THE UNFORESEEN LESSON

From the depths of a cyber-fraud nightmare emerged a groundbreaking programme to protect every student.

- Dr. Dipika Das

Ms. Neerja Raghavan is a school teacher in Chennai. In the midst of her Maths class, her lesson was interrupted by an urgent call from an unknown number. She excused herself to answer the call and left the classroom, unaware of the impending storm about to engulf her tranquil life.

“Are you Ms. Neerja Raghavan?” questioned the voice on the other end. She replied, “Yes.”

The person asked again, “Is Aditya your son who studies at VIT?” She said, “Yes. Why? What happened?”

Then the voice said, “I am calling from the Vellore Police Station. Your son, Aditya, is in police custody for committing a heinous crime against a female student. You understand what I am telling you. How could you have raised him to commit such a heinous crime?”

She could hear her son’s desperate cries for help over the phone—the sounds of thrashing and beating amid the chaos of the police station. She heard his voice: “Mummy, I am very sorry. Please forgive me... I will never do this again. They are torturing me. Please take me out of this hell. Please... please...” The policeman continued, “If you want your son back, deposit one lakh rupees immediately. Otherwise, he will be charged with rape and produced in the court.” His voice was loud and firm, sending shivers down her spine.

She cried, “No, sir! Please release him. I will send the money immediately.” The voice continued, “OK. We will send a link to your WhatsApp. Please pay through the link within fifteen minutes.” Then the call disconnected. She immediately called her son’s number, but he did not pick up despite several attempts. Her husband was travelling abroad and was not reachable for the next few hours.

She was very frightened and, not knowing what else to do, transferred the money through the WhatsApp link.