Nobody Likes An Outsider

by Fawaz Jaleel

  “Bhai, please stop the car,” Sukumar instructed the driver, interrupting Yohan’s study. He was deeply entrenched in his reading. He turned toward Sukumar and asked, “Where are we? The name board says Muzaffarpur.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I have heard that there is a shahi litchi variant available in this part of Bihar that is unique and delicious. In fact, it has received the GI tag too.” There was an unmissable glee on Sukumar’s face when he said this.

  “Ah, wonderful. Why don’t you get 10 kilos then?” Yohan sported a smile.

  “Why 10? That’s a little too much. I think 2 kilos will suffice. The rest will go foul.” Sukumar genuinely responded to Yohan’s request as his sane and not-too-quick-to-catch-sarcasm mind didn’t help.

  “No, anna. I was thinking we can have 2 kilos and then pack and send the rest to Director Verma. He would be happy to see this brilliant breakthrough.” Yohan hated being disturbed while reading. He wouldn’t react like this to others but, with Sukumar, he had a thing.

  Sukumar wasn’t pleased with Yohan’s sarcasm. But he had seen this side of the senior inspector. He was already in the zone and had his turbo mode on for results. Sukumar knew him well enough to understand that he didn’t mean any of it and was just submerged in the details of the case. He quickly packed the fruit and they continued their journey.

  “What time are we expected to reach our guesthouse?” Yohan asked the driver.

  “We should be there by 2 p.m. Here, have a litchi.” Sukumar wanted Yohan to have it just to make him understand that the litchi was special.

  Yohan took the red-colored Bihar-special and continued, “Let’s just take an hour to rest and proceed to the scene of the crime.”

  “Ila will reach by 5 p.m. Shouldn’t we wait?” Sukumar asked.

  “No. I have another assignment for her. I want her to visit Ashraf’s house and get statements from the staff. We can all reconvene at the guesthouse at night. Just drop her a message,” Yohan replied.

  “Shouldn’t we give her some time to study the case?” This is the beauty of Sukumar. On one hand, he can appear like a machine processing numbers but he is also a brilliant teammate with a lot of spirit and compassion.

  “No, anna. Ila is an extremely organized officer. She would utilize her time to Begusarai efficiently. After all, she doesn’t care about GI-tagged litchis.” Yohan had his sly smile and said this after taking one more litchi out of the newspaper cover it was packed in. Sukumar knew that his boss liked the fruit.

  “Pressure maketh an irritating man,” Sukumar mumbled loud enough for Yohan to hear and pass it with a smile.

  ⁂⁂⁂

  After resting for about an hour, Yohan and Sukumar didn’t waste much time to reach the scene of the crime, accompanied by the Bihar police. The investigating officer, CI Raj Pratap, briefed the two about his initial inquiry.

  “So, no witnesses?” Sukumar asked the CI.

  “No,” replied CI Raj Pratap.

  “What about the tanker truck that collided with Ashraf’s car. Any details on that?” Yohan probed.

  “It was a Tamil Nadu registration number … TN 03 8342. We called the registered owner and they said it was a regular oil tanker truck,” came Raj Pratap’s prompt response.

  “Oh, did you find out what route it is for?” Yohan continued questioning.

  “So, the vendor said that his invoice stated that these were purchased for transporting oil from our Barauni refinery in Begusarai to Nepal.” Raj Pratap looked at his investigation file and responded.

  Yohan nodded with a smile as he prepared himself for further questions while remembering the readings on Barauni during his competitive exam days. Begusarai is popularly known as the “industrial capital of Bihar,” primarily due to the presence of the Barauni oil refinery and the thermal power plant. The Barauni refinery is the second oldest one in India dating back to 1964. Over the years, it has seen further expansion and supplies primarily diesel and other petroleum products to Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern and central UP, and even Nepal. In fact, it was around 1975 that India signed an agreement with Nepal to transport petroleum products to the bordering country.

