*****
Easy
Events, Chennai branch, 5PM
Just like Abhijeet, Daya was sitting
across Swaminathan. The difference was that while Daljeet had been cool and
composed at the beginning, Swaminathan was already sweating. Daya laid out the
photos of the 20 girls and asked, "Tum inhe jaante ho?"
Swaminathan examined the photos.
"Nahi sir."
"Paisne kyun chut rahe hain?"
"Kamre main garmi hai."
"Mujhe toh bilkul thik lag raha hai.
Zara iss ladki ko dhyaan se dekho. Yeh ek hafte pehle hi gayab huyi hai.
Tumhare ek chote se event se. Tumne ek choti si party organize ki thi Mr. aur
Mrs. Chandrakant ke liye. Wahan pe yeh ek mehmaan thi."
"Mujhe kaise yaad rahega. Wahan toh
kitne log the."
"Itne bhi log nahi the. Wahan sirf
20 log the jinhe main se ek tum the aur do tumhare team ke hi hissa the. Aur
phir do the Mr. and Mrs. Chandrakant. Bachte hain toh sirf 15 log. Ab 15 logon
main se ek ladki ko yaad rakhna itna mushkil toh nahi hona chahiye."
Swaminathan grimaced and then said,
"Haan jaanta hoon isse."
"Aur inhe baki sab ko?"
"Unhe bhi jaanta hoon." Then
Swaminathan changed completely, "Sir please usse bacha li jiye! Meri madat ki
jiye! Usse bacha lo!"
"Kisse bacha lo?"
"Meri behen ko. Pichle 5 saalon se
woh gayab hai. Jab maine usse dhoondni ki koshish ki thi toh mujhe ek chitthi
mili jisme likha tha ke jab tak main inhe logon ke liye kam karta rahonga tab
tak meri behen zinda aur surakshat rahegi. Jis din maine mana kar diya mere
behen ke tukde kar denge," Swaminathan cried.
Daya raised an eyebrow skeptically.
He didn't trust Swaminathan. After all he had just been caught in multiple
kidnapping cases. He could be lying to get out of a punishment. He said, "Thik
hai tum mere saath wapas Mumbai chalo."
Swaminathan nodded.
*****
CID
bureau, 8PM
Abhijeet and Daljeet had caught the
5:30 flight back to Mumbai, while Daya and Swaminathan had come back on the
6:30 flight. But now that everyone was together again in the bureau and the
suspects were all separated, they were going over the case.
Abhijeet said, "Daljeet ne bataya
hai ke woh yeh sab paison ke liye karta hai. Usse jab bhi kisi ladki ko uthna
hota hai toh uske paas ek number se SMS aata hai aur woh aapne agle event se ek
ladki ko chunta hai, usse baat karke uske baare main kuch choti moti baatein
jaan leta hai. Phir woh ek nakli website banta hai, aur ek email bhejta hai uss
ladki ko, aur jab woh ladki phas jaati hai toh usse kidnap karwa leta hai."
"Lekin yeh ladkiyan ek ajnabi ko
itni baatein kaise bata deti hain?" Daya asked.
"Usne bataya ke har ladki uske chal
main nahi phasti hai, isli woh teen char ladkiyon ko ek baari main chun leta
hai aur jo phas jaati hai usse utha lete hain. Phir woh unhe ladkiyon ko kisi
taran Goa smuggle karte hain aur wahan se inhe ladkiyon ko duniya ke alag alag
hisson main bheja jata hai jahan inhe becha aur khareda jata hai," Abhijeet said,
disgusted.
"Sir Nitesh ne bhi kuch aisa hi
bataya. Usne kaha ke woh bhi jab SMS aata hai tab ladkiyon ko chunta hai aapne
events se aur phir unhe issi taran se phasta hai. Usne bataya ke yeh idea usse
jab iss kam pe rakha gaya tha tab bataya gaya tha isli woh hamasa yehi karta
hai," Freddy said.
"Swaminathan ka toh kehna hai ke yeh
sab usse zabardasti karwaya jata hai. Uski behen ko pichle paanch saalon se
kidnap karke rakha huya hai kuch aadmiyon ne aur aapni behen ki zindagi aur
izzat ke liye woh yeh kam karta hai," Daya said, skeptically.
"Uski sach main koi behen hai?"
Abhijeet asked.
"Wohi toh. Jab maine uske baare main
pata kar raha tha toh yeh baat kabhi saamne aayi hi nahi ke uski koi behen hai.
Lekin main yeh bhi nahi keh sakta hoon ke uski koi behen nahi hai," Daya
replied.
"Number kya hai?" ACP Pradyuman
asked.
Abhijeet said, "2247546633."
Daya looked down at his paper and
said, "Mere paas bhi yehi number hai."
"Aur mere paas bhi," Freddy put in.
"Matlab teeno ko ek hi insaan SMS
karta hai aur yeh Mumbai Airtel ka number hai. Pata karo kis ka hai," ACP
Pradyuman said.
Daya phoned Airtel and after getting
put through to an operator asked about the number. He hung up a few minutes
later and said, "Sir yeh number ek Pallavi Subhash ka hai."
Freddy checked the name on Google
and found that she was a PA to Rajkumar Singh, a MLA of Maharashtra. Now they
had to tread carefully. They couldn't arrest the MLA without any evidence else
they would risk losing their only chance to save these girls. At the same time,
they had to find out how far up this whole thing ran. They had already found
one MLA. Who knew who else they would find.
