Rs 80 lakh salary, but half as ‘kidnapping insurance’? IIM placement anecdote sparks debate online

A surprising placement story linked to Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has gone viral after a podcaster claimed that a company once offered an Rs 80 lakh per annum package, with Rs 40 lakh set aside for “kidnapping insurance.” The claim has triggered fresh conversations around how companies present salary figures and what candidates actually take home.

A placement offer that raised eyebrows

The incident came to light during a conversation between podcaster Kushal Lodha and entrepreneur Aman Dhattarwal.

Sharing the anecdote, Lodha said that an Africa-based company visited IIM for campus placements and made an eye-catching offer on paper.


"This CTC vs in-hand salary is a sort of a scam, I feel," Lodha said. "This company came to IIM Calcutta offering Rs 80 lakh per annum. And this was an Africa-based company. Apparently, kidnappings are very common there."

He added, "So out of that Rs 80 LPA, Rs 40 LPA was fixed. The other Rs 40 lakh was kidnapping insurance... which the company would pay as ransom if the employee was abducted."

Lodha did not reveal the name of the company, but the unusual salary structure quickly caught attention online.

What the viral clip triggered

The video of the conversation spread rapidly on social media, clocking over two million views and tens of thousands of likes. But more than the numbers, it was the nature of the offer that got people talking.

For many, the story highlighted a long-standing concern: the gap between Cost to Company (CTC) and actual in-hand salary. While high packages often make headlines during placement season, such breakdowns show how different components can inflate the overall figure.

Social media reacts: curiosity, jokes, and disbelief

Users flooded the comments section with mixed reactions — ranging from curiosity to humour.

"One of my friends actually had received this offer. They limit it to 2 time kidnapping ransom only," one user wrote.

"Did any one join that company," another user asked.

"Good idea get kidnapped with your frnd," a third user said.

The comments reflected both disbelief and amusement, with many questioning whether anyone would accept such a role.

The bigger picture: headline salaries vs reality

The anecdote has once again put the spotlight on how placement packages are structured at top institutes like Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, which consistently records full placements and attracts global recruiters.

While companies such as Boston Consulting Group, Accenture Strategy, and Goldman Sachs regularly offer lucrative roles, the viral story shows that not all components of a salary are straightforward earnings.

In the end, what looks like a dream package on paper may come with conditions that are anything but ordinary, and, in this case, unexpectedly dramatic.