I sign the suspension letter that Rajdeep hands over. The security guards pick up two cardboard boxes and follow me as I walk through the corridors towards the reception and out. I have walked these corridors with my head held high, with pride. Colleagues have congratulated me on my successful pitches, I have been the envy of most and today I’m doing the walk of shame. Everyone is looking at me, not a word from anyone.
I’ve seen this scene in movies many times. I’ve known of this to have happened to others but never in my worst nightmare did I envisage myself in this position.
How could this happen to me? HOW?
The two guards carrying the boxes tailing me are a loudspeaker announcement of what has happened. One Horizon is an office complex with many companies and hundreds of employees. It’s past noon, almost lunchtime and people are out in hordes. Everyone is seeing me and the guards with the boxes. Conversations stop as I pass, eyes turn towards me and hushed tones whisper the inevitable. Most don’t know me but everyone knows what has happened to the woman in the cream business suit, with the Hermes neck scarf around her neck, and canary yellow stilettos.
She’s been fired.
Chapter 18. Dipti
When Myra didn’t answer 3 calls from Dipti, the latter used Sonali’s phone.
“Before you hang up, this has to do with the hacker who is targeting women.” Dipti knew what would prevent Myra from hanging up and used the right words.
“Go on.” Myra’s voice sounded heavy. She had been drinking till late in the night and then collapsed on the carpet when Dipti’s phone woke her up. How does Dip-shit know about the fiasco at work?
“Your secretary Judy had come to see me yesterday. She told me everything that had happened at work. We need to meet. There’s someone out there who is behind this. I’ll send someone to your place to collect your phone and laptop. Someone has hacked into them.” Dipti’s voice was different from how Myra remembered it. It was almost compassionate.
It was early afternoon, 4 pm when Myra and Hridi drove up to the rendezvous point decided by Dipti. At first, Myra almost didn’t recognize Dipti who was wearing a salwar kameez and a dull green cardigan that had a button missing with her shoulder-length hair in a ponytail. She stepped out of a beat-up Maruti Swift as Myra stepped out of her Beemer. The chai point at the end of Leopard’s Trail was a favourite running circuit for her gang. When the weather was good and AQI was normal, it was a gorgeous route to run on. She had been here many times. But on a smoggy afternoon, it was practically deserted. They were the only ones in the café that was really just a thatched roof, a mud wall and few plastic chairs. Myra and Hridi took the chairs and ordered the usual masala chai.
“No sugar for me and her.” Hridi added.
“Extra sugar for me.” Dipti chipped in.
“Tell me…?” Myra pushed her goggles through her dense curls. Her eyes looked tired, giving away the sleepless night she had.
“Myra…” Dipti cleared her throat before continuing.
Myra raised an eyebrow hearing her name pronounced the correct way for the first time and turned towards Hridi who also looked equally surprised. All this while, Dipti had been mispronouncing it on purpose just to annoy her.
“You know that Anahita’s phone and laptop were hacked. So were yours, Myra. Dipesh had done a thorough examination of your phone and laptop.”
Myra’s jaws dropped. “But how is that even possible? I have the best possible anti-virus software.”
“So now you can prove that she didn’t send the mail as her company accuses her of, right?” Hridi chipped in.
“It’s not that easy,” Dipti replied and then continued. “Myra, I need to know something from you. Were you approached by kids outside a shopping complex like Galleria or did you lose your phone and then get it back? Or did you give your phone to someone…someone you don’t know? “
Myra’s brows lurched towards each other as she thought. “Yes, I do remember giving my phone to two kids outside Galleria. Quite some time back, it had happened. It was ….uh… for only about 2 minutes or so. I don’t give my phone to anyone. But those two…they looked so scared and helpless…are you saying…?” Myra’s eyes widened as the reality of the situation hit her.
