by UD Yasha
I said, ‘How did the CID get to the crime scene so fast?’
‘Because of a new system called Gunshot Detection System.’
I raised my eyebrows.
‘Not many people know about this technology. But after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the government is trying to be proactive about the response to a terror attack. They want to cut down the response time to an attack. As a part of that plan, they are beta-testing different technologies that track gunshot sounds. The one being tested in Pune actually listens to the sounds of the bullet bow shockwave or the muzzle flash. The same technology is being used in American colleges to detect campus shootings. It was first developed during the First World War. It was used extensively in California from the early-1990s. The version used today is obviously more advanced and less expensive. It is very useful to say the least,’ Rathod said and paused as a group of teenagers went past our table.
He continued when they went past us. ‘When a madman has a gun, even a few milliseconds can save lives. In Pune, when less than five shots are detected within a minute from one location, the CID is alerted. When there are more, the case is directly reported to the anti-terror squad. The technology is being tested in Pune at different locations because of the bomb blasts at German Bakery nine years back. Four gunshots were reported. The CID was alerted and the officer closest to the location was asked to check the place.'
‘Is there a lag between the detection of the shots and the alert?’
‘I’m not sure. Maybe a few seconds.’
‘Do you have access to the system’s data?’
‘No, but I can request it. I will share it with you when I get it,' Rathod said.
I wanted to get a timeline of events. Of all the evidence we had so far, this bit was most crucial. I said, ‘What did Manohar tell the CID?’
‘Nothing. Apart from claiming innocence.’
‘Well, he told me something more.’
Rathod was intrigued. His eyes narrowed as he folded his hands on the table and leaned forward.
‘I’m telling this to you in confidence and off the record.’
‘You’ve my word.’
‘Manohar claimed the people were already dead by the time he reached the Sinha house,' I said and then told Rathod the rest of Manohar's version of events. ‘We can corroborate the logs from that system and see if he was lying.'
‘We could have also checked the CCTV tapes from the society that the Sinhas stayed in, but they have been wiped.’
‘What about the camera from the traffic signals nearby, or even shops that have cameras.’
‘I’ll ask for the tapes.’
‘And I'll summon the logs of the gunshot detection system to check the time,' I said and paused. ‘I don't understand one thing. The wiping of the tapes means a sophisticated person was behind it. But at the same time, Manohar was found red-handed. If he went to the trouble of wiping the tapes, he surely had to be wise enough to flee the crime scene fast. Also, if he had just committed the murders, and the CID had reached the crime scene almost immediately, how did he manage to kidnap Rucha? And where could he have taken her in such a short time?' I said and paused. ‘How many times in your career so far have you caught a murderer at the crime scene almost right away?'
‘This is the first time.’
‘It’s most likely going to be the last as well.’
‘Manohar might have had a partner. He stayed back at the house for some reason, while the partner could’ve taken Rucha.’
‘That’s also a possibility,’ I said. I had not ventured the angle of there being multiple shooters. ‘There’s one more thing.’
‘Tell me.’
‘Manohar told me he drove to meet Daksh. Did you find his car outside their house?’
Rathod shook his head. ‘We didn’t even find car keys on him.’
‘That’s the question to answer then: Where is his car now?’
‘Unless he’s lying.’
‘Possible.’
‘We can’t verify with the security logs at the society’s entrance as well. The two cameras that took snapshots of license plates of cars as they went in and out were also disabled.’
Rathod pulled his phone out and made a call. He said, ‘Shaunak Manohar had driven to the crime scene in a car. Run his registration through the system and issue an APB on it.’
Silence.
‘Something about this is extremely fishy. It seems straightforward but there are too many questions,’ I said.
‘The murder is a straightforward case for the CID and ACP Shukla. Especially if the ballistics report comes as a match for the murder weapon Manohar was holding.’
‘If the log times are a mismatch—’
‘They would only matter if we found evidence that Manohar was not in the house then. Which can only be proven if he is spotted in any of the footage from the nearby CCTVs.’
‘Did he have a mobile phone with him?’
Rathod nodded. ‘We’re going through it as well. It’s with the technicians. They could hopefully tell us about Manohar’s whereabouts.’
Location traced via mobile phones was not always permissible evidence in court. But it was better than having nothing. More than permissible evidence, I was looking for something that could hint whether Manohar’s version of the story was true. If it was, I would know that he was not behind Rucha’s kidnapping. I was not sure about the course of action if he was the killer.
I said, ‘What’s the update on Rucha Sinha?’
‘A missing person’s case has been lodged already. The CID is treating it as a separate investigation at this stage. It’ll take time. With regard to the girl herself, we have entered her name in a cross-agency channel. All police stations in the state and nearby hospitals have been sent her photo and description. They will alert us the moment they get to know something.’
I shook my head in disbelief. That would only be useful when a child was lost and then found by a Good Samaritan. In this case, with the background of murders, it was least likely to be an instance of a child innocently walking away.
