Accidental Inquisitors

by Ananth Gunasekaran

  ‘Anytime. Where are you?’ Geetha eyed Viki curiously.

  ‘Outside your door.’

  ‘What?' Viki jumped up. He rushed to the door and saw through the door lens. Geetha was startled but remained silent. He saw a man in blazers, holding a phone to his ear, facing the door and three other men standing behind him.

  ‘We have Sub-Inspector Harish with us. He will show you his badge,’ a man stepped closer to the lens and flashed his badge.

  ‘How did you find this address?’ asked Viki. Geetha stood beside Viki, anxious.

  ‘We found it with the help of the police. We just want to check the sample you mentioned. If there’s a problem it’s a serious one and you’ll be rewarded for finding it. If it’s not a problem, we will thank you for your concern and still appreciate you.’

  ‘But how do I know you are from TT Masala?’ asked Viki, still watching through the door lens.

  ‘Well sir, I will slip my card under the door.’

  Viki thought hard. ‘Reply to my e-mail with the card and slip the card under the door.’

  ‘That can be done,’ The man disconnected the call. Viki looked on as the man drew a card from his pocket and clicked a picture of it on his phone. He then bent down. A card hit Viki’s left foot. A notification popped on his phone. It was a reply mail to the one he had sent to TT Masala.

  ‘Dear Viki, here’s my card.’ The attachment was the image of the card Viki was holding. He opened the door.

  ***

  ‘Has the report come in?’ asked John.

  ‘Yes, chief. I was just going through it.’

  ‘Summarise is to me please.’

  ‘The cargo ships to India contained large quantities of a substance which is described as Raw material for spices in the bill of lading. However, on testing, the substance was found to primarily contains Potassium. Also, small quantities of similar substances were being exported to three other countries : China, Cuba and North Korea.’

  ‘The importers of these shipments are: Dennis stewards Ltd - China, Tei hospitality Ltd - Cuba, Jiwoo enterprises - North Korea, PMS Company - Mangalore, India.’

  ‘It has been gleaned from the records that PMS Company, India has been exporting Papaya fruits to Los Angeles to an entity named Pristine furniture.’

  ‘Furniture?’ John chuckled.

  ‘Yes, chief. Must be a fake entity. The green fruits I saw in the research facility that day could be these imports.’

  ‘What is a dog food maker doing with Papaya? Extracting ingredients?’

  ‘Maybe, chief. My concern is on the exports. North Korea, Cuba and China have been on the news for mass massacres in dog shelters. That activist named Melvin claims to possess evidence to link these massacres with Canine Delight.’

  ‘Maybe he is the last piece of the puzzle. Get him here,’ said John, angrily, as he began to walk out of the office, ‘What have these bastards been doing right under our noses?’

  ***

  Jainika tossed and turned in bed. The face of Babu occupied her dreams. She had sat staring at his picture till one in the morning. She then decided to try and sleep but her effort was futile. She sat upright and looked at the time on her mobile phone. She was startled when it rang. A landline number from the South.

  ‘Jainika,’ said Raj excitedly. He had called the previous evening and asked her not to call him on Arijit’s number since the latter was leaving to Chennai.

  ‘Raj, is everything all right?’ The timing of the call had unsettled her.

  ‘Jainika, Arijit found one of those five men’

  ‘Really?’ Jainika jumped out of bed. In the few minutes of conversation that followed, she told him about the forty-one fraudulent cases she had unearthed based on the constant number on the voter ID.

  ‘We still don't know how many cases are there, where Voter’s ID was not given as proof,’ said Raj.

  ‘How is your leg now?’

  ‘I am getting better. I can’t stand though,’ said Raj, ‘I am just so worried about Priyanka, Amba and Geetha. I feel so lame to be doing nothing now.’

  ‘What could you do Raj?’ asked Jainika, ‘Arijit was right. We have been able to find so much only because you did not surrender. Had you surrendered, we’d not have got to know any of these frauds. Just like they used you for the five cases, they have used a guy named Babu for the forty-one cases’

  ‘Babu?’

  ‘A K Babu’

  ‘Yes, send me his picture.’

  ***

  ‘You have brought one complete laboratory with you,’ said Viki as two men in white coats set up some apparatus.