Dipti nodded. “Yes, the kids had approached Anahita too. I suspect they are hired by a hacking gang or a single hacker. These kids get a tiny payment to just request someone to give their phone for a quick call. No one says no to such a seemingly small and innocent request. A call to the hacker’s number and the virus gets in.”
“Oh My God! Both of them looked so cute and innocent. The girl spoke slowly and was so polite.” Myra looked at Hridi who looked ashen and pale.
“One of the hackers must have sent the mail?” Hridi leaned in.
“It’s much more than that. Myra, your phone controls your CCTV. The front door of your house has a smart lock that’s app operated. When the phone is hacked in, the person basically controls everything in your house.” Colour drained from Myra’s face, while Hridi dropped her head in her palms.
“Anyone can enter my home…anytime they want…” Myra’s voice could barely be heard. “Even while I’m sleeping…” Dipti nodded her head.
“You think it’s some stranger who hacked into my phone and then came into my house to…” Myra almost choked on her words.
“The problem is that women like you keep posting all day long on social media. You girls take selfies by the minute. Everything about your life is in that phone. A hacker gets in and sees practically everything in it and begins to get obsessed.” Dipti explained.
“So, now it’s our fault that some wacko-sicko is looking at our pictures? Wow! That’s simply great. Burkha pehenke ghar mein baitho. Bas.” Hridi snapped.
“I’m not saying that.” Dipti didn’t want to get into yet another argument with the two. She needed to solve the case. “Someone got into your phone, Myra. Got into your phone with an agenda to hurt, humiliate, and destroy your life.” She looked at two of them, paused for a while, and then continued.
“He is not just a stalker and a hacker. He isn’t after money. He didn’t siphon funds from your bank app, use Google pay or anything like that. He hacked in and sent an email that hurt your career. And he entered your home to rape you. This is deeply personal.”
Myra had the faraway kind of look, as though her mind was on something else…thinking about something. She looked past Dipti, onto the mustard fields.
“Myra, I know you are worried and scared but we will find out who this is…” Myra turned towards Dipti and cut her short.
“I think I know who is behind this. I mean I don’t know for sure but I have a strong gut feeling about this and my gut never lies.”
“My, who…who do you think is such a creepy fucker to do this?” Hridi spoke up. She had been silent all along, allowing Dipti and Myra to do all the talking.
“Rishi. I think it’s Rishi who has returned to take revenge for what happened.”
Chapter 19. Myra
“My?” Hridi touches my wrist. “Who is this Rishi?”
“Someone I’d rather forget, Hri. A big mistake. One who is possibly behind all the shit that has been happening to me.”
We slip into silence, nobody saying a word. Dipti speaks after a while.
“Tell me about this Rishi and why you think it’s him.”
We are surrounded by mustard fields swaying in the gentle breeze, soaking in the sunshine. The air feels better though I feel all choked and suffocated inside. I haven’t told anyone about Rishi; not even Mom. I didn’t want to worry her. I think I was fooling myself to believe that if I don’t talk about him, don’t think about him…he would just be erased, cease to exist. The truth is I feel like an ass for allowing the shit to happen. Though I don’t know how I could have pre-empted his stupidity, I blame myself for getting involved.
“I’d met him while I was in London. About 4 years ago. I was going to Bath to spend a long weekend and he sat down next to m
e on the train. Rishi …was just a simple, ordinary, average guy and in hindsight, I can’t understand why I allowed him to hang around. I think it’s because of his irritating wife who would just not stop calling and texting constantly to check on him by the minute. I felt sorry for him. London can get dreary after a while. I don’t know what it was, but one thing led to another and we hung around together, doing trips, meeting for dinners, etc.” Just remembering all that is giving me a headache.
“Maybe the wife was just worried about the guy being all alone in a foreign country?” Dipti added.
“Concern is fine. What she had was obsessive behaviour. She was practically calling him by the minute asking him what he was doing? What did he eat? It was weird. That’s a psycho kind of behaviour.”
“Then what happened? Did it get physical between the two of you?” Dipti asked again.