Then DCP Chitrole walked into the
bureau. The 5 groaned inwardly. DCP Chitrole got right down to business. "Maine
suna hai ke tum logon ne kuch gayab ladkiyon ko dhoondne ka beera uthaya hai.
Aur woh bhi aisi ladkiyon ke cases uthaya hain jinhe ke cases local police
pehle band kar chuki hai."
"Ji sir," Daya said.
"Kyun?"
"Kyun ki woh ladkiyan khud gayab
nahi huyi hain balki unhe gayab kiya gaya hai. Unhe kidnap"" Abhijeet said.
DCP Chitrole interrupted, "Dekho
mujhe koi safayi nahi suni hai. Main tum logon ko iss case main aur aage bharne
nahi de sakta hoon. Abhi ke abhi iss case ko yahani band kar do."
"Lekin sir"" Freddy objected.
"Fredericks yahan orders main deta
hoon aur tum unhe follow karte ho. Ek baar maine keh diya toh bas keh diya.
Case band kar do."
"Sir ek minute hamari baat toh sun
lo. Hamare paas saboot hai ke inhe ladkiyon"" Abhijeet tried to say again.
"Abhijeet mujhe kuch nahi suna hai!
Yeh case yahani band kar do. Chalo sab kuch mujhe do."
DCP Chitrole held out his hands for
the files. At this moment, ACP Pradyuman said, "Nahi."
Everyone looked at ACP Pradyuman in
surprise. He was never one to just say one word and leave it at that. He
continued, "Hum yeh case band nahi karenge. Sir aap pe kisi ka bhi pressure ho
pehle hamari baatein sun li jiye. Inhe ladkiyon ko sirf kidnap nahi kiya gaya
hai. Inhe becha jaa raha hai. Inhe doosre deshon main khareda aur becha jaa
raha hai. Hum inhe bachna chahte hain. Ab hamare iss kam ke beech main log
aayenge lekin sir aap ko unhe rokna hoga. Aap ko unhe batana hoga ke aap bhi
sach ke liye khade hote hain."
"Sir hume iss case se sirf isli
hataya jaa raha hai kyun ki itne saalon baad aakhir koi inhe logon tak paunch
jayega. Abhi hume maat rokiye. Inhe ladkiyon ko bachane di jiye," Daya said.
"Sir aap dekh lena. Iss ek case ki
wajah se kitni masoom zindagiyan bach jayenge. Kitne parivaaron ko hum unki
betiyan wapas de payenge," Abhijeet added.
"Please sir," Freddy said.
"Sir main ek forensic doctor hoon.
Iss case main mera koi kam nahi hai, phir bhi main laga huya hoon. Kyun ki main
bhi inhe ladkiyon ko bachna chahta hoon," Dr. Salunkhe said.
DCP Chitrole took a deep breath. The
emotional appeal of each had touched him. He said, "Thik hai. Jo karna hai
karo. Lekin jaldi karo. Main zada din inhe logon ko rok nahi paonga."
Nobody had to ask what DCP Chitrole
meant by "logon". It was obvious that it was the politicians and the higher-ups
who were putting this pressure on DCP Chitrole. He turned to leave and then
stopped and said one last thing, "Inhe saalon ko chorna maat."
Then he left, leaving the team
surprised. That was the closest DCP Chitrole had ever come to agreeing with
them and showing his emotions. And for the first time they all liked him.
Quickly shaking his head, Daya said, "Sir hum iss Pallavi ko utha kar laate
hain.'
"Nahi Daya. Usse agar tum utha kar
laoge toh uske saath jitne bhi log kam karte hain woh sab chaukne ho jayenge
aur shayad inhe ladkiyon ko bhi gayab kar denge," Dr. Salunkhe said.
"Lekin hum usse yeh keh kar toh bula
sakte hain naa ke uska naam ek missing persons case main aaya hai. Bas kuch
sawal poochne hain ke woh uss insaan ko kaise janti hai. Ek baar woh yahan aa
gayi toh phir kisi ko kya pata ke hum usse kaunse case ke baare main baat kar
rahe hain," Abhijeet suggested.
"Haan aisa kar sakte ho," ACP
Pradyuman agreed. "Usse bhi yahan liyo. Inhe teeno ki taran usse bhi kuch din
yahani rakh lenge."
*****
CID
bureau, 10PM
Even though it was late, they had
managed to bring Pallavi to the bureau. Now Pallavi was sitting at the table as
the 5 examined her. She started getting fidgety and asked, "Kya aap yeh bata
sakte hain ke aap mujhe raat ke 10 baje yahan kyun laaye hain?"
"Kuch sawal poochne the," ACP
Pradyuman said.
"Toh woh aap kal bhi pooch sakte
the. Aaj hi poochna zaroori tha?"
"Haan," Abhijeet answered.
"Kyun?"
"Kyun ki yeh bahut si zindagiyon ka
sawal hai," Daya replied.
"Lekin aapne toh kaha tha ke yeh koi
missing person ke baare main hai."
"Haan toh yeh log gayab hi hain,"
ACP Pradyuman agreed.
"Kaun log?"
Freddy put out 5 photos to begin
with. "Yeh unhe main se kuch hain."
Pallavi didn't even glance down.
"Toh? Main kya kar sakti hoon isme?"
