Kolkata: A 20-year-old nurse, Trisha Paul, whose service was terminated due to absenteeism by an ailing elderly couple, Nikhil Das (82) and Shilpi (76), residing in Behala, visited the house days after her dismissal on the pretext of enquiring about “Dadu’s” health. On learning that “Dida” expired, she used the deceased’s mobile phone to transfer Rs 1.5 lakh in three transactions in Jan. All the transactions were carried out when the elderly man’s sons, who live in other cities, were present in the house along with other relatives bereaving the woman’s death.In a story that highlights vulnerability, loss and betrayal, Sudipto Das, the couple’s elder son, recounted how the nurse, who was hired in Dec 2025, siphoned off Rs 1.8 lakh in 20 UPI transactions, a bulk of which were hurriedly done within days of Shilpi’s death, when Paul was no longer employed in the house.“The nurse appeared sincere and eager to help. She spoke of her father’s sudden death, of having to abandon her education to support her family, and of the hardships that led her to caregiving work. My parents, already emotionally fragile after illness, were deeply moved. She was also comfortable with technology, something my parents were not. She helped them order groceries online, book plumbers and electricians via apps, and handle small digital payments. For two elderly people navigating an increasingly digital world, she seemed indispensable,” he said.When Sudipto, who works and lives in Bengaluru, and his brother Sourav, who lives in Toronto, Canada, visited Kolkata, they were surprised by how dependent their parents became on her, but reassured themselves that this was perhaps inevitable.In Jan this year, the brothers returned to their respective cities after a few weeks with their parents. However, Paul’s service was discontinued on Jan 12 because she began taking leaves frequently. Two days later, on Jan 14, Shilpi passed away. The brothers rushed back to Kolkata.“Amid grief, rituals, and the responsibility of caring for our bedridden father, life blurred into exhaustion. The very next day, Trisha arrived at our home, saying she came to see my father. At the time, it seemed a gesture of concern,” recalled Sudipto. She came twice more in the following days.It was only later, after Sudipto added himself to one of his parents’ bank accounts linked to his mother’s GPay, that he noticed something a series of transfers to the same account, beginning shortly after he and Sourav left the city on Jan 4, 2026.“Every one of the 20 transfers between Jan 4 and Jan 28, totalling nearly Rs 1.8 lakh, was made by Paul, the very person we allowed into our home and trusted with our parents’ care. More disturbing still was the realisation that several of these transactions were carried out on the days she visited us after my mother’s death,” said Sudipto.When he confronted her, there was neither fear nor remorse. She appeared unperturbed when Sudipto told her he would inform the police. Her confidence was unsettling, raising a disturbing question: was this an isolated act, or did she do this before and simply go unchallenged?He reported the matter to the national cybercrime portal on Jan 31 and filed a complaint at Parnasree Police Station on Feb 1. “My mother is no longer here. My father remains frail. What worries me most now is not just what already happened, but what could happen again, to him, or to someone else’s parents,” Sudipto added.