“Yes, it did. Don’t ask me how and why. But one thing led to another. It just happened. I thought he was looking for fun. I certainly was. A married man away from his controlling, psychotic wife. I had always been very upfront with him. I told him again and again that I loved my single status. The guy had married his school sweetheart; neither of them had ever dated anyone else. Can you believe that, Hri!”
Hri raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Yes. Exactly my reaction when he told me. I almost fell out of my seat when I heard him say that.”
“He doesn’t sound your type at all. Not the type who would be fun to be with so why did you indulge him?” Hridi looked at me and asked.
“I don’t know, Hri. In hindsight, it seems idiotic but back then…I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe it was the dull and grey weather of London. It gets to you after a while. I was alone and Rishi was always available and free. It was effortless. I thought no harm in having some fun, after all, I was coming back to India soon and so would he. I was having fun and thought, so was he. I told him so many times that I’m not in for anything long term. This is just fun. I did tell him that many times, but clearly he wasn’t paying attention.” Just talking about him irritated me; reminded me of what a nuisance he had become then.
“Once back in Mumbai he began constantly calling and texting. He wanted to meet for coffee. For dinner. For drinks. He would message me throughout the day. I used to wonder how is he managing his work and the constant pinging. I seldom replied back. I was too busy at work and after work, I didn’t feel like hanging around with him. I tried to be polite at first, then it became plain annoying.”
“I had never ever told him we could be together. I thought whatever happened between us in London, would stay in London. He wanted to constantly meet for dinners, go to the movies. His company began to tire me. I had my gang of friends and wanted to be with them. I was zapped when he wanted me to meet his childhood friends. Why on earth would I want to meet them? I freaked out.
The idiot walked out of his marriage because he wanted to be with me. What a fuckwit!” I drained what was left of my chai.
“My!! Dear God, what a shitty mess.” Hridi signalled for another round. I certainly needed another cuppa.
“You bet it was a shitty mess. He went full emotional psycho on me. Started waiting outside my office. Would show up at my house. Once I found him inside my flat. He had taken the key from the neighbour, given her some cock & bull story and gotten inside. He had cooked a meal for me. He thought he was being romantic and I would swoon. I freaked out when I opened the door and found him inside. I asked him to leave. The idiot couldn’t understand that he had actually broken in. I changed all the locks and kept the spare key with someone else.
He stalked me on Instagram constantly, would jump into conversations with my friends. I had to block him on all digital media platforms. My friends began to ask who he was and why was he trying to butt into every online conversation I was having. He would wait outside my office. Sometimes he came up and waited in the reception and tell everyone that he was waiting for me to finish. Finally, I threatened to report him to the cops. Later I found out that his wife had unleashed havoc on him. She’d complained to his company saying how could they trust a man with no moral standards? He must have slipped up badly at work. If all he was doing all day was message me, call me nonstop and wait outside my office; he couldn’t have been paying attention to work. His company sacked him. She apparently took away most of his money and of course, he lost all rights to meet his kid.
The last time he came to my office, he was looking like shit! What was that idiot thinking? Did he really think he, I, and his son would live happily together forever? That I was going to pack his and his kid’s lunch. I don’t even like kids. I just don’t. I happen to love my life the way it is. Why do men think they need to change the woman? Bloody moron!” narrating everything brought back the memories that I had pushed away. More than him, I’m angry with myself that I got into such an idiotic situation. But how was I to know that the moron wasn’t paying attention? So many times, I told him. Told him in no uncertain words that I simply love my single status. I don’t believe in long term relationships. I have no plans of marrying. Ever!!
“My, it’s not your fault that the guy misread you. What happened is not on you. What his wife did is her revenge on him but how do we find out if he’s the one who is behind all this? And you said it happened almost 4 years ago. Then why wait for so long and return now?” Hridi put her arm around me and held me tight.
