Dr. Momita Roy was a renowned doctor in Kolkata, known for her dedication to her work and her patients. As one of the leading surgeons at a prestigious hospital, her life revolved around the relentless demands of the medical world. Long hours, emergencies, and late-night surgeries were common, leaving little time for her to spend with her family. Despite the toll her job took on her, her love for her family remained steadfast. Her husband and two children, who resided in Chetla, were her constant source of strength, and she longed to spend more time with them.
One such evening, after a grueling 18-hour shift, Momita found herself staying late at the hospital once again. A critical emergency had come in—an accident victim needed immediate surgery, and there was no question that she would step in. As she scrubbed up for the procedure, her mind wandered briefly to her family. She had promised them she’d be home by dinner, but it looked like that plan was slipping away yet again. Still, she knew they understood the nature of her work. Her husband, Sudeep, always reassured her that he’d handle things at home until she could return.
The surgery went on for hours, and by the time it was finished, it was past midnight. Exhausted but satisfied with the outcome, she headed to her office to grab her things and finally make her way home. Her phone, which had been on silent throughout the evening, was flashing with missed calls and messages. She frowned. That many calls meant something serious had happened.
As soon as she unlocked the phone, it rang again. The number was unknown, but her instincts told her to answer.
“Hello?” she said, her voice still tired from the long day.
“Is this Dr. Momita Roy?” a voice on the other end asked. The tone was calm but carried an edge of urgency.
“Yes, this is she. Who is this?” Momita responded, already feeling uneasy.
“This is important, Doctor. I have your family. Your husband and your two children have been kidnapped,” the man said coldly.
The world seemed to tilt around her. Momita clutched the edge of her desk, trying to steady herself. “What? What are you talking about? Where is my family?”
“They’re with me, and if you want to see them alive again, you’ll do exactly as I say. If you inform the police, they will be killed,” the man’s voice remained steady, almost emotionless.
“No, please, don’t hurt them,” Momita begged, her heart pounding in her chest. “What do you want?”
“One crore rupees,” the man replied. “You have until tomorrow evening to arrange the money. Transfer it to the account number I will send you. If you delay or go to the police, I’ll send you proof of what I can do.”
Momita’s mind raced. One crore rupees? That was a staggering amount. Although she was a successful doctor, she didn’t have that kind of money at her immediate disposal. But there was no time to think logically. Her family—her husband, her children—were in danger. How could she take any chances with their lives?
“Please, I’ll get you the money,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “Just don’t hurt them.”
“Good,” the man said. “I’ll be in touch. Remember—no police.” And with that, the line went dead.
Momita sat frozen, her heart pounding in her ears. She could barely think straight. She had to get the money, she had to save her family. But who could she turn to? Who could she trust without putting their lives at risk?
Tears streamed down her face as she frantically began making calls. She contacted her bank, withdrew whatever she could, and reached out to a few close colleagues for help. She even considered selling off assets, but there wasn’t enough time. Somehow, through sheer will and desperation, she managed to gather the funds, and within hours, she had transferred the demanded amount to the account the man had provided.
She waited. Minutes turned into hours, and hours into a full day. She kept expecting a call from the kidnapper, expecting some sign that her family was safe and would be returned to her. But there was nothing—no call, no message, no trace of her family.
Desperation gnawed at her soul as she checked her phone for what felt like the hundredth time. Why wasn’t the kidnapper calling? Where was her family? A deep, gnawing fear began to creep into her mind: what if she had made a terrible mistake? What if the man was lying?
Unable to bear the silence any longer, she tried calling her husband’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Panic overtook her, and she broke down, her mind a swirling vortex of fear, regret, and guilt. Had she condemned her family by acting too quickly? Was this all a cruel trick?
The next evening, the front door of her house in Chetla opened, and in walked Sudeep, along with their two children, completely unharmed. They looked bewildered at the sight of Momita collapsed on the floor in tears.
“Momita, what’s wrong?” Sudeep asked, rushing over to her.
She stared at him, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. “You... you’re safe?”
“Of course, we’re safe. What are you talking about?” Sudeep said, confused. “We’ve been home all evening, wondering why you hadn’t called. Is everything okay?”
Momita blinked, her mind reeling. “But... I got a call. They said you were kidnapped. They said you were in danger, and I transferred the money... I... I...” Her voice trailed off as the horrific realization sank in.
There had been no kidnapping. No ransom. She had been scammed.
Sudeep’s face paled as he listened to his wife’s words. “You transferred the money? How much did they ask for?”
“One crore,” Momita whispered, her voice breaking as tears flowed again.
Sudeep sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, though he knew the gravity of the situation. One crore was not a small amount, and the fact that they had been scammed meant recovering the money would be near impossible.
Shaken and ashamed, Momita contacted the cybercrime authorities the next morning to report the incident. She recounted the harrowing call, the threats, the urgency, and how she had been manipulated into transferring the ransom.
As the investigation unfolded, the authorities explained that Momita was not alone in her experience. Scammers had become experts at exploiting vulnerable individuals, especially those in high-stress professions like hers. The scammer had likely known she was a doctor, overwhelmed by her duties, and used that to their advantage. They preyed on her maternal instincts, creating a fabricated crisis to push her into a hasty, emotional decision.
The investigation revealed that the scammer had used sophisticated techniques, including spoofed phone numbers and fake accounts, to carry out the crime. They had no intention of kidnapping anyone; they merely needed to push Momita into action, using fear as their weapon.
While the authorities tried their best to track down the culprits, Momita knew that recovering the money would be difficult, if not impossible. The scammer had vanished, leaving her not only financially drained but emotionally scarred.
The nightmare had left its mark on her—a deep wound that would take time to heal. She felt ashamed for falling victim to the scam, despite knowing how ruthless the world could be. But as the days passed, she also realized that she had acted out of love, out of her deep concern for her family’s safety. No matter how much it cost her, she had done what any mother would have done in her place.
Cybercrime experts urged people to remain cautious in the face of such threats, emphasizing the importance of verification before taking action. But for Momita, the lesson came at a heavy price. She had faced her worst fear—the possible loss of her family—and in doing so, had become a victim of a heartless crime.
Though the money was gone, her family remained by her side, unharmed and supportive. Together, they would rebuild, but the memory of that fateful night—the night when her love for her family had been twisted into a weapon against her—would stay with her forever.