Chance Encounter ( PriVeer SS) Completed - Page 20

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"What do you mean by saying that there are no spare keys?!" ACP Randhawa thundered at the constable who was looking at the floor, too terrified to meet the angry officer's gaze.

The present scene was in Randhawa's cabin at the Crawford Market office of Crime Branch, Mumbai. Shaikh and Tambe sat in two empty chairs looking grim. The other two chairs were also occupied. On one sat the lately arrested gangster, murderer, smuggler, extortionist most-wanted criminal Arun Pawar. Pawar was heavily gagged and bound to the chair in a way that criminals in Bollywood films could take lessons from when they decide to kidnap the hero and hold him for ransom. Pawar seemed to be well aware of the hopelessness of the situation and sat with a resigned manner though his eyes darted around the room giving him a rat-like appearance. The occupant of the other chair was as different from Pawar as was humanly possible. It was Priyanka Singh Oberoi. Her head was bent to a side and her long sweep of hair fell forward hiding her face. She was not bound to her seat. She wasn't covering her face out of shame. She was asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a steady pace. Someone had thoughtfully provided her with a cushion near her shoulders to rest her head. A shiny pair of metal handcuffs linked the two individuals.

"Sir, we've tried every single key that is here in the office. Either the particular make that opens this pair of cuffs is missing or there is something wrong with the cuffs itself." said the constable, his eyes briefly turning to Shaikh and Tambe in abject pleading.

The moment Priyanka Oberoi fainted into the arms of ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa was one of confusion and chaos. For a while as Pawar lay crumpled and unconscious on the pavement, Randhawa had been too busy in trying not to drop the woman in his arms on the ground to realise that Priyanka had cuffed the criminal. This situation lasted for as long as it took to arrest Pawar's men and place them in the police vans. This in fact took a while as the vans needed to pass through the slow moving traffic to reach them. Once that had been done and Shaikh had tried to lift Pawar and send him off like the rest, it came to their attention that the woman had somehow managed to attach one end of a handcuff on him. Slowly the matter cleared up in Randhawa's mind though Priyanka's identity and presence made Shaikh cast suspicious glances towards his fellow officer. Ignoring the looks directed his way, Ranveer ordered the panting Savarkar who had arrived at the scene five minutes too late to bring him the keys to the handcuff that lay in the glove compartment of his car. After a few minutes, Savarkar returned empty-handed. Placing Priyanka on a chair brought out from a nearby shop, Randhawa had then run to his car and searched for the keys. After rifling through that small space, he had to accept that Savarkar was right and there were no keys to be found. Unfortunately for him the handcuffs used by the Crime Branch was different from that used at the various divisional offices, preventing the possibility of any of the other handcuff keys on the scene from coming to use. Shaikh had once again proved his efficiency. Instead of demanding an explanation, he had ordered ropes and secured Pawar before the man regained consciousness. Then discarding the plan of putting the villain in the van, they instead carried him along with a still unconscious Priyanka to Shaikh's own car and headed off to the Crime Branch office.

The ride had been uncomfortable. After trying to get Priyanka to open her eyes, they realised that she had somehow drifted into sleep. A word from Shaikh prompted our ACP to call ahead asking the Branch office to arrange for a doctor to check up on her and Pawar as soon as they arrived. During the ride, Shaikh had sat in front next to the driver, while Randhawa and Haider had sat on two sides with Pawar and Ms. Oberoi in the middle. Somehow during the journey, Priyanka's head ended up resting on the ACP's shoulder who felt torn between irritation and alarm as her soft breaths hit the pulse on his neck giving rise to some very unfamiliar sensations.

The handcuffs turned out to be a tad bit more difficult to take off than could have been expected. Generally a single tooth key was the standard used by the Mumbai police unit and such keys were found in plentiful. However, recently the force had procured a fresh batch of cuffs with a slightly more complicated key system. As it turned out the set used by Randhawa belonged to the latter category and after much searching even if an interchangeable key was located, it didn't work. And so the constable was now at the receiving end of the ACP's wrath.

