Hello all.. The next Ch is up.. Thank you for waiting patiently.. 😆 I know, I've been irregular but blame it all on my hectic schedules and a terrible block.. 😕
Anyhow, we move ahead..
Just a small reminder: To those hoping for mushy Arakshi romance, this isn't about that.. All of that will happen gradually..
DISCLAIMER:
The story revolves around a fictional Police force and Institutions associated with it. I do not intend to criticise or malign any individual or organisation. It's fiction and hence I guess, I can be a bit liberal with creative freedom here.. 😃
Besides, it's me.. So you should know by now, when to keep your logic aside.. 😆😉
Also, the previous warning stays.. It's going to be suuper filmy, so please take it with a pinch of salt..
Enough for today, read on.. 😉
Chapter 5
"Miss Sakshi. You are under arrest."
She had frozen. Her brain refused to process the relayed information.
She didn't blink and if one looked closely, she wasn't even breathing normally as she should..
Their hushed voices reached her ears but she couldn't comprehend what they were talking about. She vaguely heard the words.. lock.. room.. dismiss..
And then she was turned around and her hands were handcuffed behind her. She was forcibly made to walk towards the Academy.
The physical and mental ordeal was extremely tiring, she felt. Never before had she been stuck in a situation where she had so much to say but she couldn't phrase the right words.
She wasn't in a position to resist them as the guards led her through the West Gate.
Sakshi had never been to this part of the Academy. She had only accompanied Ayesha while she carried lunch for her husband on a couple of occasions.
The fog was slowly being lifted off her senses. She winced when one of the guards pushed her down the stairs and the others followed.
Her observant eyes took in the dingy, dark corners and she figured it looked like those cellars she had frequently visited while interviewing criminals in the prison.
While she still sported an impassive bearing, the truth slowly dawned upon her.
She was going to be locked up..
Her eyes widened and she began struggling causing the metal handcuffs to brush her skin roughly.
"Leave me. Mujhe kyun arrest kar rahe hain aap?", she almost screamed gathering her sanity back.
A tall, well-built man in uniform stopped before her and unlocked a wooden door, "Miss Sakshi. You are being charged with illegal smuggling of arms and ammunition from our Academy. You will be held here for interrogation."
Sakshi gasped upon hearing the accusations that were hurled at her. It was some very cruel misunderstanding!
She shook her head in protest and argued, "No. That's not true. I haven't done anything of that sort."
The man looked at his colleagues and they exchanged a knowing look, "Miss. Our senior officer will be here soon. I'm afraid we're not in a position to neither interrogate nor clarify anything to you."
She felt herself being roughly pushed onto a chair in the dark room. Only a tiny light bulb hung low from the ceiling. The windows were closed and the only entrance and exit into the room was blocked by three guards in uniform.
Sakshi struggled and tried hard to free herself from the binds as she pleaded with the men to release her. "I haven't done anything. Leave me. Just let me use my phone once."
The guards exchanged a look that was half-sympathetic and the man holding her sling bag handed it to the other whispering something she couldn't hear.
The door slammed shut and Sakshi saw the guards walk away into the corridor. She clenched her fists tight and hissed angrily.
This was so unfair.
She figured she had no option but to wait for the senior officer to present himself there.
She was sure he would give her a fair chance to explain herself unlike his subordinates.
Her eyes fell on the dark night outside and her heart sank a bit. Her Mamaji would be home by now. She hoped he would come to her rescue..
Shree and Chottu sat on the rocks at the foot of the hill, overlooking the West Gate. They saw the girl being led into the one-storeyed building and knew she was being taken for interrogation.
A flash of worry passed over Shree's face as he glanced at his cellphone yet again. Isn't that what they wanted..
But why did it feel as though something had gone horribly wrong with their plan.
They heard a jeep enter the Gates and were surprised to see no guard stationed at the post. Well, that was weird.
Even though the West Gates housed relatively deserted and insignificant premises, a guard's absence was certainly abnormal.
Chottu pulled Shree down behind the bushes and they crouched on the damp ground. They had to be extremely cautious yet watchful.
Shree craned his neck to steal a peek at the occupants of the vehicle and swore under his breath.
"He's here, Chottu. Woh zaroor uss ladki ko chudane aaya hoga.", Shree warned his partner who fished out his cellphone to dial Arjun's phone.
"Yaar. Yeh Arjun Sir kahan reh gaye?", Chottu seemed flustered when the call didn't go through. There were no signs of Arjun or his vehicle either..
****
Professor Khanna returned home after the evening pooja. He washed his feet and began searching for his niece. He hadn't seen her since morning.
He panicked upon not finding her in the house and knocked at the neighbour's door. Nandini's mother greeted him with a smile and invited him into the house.
"Arre nahi beta. Tumne Sakshi ko dekha? Ab tak sheher se lauti nahi kya?", he enquired.
Nandini, who happened to hear him walked to him and replied, "Nahi Daddu. Didi toh Academy gayi hain. Apni dost se milne."