  They were at a private estate in the East Coast Road. After Viki opened the door to Mr. Vishnu that morning, the latter’s team examined the sample. ‘It’s either our product or a perfect replica. We need to test it fully,’ the older of the other two scientists had said.

  Vishnu took Viki and Geetha to the company’s property facing the beach.

  ‘How did you come so soon?’ asked Viki, calculating the travelling time from Shimoga to Chennai, ‘there’s no airport at Shimoga.’ Vishnu smiled and turned towards the apparatus.

  Viki saw the sub-inspector looking bored. He sat beside him and said, ‘Sir, can you help me solve a case?’

  The sub-inspector laughed and said, ‘Let them finish their experiments. Then we’ll solve it.’

  ‘Not this one sir,’ said Viki, ‘a different one.’

  ‘Sure,’ said the SI, ‘What’s the case?’ Viki sheepishly eyed Geetha who was watching him suspiciously. He ignored her and began narrating.

  After he finished, the sub-inspector asked, ‘So you suspect that Geetha was framed for theft while the money was given to Antony.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Do you know where we can find that pastor?’

  ‘I can get his office number from the internet’

  ‘Do that. We’ll make a call’

  Viki excitedly found the office number and handed it over to the SI. After making some calls to his colleagues, Harish called the pastor’s number. An assistant attended the call.

  Geetha saw Viki thinking hard. Why is he so keen on cracking everything?

  ‘Did you come on a helicopter?’ he asked, suddenly turning to the men from TT Masala. Vishnu laughed at his excitement. He was interrupted by the ringing of Viki’s phone.

  ‘Bala, guess what,’ he said answering the call.

  ‘No, you guess what, we found Priyanka.’

  ‘What?’ shouted Viki. Geetha was startled. Second time today. The men fromTT masala went on with their work.

  ‘Yes, now open the bloody door,’ Geetha could hear Bala say.

  ‘I am not at home. People from TT Masala came this morning. We are in TT Masala’s guest house in ECR.’

  Vishnu walked towards Viki and stood in front of him. Viki’s face contorted.

  ‘What happened?’ Vishnu asked, concerned.

  ‘He has found another sample’

  ‘Where are they?’ asked Mr. Vishnu and turned to one of his men, ‘Go get them.’

  ***

  ‘Four of the five are dead,’ said Raj, flustered

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yes, they died in an accident last night. One guy luckily escaped. Arijit found him in Bangalore. They are at the police station now.’

  ‘I can’t believe this. How were all five who tricked you together?’

  ‘Looks like those guys were just pawns and their master decided to eliminate them.’

  ‘Who could this master be?’

  ‘We’ll know in a while. Arijit couldn’t tell me much over phone.’

  ‘Hope we find the guy behind all this. This is all so cruel.’

  ‘I hope they find the guy. I am more worried about Amba, Priyanka and Geetha.’

  ‘They will be safe. Believe it. Do you suspect anyone?’

  ‘I suspected Ajay when all the duplicate voter IDs had that erro
r. Now I wonder if he’s also a pawn.’

  Okay. Were you able to identify that Babu?' asked Jainika.

  ‘No, but he seems very familiar,’ said Raj, ‘I am not able to recall.’

  ‘Okay. Who could be behind the killing of these people?' asked Jainika.

  ‘It could be Ajay,’ said Raj, ‘He has somehow contributed to the fake documents. Or Ajay could be a pawn like me. But whoever the mastermind is, it was easier to kill than to silence those men.’ Jainika’s eyes fell on the picture of Babu, placed on her table. Easier to kill than to silence.

  ‘Raj!’ Jainika shouted, startling Raj, ‘this Babu is also dead.’

  ‘Who is he?’

  ‘His picture was on the newspaper. I remember now. Let me get the newspaper. Hold on’ Raj tried hard to recall the face.

  Jainika was back on the line in a few moments, ‘Ali Kutty Babu is the name.’

  ‘Ali! I remember now. He worked in our company.’

  ‘Are you sure? The news doesn’t say anything about that.’

  ‘I am very sure. Search in our employee portal. If it doesn’t show up, check with HR. I am sure I’ve seen him before. He was transferred to some branch in Karnataka because the RH didn’t like him.’

  ‘And he’s dead now.’

