Rikara: To Serve and to Protect | Part 12 - Pg 36 |05/18/2018| - Page 19

Part 9 - Light at the end of the tunnel

Shivaay Singh Kapoor

The man has been screaming his head off for the past half hour about having enough power to get the entire police department fired. I smirk as I watch Tej Kapoor rant and rave in the investigation room. It is not even half hour and he is sweating profusely.

"How the heck did you manage to bring him here? Shukla approved this?

I turn to see my brother watching Tej, a little fascinated at the one man show happening within those four walls.

"Rudy, Shukla gave more than his blessing. He is pissed with the way Tej got away from the CBI by pulling strings. He would still have let it go if not for the way this obnoxious bas***d behaved during his arrest as if he owned the entire department. This is like payback for Shukla. I wink at Rudy who simply laughs, enjoying the specter in front of us.

Rudy's laugh sums up the mood of the Oberois today. Three weeks of horribleness in which the media scrutiny on my dad and the way he has been dragged through the mud for his alleged involvement in driving Mrs. Kapoor to her suicide, followed by conspiracy theories about his involvement in getting Tej Kapoor scott free has made us feel drained but not defeated. The pressure has been immense. Mom as she always is and has been a rock. Annika and Gauri have been battling the media, their heads held high. But it has not been easy. The one great thing about all this, we have come closer as a family.

"Let's get this wagon rolling, shall we?

I walk into the interrogation room and sit on the chair opposite to Tej Kapoor noisily. He looks at me, glaring, with hate.

"Do you know what I can do to a man like you?

I let him finish his rant and then slowly move the first sheet of paper in front of me right under his eyes. He stops, probably surprised. As he reads through the report detailing his cunning but not very thorough job of fudging his finances, I can literally see the blood drain from his face.

"I want my lawyer.

His voice is just a croak.

"Oh of course. Your lawyer has already been contacted but the funny thing is that someone told him that you are held in the station at the other side of town. It is a two-hour journey back from there and with this traffic, it may take him longer. Meanwhile, let us discuss your charges. You are being charged with money laundering, fraud and corruption. Adding the number of charges, we have, each for every corrupt deal you have made, plus the account books you have fudged, I guess you will be spending the next twenty-five years in jail. Let's start there.

For a man who was screaming about owning the police force if he wanted, Tej Kapoor breaks very quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shakti Singh Oberoi

I feel a sense of contentment today. Things are finally falling into place. Being questioned by CBI has been an experience. In my career as a policeman, this is not the first time I have answered questions. Inquires are part of a policeman's life. But this is the first time, I have been a suspect in a true sense. I am yet to decipher my feelings on that. I know that it has not been pleasant.

Throughout this entire ordeal, my family has stood by me. I watch Gauri peep into my room discreetly to see if I am resting and I smile at her. She smiles back and signs for me rest. I shake my head in answer as she pouts. I finally lie down as she orders making her smile again. These small joys are what makes life worth living, a family worth protecting.

Annika and Gauri have been our backbone these past weeks. During my two-day remand in which Tej Kapoor was arrested and released almost immediately, they remained level headed and supportive to Pink. The CBI team had no other option but to drop the case in the end. It was a classic case of Tej pulling enough strings to get him out along with surprisingly a statement from one of the top hospitals in the city that Jahnvi Kapoor is in depression and has been on medication for years. This meant that her suicide note can be legally questioned leaving the prosecution case in tatters. It also meant that there is nothing to hold me on, with even the prime accused walking away.

The first thing I did on taking charge again is to order a thorough investigation into every one of Mrs. Kapoor's allegations. I also asked Omkara and Shivaay to complete the case of the missing girls and the dead ones to closure asap. The fact that I am given the freedom to pursue this line of investigation speak highly of those above me. There have been hints, not just subtle ones about how much the police force stands behind me. Those who work for me have been more vocal in voicing their displeasure at the needless media scrutiny, blaming over zealous reporters of twisting facts to suit their narratives. The media has backed down slowly. Things are slowly falling into place for a free and fair investigation.

Shivaay and his team have worked for weeks to get enough evidence to support Mrs. Kapoor's allegations. They have unearthed so much evidence of fraud and profiteering on Tej's part that this time, I am sure the man cannot escape. On the other hand, Omkara is trying to tie up the murders and missing girl cases to bring them to a closure. We strongly suspect Tej behind these too. Inspite of all these developments, I still don't feel completely happy.

Omkara Singh Oberoi

Her anklets make the sound of sweet music as she nears my room. I can hear her soft voice singing a tune as she comes barging in, the coffee I demanded in her hand. She looks at me offering the coffee cup once but retracts immediately.

