$20,000 instead of Rs 20,000: How a typo left Kerala University poorer by Rs 16 lakh

A costly bank error at Kerala University's Centre for Latin American Studies resulted in a Rs 16.5 lakh loss. A typo swapped '₹' for '$' during a payment to a guest lecturer's wife, sending $20,000 instead of Rs 20,000. Efforts to recover the excess funds have failed, with the lecturer passing away before repayment.