  They were currently standing in a deserted area in NH31 that led the road from Begusarai city to the industrial area that housed the Barauni refinery and its township. This area was usually deserted at night and there had been incidents of theft and attacks in secluded spots. This further forced the people of the township to remain indoors. This was a highway but there wasn’t any shop in the 1 km radius except a few cigarette stalls and the closest identifiable outlet was a bank ATM around 1.5 kilometers from the scene of crime.

  “Pratapji, didn’t you find it odd that a Tamil Nadu registration vehicle is carrying the oil produced from Barauni to Nepal?” Yohan shot his question to the CI.

  “Nahi, sirji. The tanker truck contracts are outsourced via tenders and the agency could have multiple trucks plying as long as they have permits.” Pratap looked at his file as he responded to Yohan.

  “Hmm.” Sukumar knew that look on his senior’s face. He knew Yohan was on to something.

  “Sukumar, go with Pratapji and source the footage from the nearest CCTVs. If there aren’t any government ones, go and see if the private shops have any. I want to see the entry time and exit time of this tanker, TN 03 8342.” Yohan had a task ready for Sukumar.

  Sukumar moved closer to Yohan as he spoke in a lower tone. “Do we have any reasons for CCTV footage already?”

  “Anna, I have a theory and I am sure these footages would help strengthen or dismiss it outrightly,” Yohan gave his response.

  Sukumar figured that Yohan had an angle but needed proof to substantiate it. Accompanied by the CI, he proceeded to find the CCTV footage.

  “Aur Raj Pratapji, please report to our guest house at 10 a.m. in the morning. We have a briefing with the CBI headquarters,” Yohan said to Raj Pratap as he prepared to leave with Sukumar. He then picked up his phone and dialed Ila’s number. “How are things going on there?”

  “I assumed that you would want to visit and conduct a detailed statement recording here. So, I am focusing on getting initial statements from the house staff. I have one more person left,” Ila responded. Her voice neither indicated fatigue nor did she ask for more time to settle in. Yohan liked the confidence in her tone and was impressed at her presence of mind and saw her result-oriented approach at play. He said, “Fine call, Ila. Let’s all meet at the guesthouse at 10 p.m. once before tomorrow’s briefing.”

  ⁂⁂⁂

  Yohan had reached the guesthouse before Ila and Sukumar. After freshening up and making himself a cup of cardamom-ginger tea, he went on to do some research and listed the day’s events.

  Around 9 p.m., Ila also reached the guesthouse. “Sir, finally, hello. This case just took off without any breathing period.”

  “Haha. Yeah. I am so sorry that I couldn’t give you an official briefing.” Yohan apologized but as a mere formality.

  “That’s fine, sir. Director Verma told me how important the case is and Sukumar was kind enough to brief me early in the morning before his sleep. In fact, he even narrated the conversation you had last night and the jibes you allegedly made,” Ila replied in a tone bordering formal and casual.

  “Oh! I am sorry for his melodrama, but I must now say, sitting through his snoring in the flight is justified, considering he let go off his sleep to brief you.” Yohan and Ila smiled at their colleagues' eccentricities but acknowledged his brilliant team skills.

  At this point, Sukumar too entered the scene. “Wow! A team meeting without me!”

  Yohan and Ila smiled at his standard quirk. Yohan asked, “Anything interesting in the footage?”

  “Oh, yes!” Sukumar seemed happy with his findings, which only indicated good news to Yohan.

  “Actually, I do too,” said Ila.

  The team convened for a meeting earlier than usual. Ila and Sukumar presented their theories. There were discussions probing multiple angl
es. Agreements, disagreements, and consensus draped the room. Time was passing by quickly and it was around 11:45 p.m. when Yohan proclaimed, “Guys, be ready to present the facts at 10 a.m. tomorrow. We have enough evidence to substantiate that this was not an accident and could be a well-planned and executed MURDER.”

  Sukumar added, “A breakthrough in the Begusarai accident ... actually, now we can officially say ... A breakthrough in the Begusarai murder case within one day of CBI arriving in Bihar.”