Rathod said, ‘We also did a door-to-door, and asked neighbours if they saw anything. But we haven’t got any breakthrough yet.’
‘What time was the CCTV footage erased?’
‘There are three cameras in the society. All three went blank at approximately seven thirty.’
Silence.
Rathod continued. ‘An officer is reviewing the CCTV tapes from the nearby traffic signals and shops. But it's a lot of footage and it's going to take time to go through it all. We could have more officers go through them but our resources are divided between the quadruple homicide and kidnapping.'
‘Why isn’t the CID focusing on the girl?’
‘We only got to know about it when you went in. Four more officers were assigned to the kidnapping after we spoke to Manohar about it. The ACP is still convinced that if we nail Manohar as the killer, he’ll come clean about the kidnapping.’
This is what I was afraid of. A lot of police work and investigations are dictated by numbers like successful closing rate, the number of criminals caught and so on. A quadruple homicide was sure to draw attention. I could picture full-fledged stories on it in newspapers and local news channels. National media would also get interested closer to the trial. That made me think.
‘Does the media know that an eight-year-old girl is missing?' I said.
‘Not yet. But the ACP is planning to hold a press conference in which he will reveal it.'
A missing girl’s case would grab all the headlines. The ACP knew that. How long did he think he could hide such a big piece of information? He would later state that the CID did not reveal it for strategic reasons. In any missing person’s case, the first twenty-four hours are the most crucial. That's because the odds of things going wrong in the perpetrator's plan are the highest in the immediate hours after the crime. And now we were wasting the most vital time.
Rathod said, ‘I kno
w what you’re thinking but there’s very little I can do about it. If I was in charge, I would divert all funds to find the girl. There’s still a chance to get her back alive. The four dead people will stay dead and getting justice for them can be delayed if it means saving a life. But the system doesn’t think like that,’ Rathod said.
It was this kind of thinking that made me trust Rathod. I could see he had his moments of frustration while working in the system. He worked hard and long hours. But there was little more he could do. Not everyone could afford to be a private detective. The money was sporadic at best. You would keep hoping a big case would come your way so that you could sustain yourself for the next year. Rathod could not take that kind of chance. His parents were old. His father was now cancer-free but his treatment had been costly. Their medical insurance had only covered a part of the expenses. Rathod had no choice but to keep working in the system. I could only afford to do it because I had earned enough money during my years of practising law. I invested strategically and Radha was kind enough to use a small portion of my investments to trade as well.
Rathod turned to me again. ‘Siya, I know you’re going to take matters into your own hands and try to find that girl. But you have to be careful. I have a feeling that something disturbing is at play here. We’re talking about four murders. If Shaunak Manohar didn’t kill them, then the killer is out there. They wouldn’t like it if someone came snooping around.’
That thought had not crossed my mind. ‘Atharva Mehta is reaching Pune by midnight,’ I said. ‘He’ll be with me throughout. I wouldn’t be worried about my safety with him.’
‘I’m sorry to ask the question. But are you certain you can trust him?’
‘Yes,’ I said without hesitation and without thinking. A beat passed. I asked myself that question again. Of course, I could trust Atharva. He was a great guy. Even though I had not interacted much with him in the past twelve years, I knew the kind of person he was deep down. I firmly believed that even when situations change, a person’s core values remain constant. In fact, the values get stronger and come to the fore under extreme circumstances. I looked at Rathod. ‘Yes, I can trust him,’ I said.
Silence.
‘How well was the Sinha house searched?’ I said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘The CID was not aware that a girl was missing until an hour after you arrested Manohar. In that case, I’m guessing the house was not searched with that in mind.’
Rathod shook his head. ‘Two junior officers went and searched the place after that as well.’
‘Did you speak to the girl’s friends? Or other family members?’
‘Yes, I personally called her school and got the names of her friends. I called their parents but they don't know anything about what happened. I also asked Atharva Mehta about the Sinha family's closest relatives. Even they do not know who could have done it. Everyone said things were going well for them and that they were a good bunch of people.'
‘Is there a connection between them and Manohar?’
‘We’re digging into it. Nothing has come up so far. Atharva Mehta will also reach in some time. We're hoping he and Malini can tell us something useful,’ Rathod said and paused. He narrowed his eyes and said, ‘I need you to be careful, Siya. Atharva is also a suspect. I know he was in a completely different city at the time of the murders, but he could have hired someone to kill them and take the girl. You and I both know what human beings are capable of.
I opened my mouth to defend Atharva but I knew where Rathod was coming from. Even though the idea of Atharva being the killer seemed outrageous to me, I did not want to discuss it with Rathod.
‘I’ll be careful,’ I said.
Rathod turned to go but paused and looked at me. He put a hand on the table and leaned forward. ‘What did you make of Manohar?’ he said.
‘Too early to tell. But I feel he isn’t sharing everything he knows.’
‘A night in police custody and a transfer to the jail tomorrow will set his thinking straight.’