"You promised you will explain.

I smile at her and she hands over the coffee cup. She stands in front of my timeline board, filled with details we have gathered over the past few weeks written intricately including the revelations of Tej Kapoor's shoddy businesses and finances unearthed by us and the CBI. There are references and cross references to observations and facts checked and verified. To an untrained eye, the board is very confusing but to me, it helps see the bigger picture.

I watch Gauri scrunch up her nose and look at the wide board intently trying to decipher my notes. I smile again at how cute she looks being all serious. I place the coffee cup on the side table before standing behind her. As I wrap my hand around her waist, she sighs and leans into me.

"Whatever you are, you are an artist for sure.

I smile wider as I understand what she means. Old habits die hard and mine is to draw sketches, faces I see, of suspects, persons of interest, of victims on to my board. It helps me humanize them, understand them and not just look at facts alone.

"What do you see?

I ask her, and she shrugs telling me that she finds my methods weird but fascinating.

"Mr. Tej Kapoor is a crook and a murderer?

I smile at her use of a respectful title followed by her conclusion that Tej Kapoor is a crook. Tej is surely not a very likable character.

"That is what we determine based on the facts we have. A murderer, I am not so sure.

"But I didn't think there is anything to determine. Mrs. Kapoor as much as told us what he is.

Gauri's observations are based on the detailed note that Mrs. Kapoor left informing the world that her husband has defrauded numerous people including the shareholders of his company. Also her allegations of physical abuse have been confirmed by my father from the incident years ago. With one letter, she has crash landed Mr. Kapoor's personal stock from sky high to the dungeons.

"She also said my father was in cahoots with Mr. Kapoor. If we take Mrs. Kapoor's words as the Gospel with regards to Mr. Kapoor, then we should also use the same scale for my father. We should believe that he aided and abetted Mr. Kapoor over the years.

I hear Gauri's indignant gasp before she turns to me and punches me on my shoulders.

"Of course, she got that wrong, completely.

I acknowledge Gauri's words with a bow and then her eyes open wide as it hits her. She realizes the difference between hearsay and actual proof, evidence.

"That is why you all gathered all those evidence against Mr. Kapoor's companies.

"Yes. The fraud he has been doing these years. It took us three weeks, but we went brick by brick to get here. At the same time, we gathered enough proof to show that Dad has been behind every serious complaint against Mr. Kapoor. Along with that, the CBI, for all its digging has not been able to show any evidence that of bribe or corruption during his career. That is proof of his honesty. It also proves my dad had nothing to do with Mrs. Kapoor wanting to take her life. He is not responsible for that.

Gauri nods and I pull her close until her head is resting on my heart.

"Is this why you do this Om? To get to all the answers.

Her uncanny understanding of my need to work the way I do is not very surprising. I have realized that Gauri knows me in and out without even trying. It is so easy to be open with her, to tell her my deepest thoughts.

"Not all the answers. Sometimes, answers only lead to more questions and sometimes, those questions are ones you may not want answered.

My thoughts take me back into my past. Back to the time I was still not in the force. Back to the day I read Abhay's note to end his life. I remember my hurried journey back home only to be too late to stop his stupidity. I remember my search for answers to his death, my best friend's death. The need to find those answers led to me chose this profession. This job gave me the tools to find the answers. I never found all the answers to the questions though. I know Abhay killed himself over an affair, over some girl called Ridhimma or Ri' as his tattooed wrist showed. But that only led to more questions. Why did not Abhay think of his family? Why did he not come to me when in trouble? Am I not a good friend? Why didn't I know his troubles? Why couldn't I stop him? The answers to some questions only leads to more questions you don't want to answer.

Gauri hugs me tighter and lets me speak. When I am finally done he looks at me with more understanding than I think is possible for someone who has known me this short while.

"It is not your fault.

I release my breath, the tightness in my heart easing a bit after reliving those memories I have always kept buried and the doubts they have brought back. Is my father responsible for Mrs. Kapoor's distress.

"Dad is not responsible for Mrs. Kapoor's actions. Neither are you responsible for Abhay's death.

I look at her uncertainly wanting to believe her words.

"Omkara, life gives all of us some choices. We choose what we want in the end. No one can force us to do something unless we let ourselves be forced. The answers you will find will only prove what I believe. I believe that dad has done nothing wrong just like I know you are not at fault for your friend's death however tragic it may have been. I believe that you will exonerate him completely by finding all the answers needed. I also know that it will all be alright soon.

Her quiet confidence in my father, his honest and my abilities are humbling. But it is her words about choices that stir something within me.

