A few months back in Kerala, there lived a poor couple named Raju and Rema, who made a living as daily wage workers. One day, Raju’s mother fell from the terrace and was injured. Raju took her to the government hospital, where they informed him that they lacked the necessary equipment for surgery and advised him to take his mother to a city or private hospital. He then took his mother to the city hospital. Upon arrival, the hospital staff immediately admitted her to the ICU and started treatment. After some time, a nurse approached Raju to inquire about the patient’s details. When he asked about his mother’s condition, she replied, “We can’t say anything now,” and left.
His mother remained in the ICU for a couple of days before being transferred to the ward. The hospital then urged Raju to settle the payments as soon as possible. Despite explaining his financial difficulties, the hospital staff was inflexible, and Raju tried to arrange the payment in installments. During this time, Raju continued to work while his wife stayed with his mother.
One day, a co-worker, aware of Raju’s situation, mentioned an app that offered instant loans with minimal documentation. Raju requested help with the loan application, and his co-worker assisted him in installing the app on his phone. After work Raju would go home bathe, and then visit the hospital. One evening, he remembered the loan app and decided to try it. The app required access to his phone’s gallery, contacts, and camera. Being illiterate, Raju granted the app permission. He applied for a loan of Rs. 50,000, providing his Aadhaar number. The money was credited to his bank account immediately.
Relieved, he went to the hospital and paid the next installment. The app then demanded the first interest payment, which he made. To clear the hospital bill and help his mother home, he took another loan of Rs. 100,000, despite the higher interest rate. However, Raju struggled to repay the loan, working tirelessly but falling short on the installments. He then received a threatening message stating that if he didn’t pay the interest within two days, his and his wife’s photos would be morphed and sent to their friends and family.
Overwhelmed by fear, he worked frantically to gather money but failed to meet the deadline. True to its threat, the loan app sent the morphed photos to their contacts. Devastated, Raju and his wife decided to end their lives by consuming poison.
