A Koraput resident set an example for others by going the extra mile to return Rs 2,53,725, which was wrongly credited to his account.
A social worker and agriculturist, Sarat Pattanayak, lives in Koraput town. On Saturday, he received a message from the State Bank of India (SBI) on his mobile phone that Rs 2,53,725 had been credited to his account.
Instead of being happy after receiving such a huge amount, he became worried about how he could send the money back to its original owner. As the bank was closed his anxiety grew further. The next day was Sunday.
On Monday, he was among the first customers who reached the bank branch. He met the branch manager and discussed the matter. During the inspection, it was learned that a Chennai-based private company’s money was wrongly transferred to Pattanayak's account. Later, he returned the entire amount to the concerned company and set an example for others.
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Pattanayak’s honesty has now become the talk of the town.
“It was around 2 pm or 2.30 pm when I received a message informing that Rs 2,53,725 had been credited to my account. As I was sure that someone must have wrongly sent the money to my account, I waited till evening to receive any call. In the evening, a girl called me and said she was working as an accountant in a company in Chennai and was a low-pay employee. She said she had sent me Rs 2,53,725 mistakenly and asked me to return the money. She was sobbing all the while,” Pattanayak said.
“Sarat Babu has done something really exemplary. On behalf of the bank, I extend my good wishes to him. He approached us on his own to return the money,” said SBI branch manager, Aniruddha Sethi.