We choose what we want in the end. No one can force us to do something unless we let ourselves be forced.

We choose what we want to do in the end. We do choose what we want to reveal and what we want to conceal. Just like Mrs. Kapoor. I find myself filled with a newfound confidence.

"Thank you Gauri."

I peck her quickly on her lips before running out of the room. I need to make some calls.

Shivaay Singh Oberoi

"I don't believe Tej Kapoor is a murderer.

My declaration is not met with the surprise I thought it will be met with. Omkara nods his head thoughtfully while my father awaits my reasons. Even Rudy acknowledges that without question.

"You should have seen him broken today. He looked so pathetic. I don't think he has the guts.

As a rookie, Rudy's reasoning is more a gut feeling and I see that he is learning quickly. I nod at that and then go on to explain how Tej Kapoor confessed to fraud and money laundering but the way he reacted to the charges of murder almost confirmed what I suspect. Tej Kapoor has no idea of the missing girls. Nor does he have an appetite of murder.

"Either he is the best actor I have seen in a while or he is innocent of those charges.

My father seems a little disappointed. He has been hoping for closure with a confirmation of Tej's guilt. But as he has always been, my dad is fair and a good man. He acknowledges the facts when he hears them.

"There is also the pattern I have found.

Omkara's confident and steady baritone continues from where I have left off. We turn towards him to hear his theory.

"Before I continue, I just have one question for dad. Dad, who else knew of Sowmya's presence in Kapoor Industries?

Dad explains that he had made it very confidential. Only he and Khanna knew from our department. The rival company chairman knew and so did my dad's friend.

"But you told Mrs. Kapoor.

Dad nods and explains about how he tried enquiring with Mrs. Kapoor about Sowmya and was shut down. "She seemed not interested and more worried about what I found about Gauri.

Seeing Omkara frown makes me wonder. I have a feeling that Om is going to reveal themissing piece of this puzzle we have not seen or thought through yet.

"Every fraudulent act with respect to finances has been unearthed in the companies and subsidiaries that Mr. Kapoor owns. There is no surprise there. Mrs. Kapoor gave as much information in her note. But what is surprising is that none of those frauds extended to the NGOs and trusts the Kapoor's own or operate.

We listen to Omkara, my dad's study totally silent except for his steady voice.

"Also surprising is that every NGO and trust that has been given a clean chit is operated in Mrs.Kapoor's name. She is the chairman on the board. I can live with that except she has portrayed herself to be controlled by her husband to the world. Then how did she manage to run a spic and span organization without her husband trying to use it for his fraudulent activities? It does not add up.

His reasoning is without flaw.

"Out of the ten missing girls who suited our parameters, two are dead. One is Sowmya and the other is Nikita. We still have eight other girls missing and one dead. All of them in one way or the other is associated to Kapoor industries. All except Sowmya have listed the Happy Homes for Women' as their last known address. Sowmya worked at Kapoor industries doing corporate espionage. But she disappeared three weeks into her job. What if she found something she should not have? What if instead of finding dirt on the company she worked at, she had found something else going on in one of the Kapoor trusts,.and decided to investigate further?

I hold my breath in anticipation of his conclusion.

"There is no evidence of Tej Kapoor ever interfering with the NGO and trust Mrs. Kapoor runs. But everything about the missing and murdered girls point to her organization. She has, from the time these deaths started, injected herself into the investigation, first by contacting dad on a mission about her daughter who we know is dead and then by bringing to light her husband's fraud and personal vices. She has also misdirected any attempts of a proper investigation by accusing Dad even when there is no question of his sincere attempts to help her. I cannot but wonder why she has done that.

Omkara continues, his brows wrinkled as he concentrates on his words. He has always been a perfectionist in putting things right.

"She does not answer any questions that are really relevant. Why did she keep quiet about all her husband's activities until now? What made her throw in the towel right now? But she is not available for questioning on the case of the missing girls or the murders. She stays behind her lawyer, tucked away safely in a recovery home. We cannot get to her. Any attempt to do so will create a media tsunami which makes me wonder. Was she really trying to kill herself or was it an act? The doctor's reports say that she was more shaken than injured. The induced coma was to help with a concussion, nothing more.

I hear Rudy gasp at that. I also see Dad widen his eyes as he is thinking everything through. Personally, I feel fascinated by Omkara's deductions. I am already convinced that Tej is not the main player in all this.

"At every point of this investigation I have hit a dead end. And now I know what that dead end is. It is named Jahnvi Kapoor.

Om turns to dad in all seriousness and says without missing a beat.