"Ek baar dekh toh lo. Freddy zara
isse kuch aur photos toh dekhiyo," ACP Pradyuman said, raising an eyebrow.
Freddy put down 5 more photos.
Pallavi glanced down for a quick second and then said, "Main inhe nahi jaanti
hoon. Ab main jaa sakti hoon?"
"Tumne toh thik se dekha bhi nahi.
Thik se dekho," Abhijeet said, leaning on the table with his hands.
Pallavi looked down again as Freddy
put down 5 more photos. "Nahi. Main inhe main se kisi ko nahi jaanti hoon."
"Aur tum flesh trade ke baare main
bhi kuch nahi jaanti hogi," Daya said, casually.
"Flesh trade? Main...main kuch nahi
jaanti hoon iske baare main," Pallavi said as her eyes widened.
"Acha. Ajeeb baat hai kyun ki hamare
paas pukta saboot hain ke iss sab ke baare main tum kafi kuch jaanti ho," Dr.
Salunkhe said.
"Dekhiye aap ke paas jo bhi saboot
hai woh galat hai. Main iss sab ke baare main kuch nahi jaanti hoon. Ab main
jaa sakti hoon?"
Daya leaned in. "Dekho Pallavi. Tum
ek ladki ho isli hum abhi tak kafi araam se baat kar rahe the. Zada natak kiya
toh tumhe bahut taklef hogi."
Daya signalled for the lady
constable to step forward. She had been in the background the whole time, but
came forward and put a hand on Pallavi's shoulder. Pallavi repeated, "Main iss
sab ke baare main kuch nahi jaanti hoon."
ACP Pradyuman lost his temper.
"Acha! Aur inhe 70 ladkiyon ke baare main bhi tum kuch nahi jaanti hogi!"
"Main kuch nahi jaanti hoon,"
Pallavi repeated, crossing her arms.
"Pallavi tum"" Abhijeet started.
Pallavi cut him off. "Dekho yah toh
aap mujhe abhi jaane do yah phir mujhe mera lawyer chahiye. Aur abhi. Main ab
aage kuch nahi bolongi jab tak mera lawyer mere paas nahi hoga. Bahut ho gaya
hai."
Pallavi crossed her arms and looked
away. They realized that they would get nowhere with Pallavi. ACP Pradyuman
motioned for the team to step aside. As soon as they did, he said, "Yeh toh ab
kuch nahi kahegi."
"Lekin sir iske kuch naa kehne se
case band nahi ho jata hai. Humare aur iske eliva kisi ko nahi pata hai ke isne
kuch nahi kaha hai," Daya said.
"Lekin sir isse hume kya faida?"
Freddy asked, not understanding.
"Freddy, isne kuch nahi kaha hai.
Lekin agar hum kahe ke isne sab kuch keh diya hai aur koi isse baat naa kar
paaye toh?" Daya suggested.
"Haan tab kam ban sakta hai Daya.
Lekin hum yunhi hawa main teer bhi toh nahi chala sakte hain," Abhijeet said.
"Hawa main teer chalna parega
Abhijeet. Abhi iss waqt inhe ladkiyon ko bachna zada maiyne rakhta hai. Inhe
saalon ke khilaaf case toh hum baad main bhi bana sakte hain," Daya said,
vehemently.
"Toh phir iss Rajkumar Singh se hi
shuru karte hain. Aakhir Pallavi uski PA hai. Woh zaroor iss sab main shamal
hoga," Dr. Salunkhe said.
"Haan aur uske zariye hum baki upar
walon logon tak paunch sakte hain," Daya agreed.
"Toh chalo. Iss Rajkumar ko pareshan
karte hain," Abhijeet said.
*****
Rajkumar
Singh's house, 11PM
They didn't care that it was 11PM
and people were probably trying to sleep. If they waited too long, Pallavi
could be let go and then they would never get to the bottom of everything. So
while Dr. Salunkhe and ACP Pradyuman made the case against Pallavi in the
bureau, Abhijeet, Daya, and Freddy were going to question Rajkumar in his
house.
Rajkumar came downstairs yawning.
"Ji main kya kar sakta hoon aap logon ke liye?"
The 3 turned to face Rajkumar. They
had been looking around the house, examining it. Daya began, "Aap ek MLA hain
aur ek gareb gharane se hain, aur phir bhi itni shaurat?"
"Aap CID wale income tax wale kab se
ban gaye?" Rajkumar countered.
"Jab se aap jaise MLA illegal kaamon
main lag gaye," Abhijeet countered back.
"Kaunsa illegal kam?"
"Ladkiyon ka sauda," Daya replied.
"Aap ko koi galat femi huyi hai.
Main aise ghenone kam nahi karta hoon."
"Galat femi humko nahi, aapko huyi
hai sir. Pallavi ne hume sab kuch bata diya hai," Freddy bluffed.
"Usne hume bata diya hai ke woh yeh
sab aap ke liye karti hai," Abhijeet added.
Rajkumar's face lost some of its
colour. But he continued to deny the allegations. "Aisa kuch nahi hai. Pallavi
ko zaroor koi galat femi huyi hai. Yah phir woh bik gayi hai. Main aisa kuch
nahi karta hoon."