  Chapter 4

  Allegations Speak Louder than Words

  It was a typical cold morning in Begusarai—two days after the death of Piyali Sharma on 5th January. The CBI guesthouse was in a residential area near Nirala Nagar road. The place was surrounded by other houses and a few shops in the lane. One could see older couples, children, and others taking morning walks while safai karamcharis (cleaning staff) did their everyday-morning city cleanup. It was the team’s first morning in the city and they ventured out to see if they could find a tapri that serves tea and the “pulse of the city.” Often, tea shops are central hubs of public opinion. The news supplies are often hotter than the tea at such places. Yohan liked meandering on the streets to understand what the public opines even though it doesn’t aid or affect the case as much. They found a tea shop down the lane, a little away from their guesthouse on their way to the main road. People were discussing the remains put forth by the media on the evening news and debates. The daily local newspapers, dated 7th January, were kept at the kiosk and people removed leaves out of it and read as per their preference. Out of curiosity, Sukumar intervened and asked, “What about the CBI? Any news on them?”

  “Don’t know, sir, but I read that this CBI team is not a very experienced one and it was sent by the SDP to cover up their involvement in teacher saheb’s death,” said one of the bystanders.

  Sukumar was offended but Yohan and Ila exchanged smiles seeing their colleagues' reaction.

  With a smirk on his face, Sukumar continued, “Where did you get this brilliant news from?”

  With a lot of confidence and a tone that sounded as if it was stating the obvious, the bystander replied, “WhatsApp!”

  Sukumar’s smirk turned into contempt at people’s belief in the news circulated through WhatsApp. Yohan and Ila continued to laugh at Sukumar’s efforts at ground-level investigative journalism.

  As they were preparing to walk back to the guest house, Sukumar added, “I also got a WhatsApp forward about the CBI team.”

  The curious bystander enquired, “What is it, sir?”

  “This CBI team has a south Indian officer who is brilliant and has solved all cases that he has been a part of.” Sukumar was having fun now.

  The naive bystander didn’t gauge the sarcasm and chose to believe it and probably even passed on this “doctored narrative” to his circle. After getting ready, the team had gathered at the meeting room in the guesthouse. The police team led by CI Raj Pratap had also arrived on time. They set up the projector and connected Director Verma via Google Meet.

  “Okay team, what do you have for me?” Verma started the discussion.

  “Sir, we visited the crime scene and also went through the initial police report. Sukumar, with the help of Raj Pratapji, has attained the CCTV footage of both the nearest entry and exit points that are not more than 6 kms from the scene of crime. Ila went to Ashraf’s house for the initial statement gathering and narration of events of the particular day. Ila, why don’t you present your findings first?” Yohan initiated the briefing.

  Even though she had a tiring 24 hours that involved a journey, late night case briefs, and was thrown directly into action, the 29-year-old Ila seemed fresh and prepared.

  “There were four members remaining in the house—Ashraf’s cook, maid, gardener, and trainer. Two—the driver and Ashraf’s PA, Piyali—are unfortunately no more,” Ila started and continued to brief the team.

  Ashraf lived in a two-bedroom house in Ulao, another residential area in Begusarai. It was a rented apartment that he got at a subsidized rate due to his goodwill in the society and the landlord Mr. Desai, an elderly gentleman who firmly believed that India needs youngsters like his tenant. Only Ashraf and his gym trainer, Mr. Mukul, stayed in the house. The latter said that he was staying there temporarily as he had shifted out of his previous accommodation a month ago due to maintenance issues.

  The cook and the maid—Mr. and Mrs. Hassan—stayed nearby and would be in the house from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gardener, Raju Kumar, also stayed nearby and usually left the house at 5 p.m.

  “Sir, we will be doing a detailed background check on all these people. For now, we have just recorded their narration of events. Since Ashraf was a politician, the house had numerous visitors since morning. People approached him for all sorts of help and Ashraf believed in interacting with them regularly. We have a register with the list of people who visited that day. It will be examined further,” Ila gave her initial thoughts.

  “Ila, why don’t you list out the things that you found strange?” Yohan intervened and gave her a discussion point.

  “Sir, coming to that. Two things stood out. So, Ashraf met with an accident on his journey back from Sudha dairy in Barauni toward his house on 16th December 2020. He had an appointment with the supply chain manager to discuss adding a new route so that the dairy products reach more people. This meeting was initially scheduled for 15th December and was postponed by Ashraf himself due to reasons unknown as of now.”