I have no answer to any of the things. I can’t even believe that Rishi is behind all this. Was he really so mad at me that he didn’t see he’d brought it upon himself? Why did he need to upset his applecart at home? Why did he want to divorce his wife and leave his kid…just because he met me and had a blast with me for 4 months? What kind of a weakling gets swayed so fast and so soon?
“What happened with him finally? How did he let go of you?” Dipti asked.
“We had a showdown in the lobby of my office when I threatened to report him to the cops. I told him in no uncertain words that if I ever heard from him, a text, a ping or even a like on any of my posts; I would complain to the cops. He just went away and I never heard from him.”
“What makes you think the hacker is him?” Dipti.
“Something he said on the last day. He said, I’ll be back Myra and you’ll realize you are making a big mistake. You can’t just walk away and behave like we never happened.” Those were his exact words.
I held my head in my palms and tried to steady my breath. “Can he be so full of vengeance to hack into my phone, enter my home, rape me, and send an email to destroy my career …all that. Can Rishi do all that?”
It seemed so unbelievable that the mousy-faced, demure man I’d met in London harangued by his wife could possibly do all these.
“When your life is devastated, a person can go to any lengths, My. Maybe I could learn a trick or two from this freak and do the same on my ex-husband.” Hridi gave a wry laugh but when she sees the look of surprise on my face, she laughs out loud. “Joke thaa, idiot. I’d rather not waste my life on revenge. I believe in walking away and living my life to the fullest. Revenge is a dish best never served. Ignore the fucker and live it to the fullest like he never existed. That’s my policy.”
“Give me all the details about this Rishi. Where did he work? Where in Mumbai did he live? The school his son went to and if you have a picture of him? I’ll reach out to my contacts in Bombay. Uski poori janan kundali nikal ayeegi.” Dipti was raring to go.
“We’ll get the fucker, Myra. Meanwhile, change your phone. Disable the CCTV and main door app. I’m going have an official statement sent to your office about this hacking thing.”
It takes me a while but I’m finally able to find a picture of Rishi from one of the photos I’d clicked during the London trip. Rishi always tagged along when I went out with my office gang for drinks. After the fiasco, I had deleted all his pictures but a few pictures of the two of us with the office gang had remained.
“This will do.” Dipti looks at the picture
and nods. We get into our respective cars and leave. Hridi is quiet and I know she has questions.
“You’re very quiet, Hri. Are you wondering why I didn’t tell you about Rishi?”
“No, My. I’m not. I need to tell you something. Something that I have kept from you. I don’t know how to tell you; especially now…all this happening in your life.”
“Hri! Shut up, yaa. Tell me already.” I swerve the car to the left and jam on the brakes. A motorcyclist curses me loudly and shows me his middle finger up. I raise my hand in apology; I shouldn’t have swerved suddenly and stopped. Hridi is looking out of the window, her fingers balled into a tight fist in her lap. When she looks at me, she is in tears.
“Babe, what happened?” I unfasten my seat belt and move closer to hold her.
“Mom has been diagnosed with terminal cancer in the lower intestines. It happened a while back but I didn’t tell you. I just couldn’t tell you. You had so much shit exploding in your life I just couldn’t.” We sit in the car, I put my arm around her as Hridi breaks down and weeps her heart out.
“I need to leave immediately. She’s getting admitted tomorrow. I have to leave today, My.”
Chapter 20. Dipti
Rishi Malhotra. I’m going to get you. I will. Dipti sat pouring herself into the report sent by Bandra police station in Mumbai. She had called in a favour with the SHO. They had trained together at the Academy. The report was fairly detailed.
Rishi had worked for Centaur Tech Solutions as a coder and senior program head before being sacked. He had been slipping badly at work and his wife Poorna had lodged a complaint with the company that he is immoral and how can the company rely and trust a person like that. There wasn’t any lawyer involved, Poorna had appealed to the CEO of the company. The official report stated moral and ethical grounds.
Eye On You Page 12