"Toh phir aapne iss ghar ko kaise
banaya? Yeh ghar main jo yeh sab paintings vigara lagi huyi hain yeh ek MLA ki
tanquah main toh nahi aa sakte hain. Yah toh aap desh ke paison main kuch gafla
kar rahe hain yah phir kisi aise kam main lage huye hain. Aur aap there ek
chote se MLA. Agar aap gafla kar rahe hain toh matlab CM aur uske kuch aur
aadmi bhi gafla kar rahe hain. Yani aap sab ko giraftaar karna chahiye," Daya
suggested.
Rajkumar understood the magnitude of
Daya's words. If he said that he was embezzling funds then the CM and other
MLAs would be arrested and there would be no proof against them since they
weren't doing anything. Then they would come back at him. Of course, if he
accepted that he was involved in this illegal business then he would be jailed.
He was stuck. He was such a big idiot for decorating his house with so much
stuff! He didn't realize that his house could also be raided anytime! He
swallowed and said, "Thik hai! Main manta hoon ke main iss sab main shamal
hoon, lekin main isme akela nahi hoon."
"Woh toh hume bhi pata hai. Woh naam
kya hain woh toh hum jaan lenge lekin pehle tum hume yeh bataoge ke inhe
ladkiyon ko tum kis kis desh main bhejte ho!" Daya demanded.
"Hum zada tar inhe Canada, US,
London, aur France bhejte hain aur wahan se inhe unhe deshon ke kone kone main bhej
diya jata hai. Har desh main hamara ek contact hai jo inhe ladkiyon ki delivery
leta hai aur phir ek private market main inhe bech deta hai."
Abhijeet stepped forward angrily.
"Saale yeh ladkiyan hain koi ghas poos nahi jo uthaya aur bech diya!"
Daya put a calming hand on
Abhijeet's shoulder even though he was fuming as well. "Ruko Abhijeet. Isse hum
baad main nipat lenge. Abhi inhe ladkiyon ko unke narak se niklana hai."
"Kaun kaun hain tumhare yeh
contacts?!!" Abhijeet demanded.
"Ek minute main aap ko la kar deta
hoon hamari contact book."
Without being told Freddy followed
Rajkumar upstairs. Abhijeet turned to Daya, "Yaar ji karta hai ke aise logon ko
sidha saar main ek goli maaron aur kam tamam karo!"
"Ji toh mera bhi yehi karta hai
lekin abhi rok lo aapne aap ko. Iss sab ka bhi waqt aayega. Aur tab hum dono
inhe saalon ko phodenge," Daya replied.
Rajkumar came back downstairs with a
small address book. He gave it to Abhijeet and said, "Isme hain woh logon ke
naam aur locations jahan pe hum pichle paanch saalon se ladkiyan bhej rahe
hain."
"Abhi koi ladkiyan aisi hain jinhe
tumne kahin nahi bheja hai?" Daya asked.
"Ji teen ladkiyan hain jinhe hum
parson Canada bhejne wale the."
"Ab nahi bhej paoge. Kahan hain
woh?" Daya asked.
"Mere boss ke paas."
"Aur tumhara boss kaun hai?!!"
Abhijeet asked.
"Ji woh...woh...woh..."
"Yeh woh woh kya laga rakha hai?
Kaun hai woh?!!" Daya demanded.
"Ji woh ek businessman hai. Ram Negi."
"Negi Transportation ka owner?!!"
Freddy asked, in surprise.
"Haan wohi. Woh aapne transportation
business ke aar main ladkiyon ko export karta hai."
"Saaf saaf batao yeh sab kaise
chalta hai?" Abhijeet asked.
"Sir Ram Negi mera ek dost hai.
Paanch saal pehle jab main MLA bana tha toh woh mere paas aaya tha yeh business
ke baare main batane. Usne har rajaye se mere taran hi ek MLA ko aapne business
main involve kar rakha hai. Unke naam bhi aapko uss diary main mil jayenge. Jab
usse ladkiyan chahiye hoti hain toh woh hume batata hai aur hum aapne PAs ko.
Hamare PAs ke paas ek bahut bara network hai logon ko. Kuch ke paas detectives
hain, kuch ke paas kidnappers, aur kuch ke paas scopers. Scopers woh log hain
jo inhe ladkiyon ko dhoond kar unhe ke baare main sab kuch jaan ne ki koshish
karte hain. Agar woh nahi pata kar paate hain toh hamare detectives pata karte
hain. Phir hamare yeh kidnappers inhe ladkiyon ko kidnap karke sidha hamare
paas laate hain. Jab hamare paas kuch ladkiyan aa jaati hain toh hum unhe sidha
Ram ke paas bhej dete hain aur woh unhe aapne agle shipment ke saath bhar bhej
deta hai alag alag countries main. Saari dealings hum hi karte hain. Isli hum
sab MLAs ke paas inhe contacts ka information hai. Ram sirf paise leta hai aur
ladkiyon ko bhejta hai."
As Rajkumar had been talking,
Abhijeet, Daya, and Freddy's faces had become more and more disgusted and
angry. Shaking his head, Daya said, "Tumhare jaise logon ko toh ulta latka kar
janta ke hawale kar dena chahiye."
This time Abhijeet put a calming
hand on Daya's shoulder. "Inhe ke saath kya karna chahiye woh hum baad main
sochenge Daya. Abhi Visrom ko bulate hain aur inhe deshon main police officers
se baat karte hain."
*****
CID
bureau, 1AM
Rajkumar Singh was cooling his heels
in a lock-up and the team was going over the contact information with Visrom.
