by Shilpa Jain
“We are trying our best Mr Lohana. Our field team is trying to track the kidnapper. I think your daughter has not been kidnapped for ransom. So, the kidnapper is not going to contact us. The only lead until now is the aghori group. We also have to investigate Pari’s night life and Soniya’s connection to the case. Let’s sit tight and wait for the local police and traffic control to find the aghori group.”
The old maid mutters, “He would have fled far away with her by now. Pari baby always said that he would take her to some forest.”
Tanvi frowns, “Did Pari ever meet the aghori?”
“No, she only imagined him at times. Only she could see him. It was probably his spirit. But she always said that he loved the forest,” replies the maid.
The mention of ‘spirit’ creates a commotion in the room.
Tanvi tries to distract others from the topic, “Soma, you stay back in Pari’s room at Lohana house tonight. We will wait at our bureau office for information on the aghoris.”
Soma swallows hard and looks at Ravi. Ravi feels sorry for her, but he is unable to help. The rest of the team proceeds outside the house.
Sushant reminds Tanvi, “Ma’am, I will try to find if anyone has seen Pari around the main road at 1 a.m. at nights. I will come to office after that.”
“Right Sushant, it completely slipped my mind.”
Tanvi asks Ravi to drive to the headquarters. “I want both of you to grab some sleep until we have news on the group of aghoris,” she tells Ravi and Makrand. “Sushant, you try to find cctv footages around the roads near the tower of silence.”
“I already did that ma’am. That road merges into the highway and there are no footages on the highway. The small shops in the by lanes do not have cctv cameras.”
“Oh… okay.”
Sushant goes back into the bungalow and the others go to the resting room in the headquarters to catch a wink. Tanvi drives home.
Zeenat is waiting outside Tanvi’s housing complex when Tanvi arrives. On seeing her, Tanvi pulls over her car and Zeenat sits inside.
“What are you doing here so late? I told you I’ll take care of Akram,” says Tanvi, while keeping a vigil around.
“That’s the problem. I can’t find him after his release from the prison. He is a bastard, but he is the only family I have. I don’t want him dead,” replies Zeenat.
“What! He isn’t dead. I’ll find out where he is.”
Tanvi calls up Abram, “Where is Akram?”
“I missed you too.”
“Very funny. Now shut up and answer.”
“Relax. He is on his way to a safe place in Jamnagar in Gujarat. He is going to work as an assistant manager in Hotel Jannat. He couldn’t say goodbye because he has to report to work tomorrow and he forgot his cell phone with me. I’ll send you his hotel landline number in a while.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing, Hegde happened to find considerable amount of dope on him. I stepped in and saved him. After all, the offence is punishable with a jail time of more than 20 years.”
“You involved Harsh Hegde?”
“Don’t worry, I called in a favour for me. Your name is safe.”
“It won’t be long before Harsh finds out the connection.”
“Even if he does, he won’t utter a word. I have something on him too.”
“What? And now, he has something on you too. This is a never-ending cycle. You have turned into a mind controlling blackmailing freak now?”
“That’s unfair. I have never blackmailed you for anything.”
“Haha. So, you are trying to subdue me with favours?”
“You think so? Did I try to change your mind when you decided to break up with me? I respected your decision. I didn’t even ask you the reason.”
“I am sorry about that. You deserved an explanation.”
“You are damn right, I did.”
“I was just not ready.”
“I could have waited.”
“I wanted you to move on.”
“That was for me to decide.”
“I am sorry, but that time is long gone.”
“Has it? I am still waiting.”
“Can we continue some other time? I don’t want you to be in trouble because of me.”
“I won’t. My lab report shows that the powder was talcum. Only Akram doesn’t know about the report. I mistakenly showed him some other report and before I could correct my doing, he became untraceable.”
“Yeah right,” chuckles Tanvi. “You have anything on the dead body found near the tower?”
“Will have to wait until morning. My staff is long gone.”
“Okay goodnight.”
“Sweet dreams to you too.”
Tanvi’s smile is cut short when she becomes aware of Zeenat staring angrily at her with her arms crossed across her chest.
“Are you done romancing? Do you have any info on my missing brother?” asks Zeenat.
“He is not missing. He is safe and has a good job. He won’t bother us for a long time.”
“That’s a relief! Dr Sheriff is the nicest person I have known. Why did you break up with him?”
Tanvi sighs, “Because I was falling in love with him.”
“So?”
“I wasn’t doing justice to our relationship. I had too many secrets that I couldn’t share with him.”
“All of us have secrets Tanvi. Some of us just take them to our graves. No one has to know about them.”
“I was also losing focus over work. I had to choose between the two. I chose my work.”
“I think he would have come up with a solution if you had explained.”
“I tried.”
“In clear words?”
“Of course not. By giving example of others.”
“I can’t believe you let this man go.”
“What is done is done. I have moved on. Are you going to stay back?”
“No, Zakir is waiting a little farther. I’ll go back with him.”
“Why didn’t you get him here?”
“Because I didn’t want him to know that we have something to hide. Some secrets are best kept forever. He is not as understanding as Dr Sheriff.”