Amidst all this, the doctor arrived. A cheerful dapper sort of man, he was well-liked by the police force because of his ability to remain unfazed in any situation. Pawar had regained consciousness by then and begun a steady stream of curses. Dr. Jyothi turned a deaf ear to the colourful language and looked over the wound with the objectivity of a seasoned practitioner. Despite the lump that had formed by then, Pawar was declared to be fit. The pronouncement was immediately followed by three constables leaping to his side and adding a gag on top of the heavy bindings. Dr. Jyothi then turned to the next patient. There was no doubt about the fact that Ms. Oberoi was sleeping. "She might be slightly drunk," Randhawa said. The doctor cast a quick glance at ACP Randhawa and then said that he was surprised at how deep her sleep was. When he shook her by the shoulders she simply swatted his hand away and tried to roll over in the chair. There wasn't anything to prevent Ranveer Randhawa from declaring before everyone that Priyanka Oberoi had taken some form of hallucinatory substance. He could have set in motion the plan that he had been hatching ever since Priyanka Oberoi had caught his hand in a state of total drug induced hallucination. However, she was the reason they now had in their custody a criminal who could well become the key to dismantling one of the most notorious gangs in existence. He cleared his throat as the doctor looked at him questioningly and then nodded at Shaikh to pass him the jug of water. Shaikh did so. Before anyone could understand what he intended to do or stop him, he had upturned the contents of the vessel on Priyanka's head.

In the ensuing uproar as the doctor along with quite a few of the assembled constables exclaimed in shock, Randhawa watched as Priyanka's head sprung up with a jerk and her eyes fluttered open. Shaikh took the jug from his colleague's hand and placed it back on the table. A fleeting smirk passed across his face. Randhawa's face was impassive as slowly the exclamations of shock passing through the room turned to delight and the doctor rushed to check Ms. Oberoi. She looked groggy but as her sleep-induced daze passed, a look of pure terror replaced her calm. She tried to get up and realised her hand was tied to something. This brought on the next shriek as she glanced down and discovered what or who exactly she was tied to. The doctor tried to pacify her but to no avail. She burst into tears as Pawar rolled his eyes.

"Priyankaji?"

It was more of a statement than a question but she stilled at the sound of ACP Randhawa's voice. Amidst the many faces that surrounded her, she now searched and eventually found his familiar one.

"Wh-wh-at a-am I do-do-doing here?"

"No need to panic, Ms. Oberoi." Randhawa continued, his gaze fixed firmly on Priyanka. "We will get you out of those cuffs in no time." Then turning to one of the constables, he ordered the man to go and find a locksmith. This could be easily arranged and the constable fled in a rush, eager to try and get in the good books of the boss once again. With another nod, Randhawa dismissed the crowd that was hungrily waiting for the drama to further unfold. As everyone filed out of the room, Shaikh and the doctor remained behind.

Dr. Jyothi came forward and stood in front of Priyanka.

"Miss Oberoi, I am a doctor. I am here to hel-"

Before he could finish, Randhawa was next to them in a few quick strides. He looked into the girl's eyes and asked, "Did you take any drugs at Jimmy's?"

Priyanka looked horrified. "O-o-of c-c-course not!" she said with vehemence. "I c-c-c-can't st-st-stand drugs!"

The doctor glared at the ACP and continued in a gentle tone, "Did you take any drinks? Alcohol perhaps?"

Priyanka shook her head. "I had s-some p-p-pineapple j-j-juice a-a-and f-f-felt unwell. A-a-nd t-then.." Priyanka suddenly stopped as recollection hit her and she turned to the ACP in shock.

"Y-y-you h-h-handcuffed me!" she said in shock. Randhawa pretended not to hear this and cut in, "So it must have been something mixed in the drink. Were you there with friends?"

She nodded in a dazed manner.

"Well, clearly, some of them did not have friendly intentions. Someone must have mixed some kind of drug in your drink. Evidently the dose was small and so you are out of it now. You need to be more circumspect when it comes to choosing your friends."

Randhawa's words made Priyanka twist in her seat. She felt like disappearing into herself. The memories from the morning now were like gall to her. What had she unknowingly walked into?

The ACP continued,"Let me inform you that you have helped us in arresting a most-wanted criminal no matter what state you were in at the time."

Hearing this Priyanka sat upright, now too afraid to even turn her head towards Pawar. The doctor and Shaikh were looking at Randhawa with an amused look on their faces. At that moment, the constable bustled in with a locksmith in tow. In no time, the cuffs had been cut and Pawar was led away for questioning. Shaikh went with the criminal. The doctor examined Priyanka once again and then warning her to stay away from narcotics, he too strutted out after joking with a grim-faced Randhawa that next time he should be more careful before locking something.