The old man frowned and looked at his wrist watch. It was almost dinner time and from what he had heard, the Academy didn't allow visitors after sunset. He grabbed a chair and sat in the courtyard waiting for Sakshi to return..
Just then a couple of men, including Nandini's father approached him with grim faces. Professor Khanna stood up and smiled, "Arre Kishan, Sakshi Academy gayi hai. Dekho na ab tak vapas nahi lauti hai.."
The man looked at his wife and turned to the elderly man. "Professor Sahab, ek masla ho gaya hai." He paused and looked around. The villagers were slowly gathering around them.
"Sakshi bitiya ko Police ne giraftaar kar liya hai.", he said apologetically.
Everyone watched the look of horror on Professor Khanna's face.
Asha, Nandini's mother moved forward and questioned her husband, "Kya bol rahe ho aap? Sakshi ne kya kiya?"
Kishan turned to the old man who seemed to be in shock and held his hands gently. He had been playing cards with his friends when one of the guards posted at the Academy happened to mention Sakshi's arrest..
He looked at Professor Khanna and spoke with hestitation, "Sakshi ke scooter se hathiyaar baramad hue hain, unn logon ko."
Collective gasps and hushed voices were heard around him and Sakshi's uncle felt his knees weaken all of a sudden.
Kishan's words rang in his ears several times and he was instantly reminded of the day Sakshi's father, DIG Samar Anand was framed in a similar manner.
"Nahi. Unhe zaroor koi galatfehmi hui hai. Meri beti aisa nahi kar sakti. Kishan, mujhe abhi Academy le chalo..", he shook his head, as if fighting those memories that threatened to remind him of the past.
It felt as though history was repeating itself. This is exactly how it had started in the past as well. He couldn't let that happen to Sakshi.
Professor Khanna took a step forward but was blinded by dark spots appearing before his eyes. Before anyone could even sense his uneasiness, he tripped and fell down the stairs he was standing on.
Kishan, his wife and the others ran to him and lifted him up. Someone splashed water over his face, while another ran to get his truck. He had hit his head and seemed to have passed out.
Though they were startled at first, the men quickly jumped into the lorry. They had to rush him to the nearest hospital, which was unfortunately about 10 kilometers away..
***
Shree and Chottu jumped at the sound of footsteps approaching them. They found the West Gate deserted and spun around instinctively.
"Shree.. What the hell happened?", Arjun questioned, as he crouched on his knees behind the duo.
More than six months ago, the Garhwal Police Academy passouts had arranged a reunion at Mumbai. The unexpected information that was revealed to Arjun then, by his former batchmate and confidante, Suhas Gupta had been alarming.
Suhas's team had intercepted a few messages exchanged between someone at the Academy and several outsiders. They had tried looking into the matter but it seemed as though someone from top was pulling the strings. Their investigation was labelled as a frivolous exercise and was dismissed soon after.
But many, like Suhas believed that the matter wasn't as trivial as it appeared. Having been Arjun's roommate and friend while back at the Academy during their training days, Suhas was well aware of Arjun's relationship with DIG Anand and his determination to seek justice for their wronged mentor.
Though the evidences pointed otherwise, he too, believed that DIG Anand was innocent. He had tried using his contacts to gain insider information regarding the same but unfortunately he did not have access to higher levels of classified information.
Suhas and Arjun, knew very well that they couldn't get to the root of the present situation without the influence of someone higher up in the system.
ACP Arjun Rawte never took favours, but this time around, he approached his senior officer, who also happened to be DGP Vikram Kumar, the highest commanding police officer in the state of Uttaranchal.
He, together with Suhas had briefed DGP Kumar about the same and taken him into confidence. They had very little problem with it, since Kumar had been Suhas's team leader before on the case that was dismissed.
Just when they were trying to find their way into the Academy, Arjun was handed transfer orders and to his surprise, he was appointed as the second-in-command of the Garhwal Training Academy.
It seemed as though they had struck gold. Most of the homework was already done by Shree and Chottu, who had joined in, at Arjun's behest.
The duo had been keeping an eye on all surreptitious activities, planting bugs in rooms, monitoring the staff and trainee officers while posing as the security guard and boys hostel warden.
On account of information gathered by them and Arjun's own theories, they had postulated that someone from the inside seemed to be involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms.
Together they had shortlisted a few suspects and were going to narrow down their investigation to those men.
One of Shree s many planted bugs had picked up an unusual conversation that morning from the kitchen store room. He had immediately brought it to Arjun's attention, who in turn had asked the duo to keep an eye on the men involved.
Yet, nothing could have prepared Arjun for the dilemma that he was facing at the moment.
He had just dropped Sameer and Ayesha at the railway station and was preparing to return when Shree's frantic call alarmed him and made him rush back to the Academy.
"Kaun hai woh ladki? Pehle kabhi dekha hai usse?", he asked.
Shree looked from Chottu to Arjun and shook his head, "Haan Sir. Ek do baar usse Ayesha ke saath dekha tha humne.." Chottu nodded agreeing with him.
Arjun's forehead creased at that. Ayesha ke saath? Was the girl using her to keep a watch on proceedings at the Academy?