Visrom made a final list, "Toronto, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai, aur
Rome. Yahan yahan inhe logon ke contacts hain. Ab yeh contacts inhe ladkiyon ko
kahin bhi bhej sakte hain. Lekin abhi aap logon ko inhe contacts tak paunchna
hai taki phir yahan se aap inhe ladkiyon ka pata laga sakhen."
"Haan. Toh hume inhe saare sheron
main koi police contact do jo hamari madat kar sakhe," Abhijeet said.
"Woh zada mushkil nahi hai. Rome
main Sneha Wajpai, Shanghai main Supriya Shivkumar, Paris main Pallavi Sinha,
Los Angeles main Esha Trivedi, London main Soni Kapoor, aur Toronto main Shreya
Singh."
"Yeh sab hamari madat karengi
kaise?" Daya asked.
"Yeh aap ke liye contacts ko dhoond
kar, arrest kar lengi. Aur phir inhe se pata lagayengi ke yeh ladkiyan kahan
kahan hain. Phir aap inhe ke saath mil kar ek raid conduct kar sakte hain aur
inhe ladkiyon ko bacha sakte hain. Main recommend karongi ke raid ek hi time
conduct ho har jagah taki kisi ko waqt naa mile bhagne ke liye yah aapne bosses
ko batane ke liye."
"Hume inhe sab ke saath baat karni
hai," ACP Pradyuman said.
"Abhi inhe jagaon pe time kya huya
hoga," Visrom wondered. "Toronto main 3:30 PM, London main 7:30 PM, Los Angeles
main 12:30 PM, Paris aur Rome main 8:30 PM, aur Shanghai main 3:30 AM. Aap
koshish kar sakte ho. Main aapko inhe sab ka private number de deti hoon."
Visrom opened her laptop and after
booting it up, went into her contact list, and printed the list of the 6
contacts. She handed it over to Daya. She said, "Aap logon ko aur madat ki
zaroorat paregi. Agar aap ko aur log chahiye toh main aapne kuch logon ko bhi
bula sakti hoon yahan pe."
ACP Pradyuman nodded. "Haan bula lo.
Inhe sheron main hum jab jayenge toh ek ek saathi ki zaroorat paregi. Lekin
abhi pehle inhe sab ko phone karo aur inhe daalalon ko dhoondne lagao."
The team nodded and got to work.
*****
CID
bureau, 9AM
Visrom's team came in at 9AM as
Visrom had told them to. Visrom introduced them to the CID team. "Yeh hain meri
team. Yeh hain Bhavana Negi, Shagnika Sengupta, Neha Sharma, Snehal Chaudhry,
Mano Kapoor, aur aap Inspector Ravi se toh mil hi chuke hain."
Everyone shook hands. Abhijeet
updated everyone. "Humne inhe sab se baat kar li hai. Woh aur unke teams inhe
daalalon ke peeche lag gaye hain aur hume bahut jald phone karke bata denge jab
woh inhe ko arrest kar lenge aur information milega unhe."
ACP Pradyuman said, "Abhijeet aur
Bhavana tum dono Toronto jaoge Shreya se milne. Daya aur Mano tum dono jaoge
London aur Soni se miloge. Main aur Shagnika Shanghai jaa rahe hain Supriya se
milne. Freddy aur Neha tum dono Paris jaa rahe ho Pallavi Sinha ke saath kam
karne. Salunkhe aur Snehal tum dnono Los Angeles jaoge Esha se milne. Aur
Visrom aur Ravi tum dono Rome jaa rahe ho Sneha se milne. Lekin pehle woh hume
bata den ke yeh ladkiyan unhe mil gayi hain yah nahi. Phir hum ek waqt chunege
jab hum har jagah ek saath raid maarenge aur inhe ladkiyon ko bacha kar wapas
layenge."
As if hearing ACP Pradyuman say
that, Abhijeet, Daya, and Freddy's phones rang simultaneously. They picked up
their phones and after talking to the person on the other side they hung up and
turned back to their enlarged team. Daya began, "Sir Soni aur uski team abhi
bhi talash kar rahi hai. Unhe lagta hai ke iss aadmi ko shayad pata chal gaya
hai ke woh usse dhoond rahe hain aur isli woh underground ho gaya hai."
"Sir Shreya ke paas achi khabar hai.
Usne kaha hai ke usse woh aadmi mil gaya hai aur abhi woh uski dhulayi kar rahi
hai. Jab woh kuch batayega toh woh hume phone kar degi," Abhijeet said.
"Sir mere ko dono Paris aur Rome ke
baare main khabar di hai Sneha ne. Usne kaha hai ke unhe saari information mil
gayi hai aur unhe yeh bhi pata hai ke yeh ladkiyan kahan hain," Freddy said.
"Matlab abhi Supriya aur Esha se
khabar chahiye aur abhi Shreya aur Soni ko bhi batana hai ke unhe yeh aadmi
mile hain yah nahi," ACP Pradyuman concluded. "Aisa karo ke Freddy, Neha,
Visrom, aur Ravi tum chaaron toh tyar ho jao jaane ke liye."
*****
CID
bureau, 1PM
The case was progressing fast.
Shreya had found the information about the girls as well and was now setting up
the raid information, but was waiting for the CID team members to first get to
Toronto before starting anything. Soni had also found the guy and was in the
process of getting the information. Supriya and Esha had called to say that
they had all the information as well. The CID team was now just working on
getting the earliest tickets possible to fly out and meet their contacts. This
was a big case and they wanted to be there for the raids. They couldn't
obviously be in every place, but they would at least be in the cities with
their contacts.