  ‘I can’t believe this.’

  ***

  Viki jumped when the door bell rang. Vishnu opened the door to three people. Viki saw a pale faced woman standing behind Bala and Amba.

  Bala walked in cheerfully, followed by Amba. Priyanka peered in, expectantly.

  ‘Hey Priyanka,’ said Viki, ‘come in.’

  ‘Where is Raj?’

  ‘Raj is…’ Viki was interrupted by Bala, ‘Come in first.’ He shut the door behind her. ‘Raj is not here. We still don’t know where he is.’

  She made no attempt to mask her fury ‘You don't know?’ The words were heavy. ‘Do you have any idea what you have done?’

  ‘Please calm down,’ Amba intervened.

  ‘They will kill him!’ Tears rolled down her face. ‘And you want me to calm down?’ This made the men from TT Masala stop their work and pay attention.

  ‘Madam, I am Harish, Sub-Inspector of police.’ Priyanka stood down. ‘Please tell us what happened. We believe we can still help Mr. Raj.’

  ‘They took me captive just to get a set of papers from Raj. They said they would let me go if Raj gives them the papers.’ She looked at Bala. ‘I thought Raj sent you.’

  ‘Priyanka, who are the they you are talking about?’ asked Harish calmly.

  ‘Ajay. There’s a man called Ajay.’

  Viki and Bala looked at each other.

  ‘He’s the one who was holding me captive. He’s got Raj.’

  ‘No!’ said Viki. Everyone’s attention was towards him.

  ‘They didn’t get Raj. I understand now. When we were hiding in Ajay’s office, we heard him say, “Had we got Raj that day itself, we wouldn't have to deal with these idiots.”’

  ‘When we heard that, we assumed he was going to attack Raj. That's why we followed him,’ Bala turned to Amba and Geetha, ‘but he led us to you.’

  ‘But that doesn't make sense,’ retorted Priyanka.

  ‘Yes, it does,’ said Bala, ‘what if they have been using you as bait to get Raj?’

  Priyanka thought intensely. This had not occurred to her.

  ‘Bala,’ Vishnu interrupted the discussion, ‘place the other sample on this tray.’ Bala emptied his pocket. Amba noticed how lost Geetha was. She had not spoken since Priyanka’s arrival. She suddenly looked up and asked, ‘So you eloped with him?’

  ‘You were supposed to elope,’ Priyanka spat, ‘not me.’

  Viki butted in before Geetha could speak, ‘We are all tensed. We have been through a lot. Let us calm down first.’ Bala looked at Viki and the later gave an awkward smile.

  ‘Priyanka, how were you kidnapped?’ It was Harish.

  ‘That night three men broke into my house. They tied me to a chair and hit me. They asked me where Raj was. I said I didn't know. They didn't believe me. They hit me more and I fell on the table. I don’t know if I fainted or they sedated me.’

  Amba looked at Bala who nodded. That explains the blood on the diary. Bala kept an eye on Geetha.

  ‘The next time I woke up, I was chained and a lady was watching over me. Ajay came there. He told me he had caught Raj and Geetha while they tried to elope. My heart sank.’

  ‘I really wanted Raj and Geetha to get away,’ said Priyanka. Bala saw Geetha’s eyes moisten.

  ‘I broke down. He said they were waiting for Raj to produce a document. Once he did that, we’d all be set free.’

  ‘Ajay did not know where Raj was, before kidnapping you. Then he said Raj got caught while he was trying to elope. Why did you believe him?’ Harish’s question was clear.

  ‘How did he know Raj was eloping?' retorted Priyanka, ‘He asked me about Raj before I fainted. When I woke up he told me he had caught Raj. I didn’t know where I was and for how long I had been unconscious.’ Harish waited for her to continue but Bala butted it. ‘What were you doing when the men broke into your house?’

  Priyanka thought hard, ‘I was crying. I don’t remember anything else. The bell rang and I opened the door. Those men then tied me.’

  Bala produced the diary, ‘Remember this?’

  ‘Yes!’ Priyanka tensed instantly, ‘I was writing. I remember now. I even tried to fight them with the pen.’

  She closed her eyes. ‘They would have read it. I wrote about Raj eloping. Oh my God!’

