on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday at his house in Gondikheda Charan village, about 60 km from here.
Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi told reporters that accused Priyanka Purohit (25) was married to Dev Krishna when she was around 15 years old. Priyanka moved to her matrimonial home after attaining adulthood but was unwilling to live with her husband, leading to frequent disputes between them.
During investigation, it emerged that she was in a relationship with Kamlesh (32), the SP said.
The duo allegedly hatched a plan to kill Dev Krishna and hired a man identified as Surendra for Rs 1 lakh do the job, he said
After Dev Krishna was killed, Priyanka told police that unidentified persons broke into the house, attacked her husband with a sharp weapon while holding her captive in another room, and fled with valuables.
But the inconsistencies in her statements raised suspicion, and eventually she confessed to hatching the murder conspiracy, the SP said.
While she and Kamlesh were arrested, police are looking for the contract killer, the official added.