It would take Abhijeet and Bhavana
almost 20 hours to reach Toronto. Daya and Mano's flight to London would take
14 hours. ACP Pradyuman and Shagnika would need the least time to reach
Shanghai at only 7 hours. Freddy and Neha's flight would take 10 hours. Dr.
Salunkhe and Snehal's flight would take just an hour longer than Abhijeet at 21
hours. And Visrom and Ravi would reach Rome in 10 hours as well.
They had a flight plan charted out
at this time. Abhijeet, Bhavana, Dr. Salunkhe, and Snehal were taking their
respective flights at 3PM. ACP Pradyuman and Shagnika were heading out on the
4PM flight to Shanghai, while Freddy and Neha were taking the 4:30PM flight.
Daya and Mano were the first ones to leave at 2:30PM. And Visrom and Ravi would
take the 5PM flight. They planned to hold their conference at 1PM IST the next
day.
While for an international operation
of this magnitude, the team would need the okay from many levels, after talking
to DCP Chitrole, they had managed to convince him to let them go while he got
the okays. So they were heading out.
*****
Pearson
International Airport, Toronto, Next day, 2:30AM EST (12PM IST)
Abhijeet and Bhavana pushed through
the gates. Bhavana said, "Woh hume yahani milegi naa?"
"Usne toh yehi kaha tha ke woh
yahani kahin khadi hogi police car main," Abhijeet replied.
The 2 were talking about Detective
Shreya who had told them that she would come to the airport to pick them up.
Abhijeet looked around and saw a girl leaning calmly against a police car
talking on the phone. He said, "Shayad woh hai Shreya."
The two walked over to the girl who
was saying, "Look dude if he gives too many problems then give him a kick in
the arse. He'll start blabbering like no guy ever has...hey, hey, look I know
we're not supposed to use third degree, but a kick ain't third degree. Now shut
up and hang up."
The girl rolled her eyes at the
phone, hung up, and turned to Abhijeet and Bhavana, spilling out, "Sorry,
sorry, sorry. Main actually yeh sign le kar khadi hone wali thi lekin kya
karoon mere saathi ka phone aa gaya aur uske saath baat karne main aatak gayi.
Waise mera naam Shreya Singh hai. Aur aap Abhijeet honge aur aap Bhavana.
Haina?"
Abhijeet and Bhavana looked taken
aback. Shreya laughed at their expression. "Arre mujhe yun kyun dekh rahe ho?
Main toh aisi hi hoon. Bahut hyper aur bahut zada bolti hoon. And I'm happy
about that. Ab aayo bheto. Main aap logon ko hotel le jaati hoon pehle aur phir
hum sidha chalte hain mere office. Aap logon ko aapne doston ke saath baat bhi
karna hoga aakhir. Kuch 1PM IST ki baat kar rahe the naa? Toh matlab hamare
paas sirf ek ghanta hai. Aayo, aayo. Bheto."
While Shreya was saying this, she
put both suitcases in the trunk, and opened the back and front passenger doors
and ushered Abhijeet and Bhavana into the car. She went around into the driver
seat and after buckling her belt said, "Buckle up. We're about to fly."
And Shreya zoomed off. Abhijeet
grabbed onto the dashboard and Bhavana grabbed onto the door handle as Shreya
did so.
*****
London
Heathrow Airport, London, Next day, 12:30AM GMT (5:30AM IST)
Daya and Mano came out of the gates
and saw a sign reading "CID". They went over to the sign carrier who put it
down and held out her hand. "Hi. Mera naam Soni hai. Aap Daya aur Mano honge?"
"Ji. Main Daya hoon," Daya replied,
shaking Soni's hand.
"Aur main Mano hoon," Mano replied,
shaking Soni's hand after Daya.
"Well jaise aap dekh sakte hain kafi
raat ho gayi hai aur aap ke wahan toh subah subah hogi toh aayo main aap logon
ko aap ke hotel chor deti hoon. Aap thodi deer araam kar lo aur phir main aap
ko lene wapas aa jaongi hotel yahan ke 7:30 AM. Thik hai?"
"Haan bilkul thik hai. Chalo," Daya
said.
Soni led the way to her private car
and after helping them put their stuff in she drove off. Daya asked, "Waise
yahan pe kitni ladkiyan hain?"
"Uss aadmi ka kehna tha ke usne
shayad 24 ladkiyon ko aaj tak yahan pe becha hai," Soni replied.
"Hamare paas 70 ladkiyan thi ek list
pe lekin woh sirf teen saal ki list thi," Daya said.
"List wist ka yahan pe koi kam nahi
hoga. Main aapko abhi bata deti hoon ke aap ke hisaab toh sirf 70 ladkiyan
gayab huyi hain, lekin jab hum sab conference call pe jayenge toh aap ko pata
lagega ke 70 nahi usse kayi zada ladkiyan gayab huyi hain inhe paanch saalon
main," Soni replied.
*****
Conference
call, 1PM IST
The 6 sites turned up almost simultaneously
on the video conference that was being led by ACP Pradyuman in Shanghai. Once
everyone was settled, ACP Pradyuman started the proceedings. "Acha toh yeh
batao ke har jagah pe kya kya pata laga hai."