  ‘So,’ Amba was happy, ‘they didn't get Raj. My friend is smart.’

  ‘But…’

  ‘But?’ prodded Bala.

  ‘Ajay had all of Raj’s ID cards. All originals. That’s why I believed him.’

  ‘Bala!’ It was Viki. ‘Happy Birthday!’

  ***

  Gheevarghese was terrified when his assistant told him that a sub-inspector was on call. He nervously asked her to put the SI on line.

  ‘Good morning Pastor. I am Sub-Inspector Harish.’

  ‘Good morning gentleman.’

  ‘Sir, do you have a personal number where I can call you?’ asked Harish, ‘because the matter we are going to discuss is sensitive.’

  ‘Yes,’ said the pastor, ‘please note down,’ and he narrated the number.

  ‘Is that the only one Pastor?’ asked Harish, ‘Isn’t it always better to have an alternative?’

  ‘Yes, there’s one more.’ The pastor narrated a second phone number.

  ‘Well, I’ll call you on one of these.’

  The pastor anxiously looked at both the mobile phones on the table. The first one rang and he attended.

  ‘Hello sir,’ he heard Harish say before the line went dead. The other phone rang ‘Hello sir,’ he heard the SI, ‘I’ll come directly to the point.’

  ‘Yes, gentleman. Tell me.’

  ‘What is your dealing with Antony, a teacher and the principal of St. Jack’s school?’ The pastor was dumbstruck. He wiped off sweat beads from his forehead and rubbed them on his lap.

  ‘Pastor?’

  ‘Yes…yes… sir. I am here.’ Harish noted the stammering and the word Sir.

  ‘What is the dealing sir?’

  ‘I know both of them sir. We have met many times.’

  ‘My question is very specific Pastor.’

  ‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’

  ‘Pastor, would I call you up without evidence?’

  ‘What evidence sir? What evidence?’

  ‘You choose not to cooperate’ said Harish, ‘then we will deal with it suitably.’ The line went dead before the pastor could reply.

  ***

  Priyanka typed away furiously at Vishnu’s laptop, while the latter checked on her once in a while to see if his laptop was still intact. The mood in the room lifted for a few minutes when Viki had wished Ba
la a happy birthday. The others murmured their wishes and got back to discussing the issue at hand. Hearing about Bala’s rendezvous had unsettled Vishu.

  ‘ACP, good morning,’ Vishnu picked a call and sat beside Viki, who was dozing on the sofa.

  ‘So, we have concrete proof that they changed the bags,’ he turned to Viki and showed his thumb.

  ‘We have a sample from the duplicate bags. We will know what that substance is, say, in an hour.’ He looked at the two men working meticulously

  ‘We shall give him all the help he requires’

  ‘Can I speak to the gentleman please?’

  Pause.

  ‘Good morning. My name is Vishnu Salim Kumar.’

  Pause.

  ‘We are indebted to you forever,’ said Mr. Vishnu, ‘Mr. Arijit Mitra.’ Priyanka suddenly pushed her seat backwards, almost stumbling, ran towards Mr. Vishnu and snatched the phone from him.

  ‘Arijit…Arijit…Is that you? Arijit is that you?’

  All sleep vanished from Viki’s face. Priyanka sat on the floor clutching the phone close to her ear. Viki could not her but smile seeing Priyanka smile through her tears.

  Everyone in the room were on their feet waiting for her to speak.

  ‘Raj is safe,’ she declared. Bala howled and hugged Amba, who closed his eyes and began to cry. Viki turned to Geetha and saw her already in tears. He hugged her.

  Vishnu gently took the phone from Priyanka’s hand whispering, ‘it’s the assistant commissioner’s call.’

  ***

  The CEO sat at his rightful place at the boardroom. To his right sat the ACP. To his left were the Head of Claims and the Head of Investigation. Priyanka’s email to the CEO had rattled everyone.

  ‘We seem to be facing a huge fraud,’ began the CEO, without the customary greetings. ‘This lady Priyanka was taken hostage.’

  ‘May I come in?’ The soft voice of a young girl distracted the CEO.

  ‘Who…’ he began but was cut short by Naresh, Head of Investigation, ‘I called her. She is the key to crack this fraud. She probably has more information that anybody in this room.’