The clock on the wall showed it was a little past 6 o'clock in the evening. So much had happened in the past four hours.

"I'll arrange for you to be taken home." Randhawa said, picking up a file and avoiding looking at the still shell-shocked Priyanka. "The department will probably want to award you with some kind of certificate for your contribution" he continued.

"P-p-please d-d-don't t-t-ell anyone a-a-bout t-this." her voice was soft, pleading.

"Afraid of the scandal that a news of you being on drugs might create?" Randhawa said, his face darkening. "Don't worry about that. We won't give out those details."

"N-n-no."

Dropping the file back on the table, Randhawa turned his attention fully on the girl standing before him.

"I w-w-wasn't s-s-supposed to b-be there. B-b-ut college was c-c-closed f-f-or the d-d-day and-"

"And so you went to the cafe with your friends instead of going home." Randhawa completed for her, giving her a strange look. Silence pervaded the room as Priyanka stood staring fixedly at the rust red floor while the officer studied her face, searching for something.

"You tend to stutter when you speak?" he suddenly said, making her jolt out of whatever thought that was occupying her. She nodded hesitantly as a blush spread across her cheeks.

"You didn't earlier." he said, picking up a glass paperweight and rolling it around between his thumb and index finger. His gaze never drifted from her face.

"Wh-what?" she said, trying to meet his piercing gaze.

"When you were high, you didn't stutter." he said, with the calmness of someone discussing the weather.

Priyanka didn't reply immediately but a frown arrived on her forehead. "I d-d-don't wish to discuss this with you" she said finally.

He turned away with a jerk and declared, "Well, you must be wanting to go home. It's already past six." he said.

"S-s-six!" Priyanka exclaimed in dismay.

His glance in her direction now had an assessing quality to it. "I take it your family might be getting worried at you not returning home sooner?" he asked.

Her fingers were now twisted in her dupatta as she clenched her fists around her clothes.

Randhawa placed the paperweight with a thud and straightened up.

"I called you for questioning. Tell Mr. Shivay Singh Oberoi that I called you in for some questioning." Randhawa said walking over to where his car keys hung from a keyboard.

"Now Priyankaji, let me take you home."

*************

"D-d-don't t-t-tell about my being there." Priyanka said as she stepped out of the car.

"If you insist, we won't." said Randhawa through the window.

Priyanka turned to leave but he spoke again.

"Thanks Miss Oberoi."

She looked at him in surprise.

"We won't mention you in our reports, but we can thank you."

------------

Priyanka rushed to the balcony of her room and was just in time to catch the taillights of his car disappear around the corner of the street. Today she had not been herself. She had forgotten all those self-imposed rules created over the past few years. Flashes of memory of the events of the afternoon flitted across her mind. Her fear of drowning in the crowd, someone coming to her rescue, the unlikeliest of saviours, her prickly pineapple of an officer, scratching at the ACP's sleeves, those delicious dreams of tropical fruit, the feeling of suddenly being aware of some kind of cosmic truth, her role in the capture of a most-wanted criminal, the face of the man sitting bound and gagged in a chair, hardly a criminal, and then him thanking her. It was like a dream. In the darkness of the balcony, the entire day appeared unreal, a made up story. And Priyanka walked up to meet her grandmother who had just stepped in with a look of concern on her aged face.

Daadi asked, "Kahan thi puttar, itne der tak?"

Instead of replying, Priyanka bent forward and hugged her.

***********

Ranveer Singh Randhawa watched Priyanka Oberoi disappear through the vast portals of the Oberoi Mansion. Those who knew him well would have been surprised at his actions that day. A scandal about the Oberois in the media at this point would have been the perfect tool to weaken the walls that guarded this powerful family. And yet, the perfect weapon that would have achieved just that had walked away from him only a moment ago. And he had let her. But today had been a day of miracles. Arun Pawar was now sitting in a cell under police custody. The Police Commissioner had promised their team the full support of the force in this fight against the mafia that had met with such success in its very first mission. So he was willing to watch her walk away from him and consider this as another miracle. Today he would let her go. There was ample time to catch her in the web he was weaving that would eventually tangle the entire Oberoi clan. He would do it and not feel a tinge of regret. Not for this corrupt family. Not for her. But he would leave it for another day. Today would be a day of miracles.

THE END