Supriya started, "Well hello
everyone. Main zada acha Hindi nahi bolta hoon isli I'll talk in English agar
aap lugon ko zada problem naa ho?"
When no one objected, Supriya
continued in English, "Okay so the guy we arrested here told us that the girls
aren't sent anywhere, but kept here in Shanghai. He gave us the address where
all these girls are being kept and told us that there are 10 girls here at the
moment."
Neha said, "Pallavi ko ek aur
conference meeting main jana tha isli usne hume sab kuch bata diya tha. Uske
kehna hai ke uss aadmi ne usse yeh bataya ke yahan pe 25 ladkiyan hain jinhe
main se 20 yahan hain Paris main aur 5 hain Mar...Mar...Marseille main."
Freddy added, "Usne Marseille ke ek
police officer se already baat kar li hai aur jab bhi hum raid karna chahiye
woh aapne team ke saath tyar hoga."
Snehal took over, "Yahan Los Angeles
main 15 ladkiyan hain aur saari issi sher main hain."
Dr. Salunkhe added, "Esha ko ek case
ke silsile main undercover jana para lekin yeh Detective Wilson hain, Esha ka
partner aur hamara saathi iss case main."
Sneha said, "Idhar kafi zada
ladkiyan hain. There are 15 in Rome, 10 in Milan, 5 in Florence, 8 in Pisa, and
12 in Venice. They were going to send some girls to Naples as well lekin usse
pehle humne usse pakde liya."
Ravi added, "Sneha ne bataya hai ke
woh har sher ke police ke saath kam kar sakti hai aur raids ek hi time pe
conduct karwa sakti hai."
Soni said, "Yahan London main 24
ladkiyan hain aur thankfully woh sab ek hi jagah pe hain. Yahan ki location
kafi nayi hai according to the guy I arrested, lekin yeh jagah bhi do saal se
chal raha hai toh it's not even that new."
Shreya looked up. "Oh it's my turn.
Okay yahan pe shayad sab se zada ladkiyan hain. Umm...24 in Toronto, 20 in
Vancouver, 20 in Edmonton, 15 in Montreal, and 10 in Halifax."
Abhijeet added, "Yahan se US main
bhi expansion planned thi. Agar hume iss sab ke baare main pata nahi chalta toh
shayad aaj yeh US tak bhi pehel chuka hota."
Shreya finished, "Aur haan. Mere
kuch dost hain har jagah ki police force main toh hum araam se unhe ke zariye
unhe jagahon main raid kar sakte hain."
ACP Pradyuman, who had been adding
everything together, said, incredulously, "Yani pichle paanch saalon main India
se 213 ladkiyon ko jagah jagah bheja gaya hai?!!"
"Sir ek baat. Inhone sirf Indian
ladkiyon ko hi kyun chuna?" Neha asked.
Abhijeet answered, "Yeh gang
originate hi India main huyi hain. Isli unhone unhi ladkiyon ko kidnap kiya jo
unke desh se hain. Agar yeh kahin aur shuru hota toh wahan ki ladkiyan ko yunh
kidnap kiya jata."
"213 ladkiyan pichle paanch saalon
main gayab ho gayi hain. Kisine kabhi shaq kaise nahi kiya?" Shreya asked.
"Kiya hai. Bahut logon ne shaq kiya
hai lekin unke sawal daba diye jaate the hamare inhe politicians se," Daya
replied, in disgust.
"Unhe MLAs ko kab arrest kiya
jayega?" Ravi asked.
"DCP Chitrole ne bataya hai ke CBI
team puri taran se tyar hai. Jab hum yahan pe raids karenge tab wahan pe CBI
team unhe sab MLAs ko bhi giraftaar kar legi," ACP Pradyuman replied.
"Raid kab karni hai?" Soni asked.
"Tum sab ko kitna waqt lagega sab
kuch set karne main?" ACP Pradyuman asked, in reply.
"Hamare yahan pe sab kuch tyar hai
bas waqt chahiye," Supriya answered.
"Hum bhi tyar hai," Freddy replied.
"Hume bas aadha ghanta chahiye hoga
sab sheron main baat karne ke liye," Visrom answered.
"We're ready," Soni said.
"Yahan Los Angeles main bhi sab tyar
hai," Snehal answered.
"Aur yahan mujhe bhi aadha ghanta
chahiye hoga phir hum bhi tyar hain," Shreya said.
"Toh thik hai. Abhi 1:30PM IST ho
rahe hain. Hum raid thik 3PM IST conduct karenge," ACP Pradyuman said.
"We'll be ready," the team said.
*****
London
location, 9:30AM GMT (3PM IST)
As soon as the alarm rang on Daya's
phone, the team of 5 London officers, Soni, Mano, and Daya entered the
building. Given that Daya and Mano didn't have authority here and their guns,
they stayed behind as Soni and her team cleared each room. They found the room
with the girls on the first floor and while Mano and a lady officer stayed
behind with them, Soni, Daya, and the 4 other officers ran upstairs. In one
room, Soni found 2 men joking about making money easily. Soni clapped the gun
to one's head and Daya said, "You're having a lot of fun aren't you?!! Well now
we'll give you fun!!! You're under arrest!"
"Who the hell are you?" one man
asked.
"It doesn't matter who he is. All
you care is that I'm a police officer and you're under arrest both here and in
India," Soni replied. She forced him up and his hands behind his back, cuffing
him.