It seemed too much of a coincidence that the incident took place immediately after Ayesha and Rathore's departure.
Surely, they were looking for a right opportunity to strike.
Chottu spoke up seeing Arjun distressed, "Sir, aaj bhi woh ladki aapke jaane ke baad yahan aayi. Ayesha aur Rathore Sir ke liye pooch rahi thi. Unke quarters ke taraf gayi bhi thi, lekin kuch hi der mein lautkar aa gayi."
Arjun was now partially convinced that she could be involved.
But then, she couldn't have done it on her own since she was a civilian. She surely had some insider help.
"Shree, they seized those pistols and cartridges from her scooter, right? Did you see anyone putting them there?", he asked trying to link the dots.
Shree looked at Chottu and spoke in a hushed voice, "Humara shaq sahi tha, Sir. Trivedi is involved."
Arjun's head snapped up at the mention of Trivedi's name.. Vivek Trivedi was posted there as a teaching faculty.
The man didn't particularly have a service record that he could boast of and there were floating rumours around that he was demoted and sent to the Academy to serve his penalty for having assaulted an on-duty subordinate.
Trivedi had been on Arjun's list of suspicious people right since the beginning. But he couldn't point fingers at the man without substantial evidence.
But now, things had changed..
He sighed and rubbed his temples before looking at the duo, "So, you're saying you saw him placing the weapons there?"
Shree nodded, "Haan, Sir. I'm confident that it was him. I've checked the staff register as well. His duty ended at 7. So why would he chose to loiter here instead of resting in his quarters? Kuch ajeeb sa laga.."
Chottu joined him, "Aur Sir, kuch samay pehle uski gaadi jail ki taraf gayi hai.."
Arjun's eyes widened at the realisation. Though it seemed straightforward to his officers, Arjun could see two possibilities to the scenario.
He wasn't someone who would make judgements without analysing every aspect of the matter, no matter how insignificant it appeared.
And he had just found something to corner Trivedi at his own game..
He stepped out of the bushes, dusting his hands, "Chalo.. Trivedi aur uske saathi ki pol kholte hain."
The men exchanged an amused look as Arjun strode towards the Academy. His eyes and gait held a predatory confidence which assured them that they were in for a massive showdown.
****
Meanwhile at the hospital, Professor Khanna was taken to the emergency ward where he was being attended to.
Kishan's wife nudged him to find out more about Sakshi's arrest and he made a call to his friend, who worked at the Academy.
A little while later, he walked back to join his wife and other villagers dejectedly. "Unhone Sakshi ko girasaat mein liya hai. Poochtaach chal rahi hai. Ab toh jo hoga, kal subah hi hoga.", he said.
Just then, the doctor tending to Sakshi's uncle stepped out of his room and addressed the crowd, "Dekhiye. Unke sarr ki chot mamuli hai. Lekin Professor Sahab ko halka dil ka daura pada hai. Humein unhe aaj raat yahi rakhna hoga."
The men and women gathered had already started passing comments about Sakshi's sudden arrest.
Though not many believed her to be guilty, just the mere fact that a young girl was taken in for interrogation, that too late in the night was enough fodder for everyone to chew upon.
Nandini's mother sighed and sat down on the floor holding her head, "Ab aage kya hoga, ji?"
Two hours ago. At the Academy.
Sakshi had been sitting in the dimly lit room for over an hour without signs of any interrogator approaching her. She tried hard to break free of the bonds, but the metal handcuffs wouldn't budge.
She fell on the floor, during the struggle and hit her knee against the wooden chair. Bloodcurdling pain shot up her leg that instant and her eyes welled up at her helplessness.
And that is when the reality hit her hard.
Nobody on the outside knew who she really was, except Jay. Not even her uncle was aware of her real intentions behind her decision to stay at Dhanulti with him.
Though she was still very confident that she could prove herself innocent, Sakshi feared that news of her arrest would inevitably attract attention. And she knew she couldn't afford that.
Jay had already warned her of all possible repercussions and the case blowing up in her face before she had agreed to take it up. But back then, she had been confident that she could deal with everything that came her way.
Because this was her only chance to seek justice for her wronged father and restore his tainted honour and her peace of mind..
She could not reveal her true identity nor her intentions, under any circumstances..
The shooting pain in her knee was slowly making her delirious. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
Sakshi fought the dizziness for as long as she could, but the lack of fresh air in the room was adding to her uneasiness.
Soon, the weariness got to her and her eyes drifted close. Her head fell limp against the cold flooring.
The door to the dingy room opened and a tall man in uniform stepped in.
His lecherous eyes wandered over the feminine figure lying immobile on the floor and a twisted smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Toh yeh hai woh bevakoof ladki..", Trivedi ogled at her..
****
Okay then.. That's it for now..
I know, slow hai.. But I guess a bit more of that, and many of you would've come after me.. 😆
I hope a part of the confusion (regarding Arjun's involvement) and Sakshi's arrest is cleared.. Like I said, I hope.. 😛
More coming up soon..
Precap: Trivedi misbehaves with Sakshi and Arjun is finally convinced of her innocence..
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