  “What’s the second point, Ila?” asked an intrigued Verma.

  “When he left on 16th December, he had a visitor from his college days in Chennai. This friend also accompanied Ashraf in his journey to the dairy. He must have alighted somewhere because he wasn’t in the car during the crash on their way back.” Ila made the second point.

  “Any details about this friend and his purpose of visit?” Verma asked.

  “We are investigating that sir. Sukumar, why don’t you brief us about the CCTV footage?” Yohan now turned to Sukumar.

  Sukumar shared the screen with the CCTV footage. At the entry point of NH-31, the oil tanker truck was spotted on 15th December. However, the truck did not cross the exit point on the same day. It was in the early morning of 17th December that this vehicle, TN 03 8342, had left the exit point, driven out by the Bihar police after the driver fled the scene.

  “CI Raj Pratap will add on to this.” Yohan gestured to Raj Pratap to make his point.

  “Yes, sir. So, the driver had fled the scene by the time we reached the place. After thoroughly examining the vehicle, we contacted the number attached to its registration. It belonged to a truck vendor in Tamil Nadu. When we asked about the vehicle, they said that it was one of the five trucks they sold to a dealer from Bihar who was looking for vehicles to transport oil from Barauni to Nepal. The Tamil Nadu vendor only had five trucks to sell and he had given the contact of his friend who had more. So, this was a bulk purchase and, as you know, Barauni refinery has been increasing capacity and the demand for oil tanker trucks is high here,” Raj Pratap said.

  “Raj Pratapji, you forgot to add one thing. When did the vendor say he sold the trucks to this dealer?” Yohan asked.

  “November 2020,” Raj Pratap responded.

  “Verma sir, as you can see, it is very suspicious that the truck entered the highway on 15th December, but didn’t exit from both sides on the same day or the next day. Without crossing these points, it is impossible for the truck to reach the refinery. So based on the footage, the entry of the truck and it being stationed within a 6-km radius till the next day until it crashed with Ashraf’s vehicle is a clear indication that this is no coincidence or accident.”

  “Yes. We have enough evidence to investig…” Before Verma completed his sentence, Yohan interrupted. “That’s not all, sir. Here is the biggest loophole in this whole narrative.”

  The room was filled with an eerie sense of silence. While Ila and Sukumar knew what was coming next, Verma and
the police team waited in silence.

  “I need to back up a little. So, in 1975, our government agreed to supply oil to Nepal. However, in 2015, India and Nepal decided to take their agreement one step further. A plan was made to build South Asia’s first-ever cross-border oil pipeline. So, we started building an oil depot in Motihari that was scheduled to be completed this year in 2021. But brilliantly, we managed to build the 69-km Motihari to Amelkhanj (Nepal) pipeline by 2019, i.e., before time. In fact, the prime ministers of both the countries jointly inaugurated this in September 2019.”

  Ila, Sukumar, and Verma had smiles on their faces as they saw Yohan, an impeccable quizzer since college, gently tear down the “crucial statement” collected from the vendor using simple and unquestionable facts.

  “Raj pratapji, do you know why we built this pipeline?” Yohan looked at Raj Pratap.

  CI Raj Pratap knew it was a rhetoric question and that his initial investigation overlooked several facts. Yohan continued, “To ensure that India and Nepal do not need tanker trucks to transport oil produced in Barauni to Nepal. Not only did this reduce our fuel costs and consumption, it also made oil more easily accessible for our neighboring country. So, our dealer in this case, in an attempt to be over smart, made a heavy slip of tongue. There is no need for these tanker trucks in November 2020. Barauni refinery can confirm this for us.”

  “So, either the vendor in Tamil Nadu lied or, even worse, Raj Pratapji made a slip of tongue while protecting someone,” Ila slipped in gently.

  The police team had no response but to keep their heads down for botching up the initial investigation. The facts, along with the statements of the staff and CCTV footage, were enough to order a murder investigation in the Ashraf Zain case. Director Verma was impressed with his team’s prompt action and quick results. He congratulated the team and prepared to announce this breakthrough to the media.