"First enjoy the jail here and then
we'll deport you to India where you'll meet me and my team. Then you can enjoy
the Indian jail cells as well," Daya said, disgusted.
*****
Toronto
location, 5:30AM EST (3PM IST)
Shreya's phone rang sounding the
alarm that meant it was time to attack. Two officers banged in from the back
door, while Shreya and 2 officers took the front door. Abhijeet and Bhavana
didn't have authority here so they stayed in the doorway until Shreya and her
officers cleared the first floor. They ran upstairs where they found the girls
huddled into a small room. Bhavana and 2 officers stayed with the girls, while
Shreya and the other officers checked the other rooms. As they opened the door
to the last room a shot rang out and hit one officer in the shoulder. Shreya
said, "Mike!"
Mike grabbed his shoulder and
winced, but said, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Damn it. Pete take him out of
here," Shreya said.
Pete stepped forward and took Mike
back downstairs and out. Shreya turned to Abhijeet, "Waise toh aapke paas
authority nahi hai, lekin I give you authority."
She reached down and gave him the
second gun. Abhijeet covered the door as the third officer called out, "Toronto
police! Come out with your hands behind your head else we'll fire!"
In response another shot came flying
through the door missing Shreya by inches. Together the 3 broke open the door
and aiming shot the gun out of the 2 suspects' hands. Then Shreya and the other
officer grabbed a suspect each and forced their hands behind their back.
Abhijeet said, "Chalo. Do gande keede pakde gaye."
*****
CID
bureau, a week later, 9PM
As the last girl left with her
family, the team smiled. In just 7 days they had managed to bring all the girls
back to India and now the last girl had gone back to her family. Abhijeet said,
"Chalo kum se kum saari ladkiyan sahi salamat mil gayi. Ab unhe sab kuch
bhulana hoga aur nayi zindagi shuru karni hogi."
"Haan Abhijeet. Kisse pata tha ke ek
gayab ladki hume 213 gayab ladkiyon tak pauncha degi," Daya agreed.
"Aur ek itne baara gang bhi toh mila
hai sir," Freddy added.
"Haan Freddy. Pata nahi kya ho gaya
hai logon ko. Kabhi iss desh main ladkiyon ko devi saman mana chahta toh aur
aaj," Dr. Salunkhe said, disappointed.
"Sir sirf inhe kuch gine chune logon
ki wajah se hum sab ko toh doshi nahi thera sakte hain naa," Daya said.
"Haan Salunkhe. Aise log bahut kum
hain. Lekin jab milte hain toh bura toh lagta hai," ACP Pradyuman put in.
"Sir waise unhe sab officers ne
bhadiya kam kiya," Freddy said.
"Haan bina inhe sab ki madat ke hum
shayad inhe mujhrimon tak paunch nahi paate," Abhijeet agreed.
"Visrom yah uski team se koi baat
huyi hai?" Dr. Salunkhe asked.
"Haan woh abhi iss case ko
international courts ke liye tyar kar rahe hai. Aakhir unke paas zada
experience hain. Phir woh hume sab kuch de denge aur hum yahan ke courts ke
liye tyari kar lenge," Daya said.
"Acha hai. Inhe kaminon ko jitni
sakht saza di jaaye utna kum hain," Dr. Salunkhe said, vehemently.
"Bilkul sir! Aisa ghinona kam kiya
hai inhone ke maut ki saza bhi kum hogi," Abhijeet agreed.
"Abhijeet lekin pehle toh hume inhe
politicians ko badlana hoga. Shayad yeh sab itna aage kabhi bharta hi nahi agar
police officers ko aapna kam karne se roka nahi jata. Aur log unhi police ko
badnaam karte hain," Daya said.
"Toh chalo hum shuru karte hain.
Inhe MLAs ko arrest toh kar liya hai. Ab inhe saza bhi dilwayenge," Abhijeet
said.
*****
Notes
This case isn't based on
investigation as much as it's based on emotions, coordination, and how police
teams from different countries could work together to solve international
cases.
While the topic is bold, I felt it
was important given what I wanted to portray. None of it is real and is based
completely on my own thinking and feelings.
If anyone feels bad for being
brought into my story, then sorry (after the fact). And for those who didn't
make an appearance in my story, don't worry. You'll have many chances of
appearing in one of my stories. Though some people may say I'm biased for
bringing Bhavana twice into my stories. π
I could have had an epilogue above
where I told you what punishments everyone got, but I think I would have had a
hard time for doing something like that because, unfortunately, it's true of
the Indian law system that till date very few politicians have gotten punished.
So I leave that to your imagination. What would you want to see as the
punishment?
If you want to check my timings,
just type in "current time in xyz city". That'll give you the time in that city
and then you can calculate away as you like. π
You may ask why I chose certain
cities. Well I felt that it was important to choose cities that were big and
small to give a good feel of the crimes that could happen in any city.
And finally an awareness message.
Don't believe anything and everything you see. Sometimes a little research can
save your life or the people around you. In this case, many of these girls
probably wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if they had done a bit of research by
phoning the company or maybe going from Google to the company websites instead
of just clicking on the email link.
If I sound like I'm preaching or
ranting or just out of sync, poor you. π
Oh and finally I welcome any and all
comments. And like always don't say sorry if you don't like the story or if you
have issues. Criticism and praise both help.
Thank you.
Edited by KS_Shreya - 10 years ago
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