Tanvi feels a pang whenever Zeenat taunts about her decision to break up with Abram. That night, she goes to sleep pondering over her relationship with Abram.
Tanvi awakens with a startle. Her cell phone is ringing. It’s 6:30 a.m.
Sushant is on the other side of the line, “Good morning ma’am. Thane and Mira road police have detained the aghoris.”
“Oh… good. Did you get some sleep?”
“About three hours.”
“Did you find anyone on your road search at night?”
“Yes. A cycle coffee seller had seen the two girls often go towards the lane leading to the tower of silence.”
“This is getting complicated. Wonder what they did there? Will have to go back in daylight today. Did the local police interrogate the aghoris?”
“They did, but the detained aghoris did not have any information on the aghoris with the painted faces. They said that the four aghoris had joined their group at Mazgaon Chamunda temple and went with the Mira road group after Thane. The Mira road group said that the four aghoris took a break before Mira road junction. The others moved on.”
“Ask Thane and Mira road police to transport these aghoris to our headquarters. That will give you a couple of hours more to grab some sleep. I am going to the Mira road site where the four aghoris took shelter.”
Tanvi dials Soma’s number, “How are you doing?”
“I am okay ma’am, but yesterday, I saw a shadow resembling an aghori from Pari’s balcony. He was standing on the road near the backyard gate.”
“You too were hallucinating?”
“No ma’am, I tried to run down to confront the guy, but there was no one.”
“Did you get some sleep?”
“No ma’am, I kept standing in the balcony
waiting for him to come back.”
“Why would the aghori stand outside Pari’s house after the kidnapping? Weird, no? Ask Ravi to relieve you. You come back after lunch.”
Tanvi gets dressed in 20 minutes and opens her main door. Makrand is standing at the door.
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting to go with you to Mira road.”
“You spoke to Sushant?”
“Yes, he asked me to accompany you.”
“Okay.”
She tosses her car key to Makrand. Makrand seems uncomfortable about something while driving.
“Something on your mind?”
He hands over a newspaper to her.
She reads and exclaims, “Holy crap! How did this happen? Madhu has never crossed the line before.”
“It wasn’t Madhu. I spoke with her before coming here. It was some other journalist. She said it will be impossible to trace the source because reporters are very protective about their sources.”
“We are screwed. In a few minutes, I will receive a phone call from DSP Pai informing that I have been taken off the case. The girl’s life is in danger now.”
Makrand stares at the article headed ‘Malabar Hill girl kidnapped by a dead Aghori for black magic!’
Tanvi picks up the paper and reads the article.
Pari, a 17-year-old girl, was abducted by an aghori from Lohana house at about 2 a.m. two nights ago. There has been no ransom call. Personal enmity with the aghori has been stated as the probable reason of abduction. The eerie part is that items involved in black magic were found at the abduction site.
The crime branch team investigating the case has no lead and is targeting groups of random aghoris wandering around the city.
The aghori suspected for abducting the girl has been reported dead three years ago. Is Mumbai dealing with a ghost? A ghost performing black magic on young girls!
What is Mumbai police and crime branch doing to save this girl? Only one sub-inspector was posted at Lohana household last night. Where were the others?
Such apathy from the authorities on such a sensitive case sends shivers down our spine. Are our girls safe in their houses? Could they fall prey to horrifying tantric practices by aghoris while our security system sleeps in peace?
Tanvi crumples the newspaper and throws it in the back seat.
Makrand swallows hard, “Now what?”
“Nothing. We try to get as close as possible to solving it before I receive the order. They will try to reach you too to deliver me the order. I want you to stop driving and go back to assist Sushant. What I do after this may not be completely legal.”
“I told you I am a grey person.”
“Not under my watch.”
Makrand lets out a weary breath, stops the car and alights. Tanvi takes control of the steering wheel. She switches off her phone and the police radio of her Tata Sumo, and drives away. As soon as Makrand gets down, he receives a phone call from Sushant.
“Do you know where Tanvi ma’am is? Pai sir is here and is unable to contact her. Perhaps you have spoken to her. “
“No sir, I have no clue. I am coming to the head office.”
“Okay. I’ll enquire with Singh and Rane.”
Makrand smiles with a twinkle in his eyes at his first taste of team spirit.
Tanvi makes enquiries and learns that a group of aghoris was seen walking towards Sanjay Gandhi National park. She drives through short cuts to reach the nearest entry point into the park. Tanvi remembers that the old maid had told her that the aghori would take Pari to a forest.
Incidentally, she sees a group of four aghoris walking into the forest. Just as she is about to chase them, a forest guard who has just returned to his post after a tea break stops her.
“Where are you off to madam?”
“I have to catch hold of the aghoris who have entered the forest.”
“No one has entered the forest under my watch.”
Tanvi flashes her badge. “I am on duty and you are obstructing me.”
“Flaunting these badges doesn’t work with the forest department madam. If you wish to enter the forest, I need an official order.”
Tanvi knows that if she switches on her phone, she will receive orders from her superior to drop the case. One of the aghoris looks back at her. His face is covered with ash. Tanvi suspects he is the kidnapper.