As I saw Rathod walk away, I wondered whether that would be the case. Was there a chance that Manohar was actually more afraid of something outside the jail?
Chapter Seven
The cold blast from the car's air conditioner was a relief. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and lips and thought about my next steps. There were at least two things on my agenda—know more about Shaunak Manohar and speak to Malini Sinha. Mothers have a strangely strong radar when it comes to their kids' safety. Malini could have picked up on clues that could be useful. It was five minutes past midnight. Atharva would be landing in Pune in twenty minutes and he would take about forty minutes after that to reach the CID office.
Rathod had said he wanted to visit Manohar’s family himself, along with the ACP. That gave me a small window to meet them first until they spoke to Malini. I would have liked for Radha’s fiancé Rahul Mehta to accompany me.
Rahul worked as a biologist at a consulting firm whose clients included some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in India. He also consulted law enforcement authorities every now and then when they required a biologist’s opinion. His knowledge of biological forensics was his specialty and there were not many people with his skill set in India. We had worked on many cases together when I used to practice law. But there was no time to wait for him right now.
I wondered for a beat if I would have preferred him coming along if I had not gone wrong with Kunal Shastri. I hated doubting myself. I was never this way before. I put my foot on the accelerator, hoping the infusion of adrenaline would make me think better thoughts.
Manohar’s family had already been told about his arrest. They would cooperate with me since their hopes of seeing Manohar free again rested on my shoulders. Being a defence lawyer was useful at times like these.
I dialled the phone number on Manohar's file. It would be tapped by the CID, but that did not matter. I veered the car back onto the main road as the call got connected to the Bluetooth in my car.
Sheila, Manohar’s wife, answered it on the second ring. Her voice was heavy. I introduced myself, told her I was on my way and hung up. It was better to keep such conversation short when the other person was in shock.
I reached their house in twenty minutes at half past midnight. They lived in a newly constructed standalone building by the main road. It was painted a light shade of yellow and was called ‘Tulip’. I rode up the elevator to the fifth floor and found Manohar’s apartment with ease. I rang the bell and waited.
Sheila opened the door and her lips broke into a smile upon seeing me. But it did not reach her eyes. They were red and puffy. She used the dupatta of her salwaar kameez to wipe her them and then stepped away from the door.
‘Please come in,’ she said, beckoning me inside.
I took off my jutis and went in. A young teenage boy observed me closely, then ran to the kitchen. Sheila guided me to the couch and sat diagonal to me. I looked around to give her a moment to gather herself. The house was like most first apartments—compact and personalized.
The boy returned a few seconds later with a glass. Beads of water had condensed on its outer surface. I muttered a thanks and accepted the glass. Sheila jerked her head towards an open door in the corridor, and her son got the message. He turned and went inside, closing his room’s door behind him.
‘My husband couldn’t have killed them,’ Sheila said. ‘He’s a good man.’ She was on the verge of crying.
For his family's sake, I hoped Manohar was not our guy. This seemed like a normal happy family. Like any hard-working parents who tried to imbibe good values in their kids. Sheila once again looked away and wiped her face with her dupatta. She needed more time. I looked around the house again. The living room had two family portraits; one was taken recently and the other when the kids were small. Their daughter was younger. I placed her to be about eight years old. The same age as Rucha. Was there any connection between them?
‘I’m
going to do my best in defending him,’ I said, surprising myself at how easily I lied. ‘I need to know a few things though.’
‘Anything you need.’
‘When did you last see your husband?’ I said.
‘Before he left in the evening. I had just come home from the office. It must have been around seven.'
‘What did your husband tell you before he left the house today?’
‘That he was visiting a friend.’
‘He didn’t say who?’
Sheila looked away for a beat. ‘I know this doesn’t sound great. But he told me he was going to see some of his friends from back in college.’
‘Was he friends with Daksh Sinha?’
Sheila shook her head.
‘Have you ever heard that name?’
She thought for a beat and shook her head again.
‘Can you think of any reason why he lied to you?’
‘He would never lie to me,’ her voice trailed off. ‘There must have been a good reason.’ Sheila’s eyes watered up. She buried her face in her palms and sobbed. I put a hand on her back. ‘I don’t know why he would lie to me. He has never done it before.’
I stayed silent. There was little I could do. It would not really matter even if I comforted her.
Sheila looked up a while later. ‘I’m sorry. This is just a tough time.’
‘I understand.’
‘Many difficult questions come up in a murder investigation. It's important that I ask them.'
‘I will answer any questions that will help you prove Shaunak’s innocence.’
I said, ‘Where were you earlier today between seven thirty and nine o’clock in the evening?’
Sheila looked at me with disdain. ‘What? You think I killed them?’
‘I have a reason to believe that whoever killed the Sinha family had a partner.’
‘Why isn’t Shaunak telling you what happened?’
‘He gave me his version. But there are some loopholes in it.’
Silence.