While trying to hurry, he drops the load off his shoulder. Tanvi sees a young girl, probably unconscious or dead, in a flash of a second when the black fabric unravels a bit. The other aghoris immediately cover her up and help the aghori carry the load and hurry into the forest.
Tanvi tries to run towards the aghoris to catch them, but the forest guard physically restrains her. Reflexively, Tanvi attacks and injures the forest guard to gain entry into the forest. She rushes into the foliage where she had seen the aghoris disappear. She sees a black robe and grabs it.
At that moment, she feels a hard blow on her head from behind. She turns around and sees a blurred image of an aghori with a white face before collapsing to the ground. He is holding a human skull with which he has attacked her. Also, a load covered in black cloth is lying on the ground. Crawling towards the load, she slides her hand inside the drape to check if the girl is alive. Before she can uncover the body, she feels another blow on the back of her head and is knocked out.
The group of aghoris pick up the load and begin chanting the following mantra:
Om hreem aing kleem shri Bagalanane mam ripoon naashay mamaishwaryaani dehi shreghram manovanchittam saadhay saadhay hreem swaaha…
As they move deeper into the forest, the chanting becomes fainter. Tanvi lies unconscious in the forest.
Chapter 7
Tanvi gets up with a splitting headache in a hospital room. DSP Yogesh Pai is standing in front of her. He has a worried look on his face. Tanvi has suffered a minor concussion. A tense-looking Makrand is standing in a corner of the room.
“How are you feeling?” enquires DSP Pai.
Tanvi makes an unsuccessful effort to sit up. DSP Pai raises his hand signalling her to lie down.
She groans and then replies, “I am okay. I was very close to capturing the abductors.”
“If the forest guard would not have followed you, you would have been killed or eaten up by wild animals. Dying on duty is worthy, but dying like this… tch tch,” DSP clicks his tongue.
Tanvi looks at Makrand who is staring at her.
“You know Yadav, you are one of the best I have. I can’t afford to lose you. Why did you switch off your phone and radio?”
“You know why sir.”
“Well, next time you should try taking my permission for a change.”
Tanvi looks at Makrand again. He tries hard to suppress his smile. DSP Pai receives a phone call and leaves the room.
Tanvi snaps at Makrand, “What are you smiling at?”
“Nothing… I thought your dialogues were original.”
“Very funny. How long was I knocked out?”
“Four hours.”
“I was this close to getting the girl,” says Tanvi pressing her thumb against her index finger.
“The guard said he saw no aghoris.”
“That idiot was not in his place when the aghoris went into the forest. If he would have let me in the forest instead of wasting my time, I surely would have got the girl.”
“Incidentally, that idiot was the one who called for an ambulance in spite of the fact that he was brutally beaten up by you. And maybe, the aghoris left you alive because they saw him rushing into the forest.”
Tanvi tries to get up. Makrand resists her attempt by pinning her shoulders to the bed. “You have been asked to rest.”
Dr Abram enters Tanvi’s room. “Hey, you are up… what are you doing to her?” he questions Makrand.
“Nothing. I was just helping her sleep,“ says Makrand giving a cheeky look to Abram while leaving the room.
“The newbie thinks he is very smar
t, huh?” remarks Abram after Makrand leaves.
Tanvi ignores his comment and asks, “You thought you had me?”
“No, I know I will need more than a concussion for that. But right now, you need rest. Although I am a doctor specialising in dead bodies, I do know a bit about living humans too.”
“Abram, I almost had the girl.”
“And they almost had you. Did it occur to you that these black magic guys could be dangerous?”
“That danger is a part of my job profile.”
“Did you see the girl?”
“I am not sure if it was her. Her hair covered her face. I tried to feel the body. It was warm. The girl was alive. I am so confused right now.”
“I hope they find her. I worked on the samples from the tower of silence. The remains of the body you found there belong to Soniya, and the blood and pendant belong to Pari.”
“That means that the girls definitely went there.”
“Yes. And that also means Pari lost more blood, which is not good. Do you realize that today’s newspaper scenario could take you off the case?”
“Yes. I am going to get the bastard who leaked the news.”
“Sweetheart, you are recovering from a concussion. There is no way you can get back in action before eight days.”
“You are kidding, right?”
“Do I look like I am kidding?” asks Abram looking gravely at Tanvi.
DSP Pai comes back into the room. He acknowledges Abram and looks at Tanvi, “Yadav, you have to go on leave for eight days to recover. I am assigning this case to Hegde.”
“No sir, I got very close to solving it. I will find the girl and the person who leaked the news to media.”
“It’s not that Yadav. I am sure you would find the girl, but only if she was alive.”
“What do you mean sir?”
“I just received news that a charred body of a young girl was found in Thane crematorium today at 8 a.m. They found a black cloth beside the body. They picked up some hair in the cloth and some blood drops for DNA.”
“Oh,” Dr Abram lets out a sad moan.
“The forensic expert on site said that the DNA from the body was too degraded for analysis.”
“What about dental identification?”
“Some teeth were recovered. We are sending them to Pari’s dentist for verification.”