by Shilpa Jain
When the tantric falls down from the cliff, there is commotion amongst the people in the crowd. All the reporters and camera men run towards the motionless body of the tantric. Some of them start climbing uphill to reach the haveli. The local police team calls for reinforcements. They are unable to control the crowd and guard the two dead bodies.
The police team splits into three to abstain reporters from going to the haveli and to guard the body of the tantric and the duplicate burqa killer. Some crowd members capture the fleeing followers of the tantric. The angry mob lynches a few of the followers. Some of them are captured by the police.
In the meanwhile, the villagers of Kaked learn about the death of the evil tantric and flock the crime scene to confirm and celebrate.
The police officer guarding the dead fake burqa killer gets shoved away by the burqa-clad women who cross the police barricade. The officer does not attempt to resist the crowd fearing mob fury.
In a few seconds, the mob clears the area. But the place is empty! The body of the dead burqa killer is missing and so is the camera of the forensic expert working on the dead body.
The police officer rushes to the body of the tantric. It is still in place. The news reporters announce their breaking news, ‘The dead body of the burqa killer disappeared from right under a police officer’s nose.’
At CID headquarters, Tanvi’s team has received at least 20 calls of tantric sightings. The last five calls are from Kaked. The team ignores the calls from Kaked because they appear to be related to the tantric killed by the burqa killer.
Makrand dials Tanvi’s number. She does not receive the call. He traces her number. It is around Sanjay Gandhi national park. Makrand frowns.
He receives a message from Tanvi, ‘Received a report of tantric sighting at Sanjay Gandhi national park from an informant. Am verifying ‘.
Does that mean Tanvi madam has no links with the burqa killer? Or, did she leave her phone behind at Sanjay Gandhi national park? Are my allegations and assumptions baseless? She has no grey shades? This is disappointing. I was almost beginning to enjoy her mystery.
At Tanvi’s house, Abram is awake and glued to the television. Simultaneously, he is trying to call up Tanvi. Tanvi ignores his calls and forwards the same message that she had sent Makrand.
Abram replies, ‘Yeah, right.”
Tanvi pings back, “You don’t believe?”
He doesn’t reply. He is relieved that she is safe. He continues watching the television.
The news anchor Hiral enthusiastically boasts:
“The actual burqa killer is not dead. Some woman trying to imitate the burqa killer is dead.
“I have had a first-hand encounter with the actual burqa killer. She tied me up here to this very seat in my own van. Such a gentle soul! She wanted to keep me safe. You see, I was contemplating going to the haveli by myself.
“My cameraman Aamir accompanied the burqa killer thinking that he was with me. He was found unconscious near the cliff edge. He claims to have suffered amnesia. His camera is also missing. Stay with us to find out what Aamir remembers about the most thrilling incident of his life.
“The police have secured the haveli and arrested some of its occupants. The arrested tantric followers have not seen the burqa killer because she used tear gas to incapacitate them. Brilliant! Isn’t she?
“The burqa killer has carried out her mission right under police watch with so many witnesses, but none of them have seen her. She is still anonymous and at large.
“She is being hailed as a public hero. A group of burqa-clad people have stolen the dead body of the copycat burqa killer. Why was the body stolen? Did the crowd want to pay their respect for her efforts? Her identity too will remain a mystery.
“The police have found some technologically advanced gadgets at the haveli. The tantric used to monitor the weather closely to time his assaults on the villagers and spook them. He monitored their activities on cctv cameras fitted all over the village.
“They have also found copious amounts of Dhatura in one of the rooms in the haveli. Did the tantric use this intoxicant to induce violent behaviour in his victims? Did Dhatura cause them to behave as if they were possessed by spirits and attack their own family members? Quite a possibility!
Abram mutes the television and tries calling Tanvi again. This time she takes his call.
“Hello! How are you feeling?” she enquires.
“Betrayed.”
“Oh please! You wanted me to stay safe, and I am safe.”
“I wanted to stay with you for a few days.”
“We are staying together, aren’t we?”
“I meant at work too.”
“As soon as you get well, you can join. Just remembered, Kabeer won’t be coming today. I’ll have someone else deliver your meal.”
“Don’t bother. I have to go back to my place to pick up a few things. I’ll manage.”
“I’ll come and take you to your place then.”
“No, I don’t want to be responsible to take you away from your work again. I’ll see to it that you have no excuses this time.”
“I trust you.”
“And I love you.”
Abram waits a while for a reply, but all he hears is a hesitant pause.
He continues, “You don’t have to answer that. Take care.”
Tanvi is relieved. She picks up her phone and dials Zeenat.
She then heads back to the headquarters. The team has no solid leads or information on the tantric gang. Tanvi and her team discuss the course of action with DSP Yogesh Pai.
“Sir, there has been no positive development today,” Tanvi updates the DSP.
“What about the lead you had at Sanjay Gandhi national park?”
“Er… though the informant was reliable, there was some misunderstanding. He took me to a suspicious group of yogis. They were just drug addicts, not our convicts.”
“Are you sure?”
“100 percent.”
Sushant interrupts, “So should we continue the vigil tomorrow as well?”
Tanvi replies, “It would be best to taper the vigil rather than completely withdrawing it.”
“I agree,” says DSP Pai.
Makrand knocks the door to DSP’s office and interjects the team, “Tanvi ma’am, officer Harsh Hegde has something important to discuss with you.”
“Tell him, I’ll take a minute.”
Makrand leaves the room.
Tanvi turns to DSP Pai and says, “I am not sure how long we can maintain the vigil. We will have to tackle the issue aggressively, not defensively. We need our resources at other places too. Diwali is just around the corner.”
DSP Pai nods, “These tantrics are creating a ruckus. Look what havoc a tantric had created at Kaked.”
Soma Singh comments proudly, “But thankfully, the case has been closed by the burqa killer.”
She almost immediately regrets, “I mean we have to arrest the burqa killer as well.”
DSP Pai replies, “Right now, our priority is the tantric case. The burqa killer can wait.”
The team disperses.
Tanvi meets sub-inspector Harsh Hegde, “You needed my assistance?”
“I had no choice.”
Tanvi sighs, “Really? I don’t have time for this.”
“Ok. I wanted you to take a look at these pictures and read this case history. There has been an abduction of a young girl in South Mumbai similar to Pari’s case. They found a cctv footage with a suspicious person moving around.”
He hands over a picture to Tanvi. Tanvi observes the picture closely. “This doesn’t look like the tantric killer. They did not wear masks. Show me the findings.”
She reads the case summary. “No… definitely not! This guy has left behind voodoo dolls. Our killer left behind pierced lemons. I think one of the newspapers had printed voodoo dolls instead of lemons on a report on the tantric case. This abductor is a mimic. He is trying to blame it on the serial killing.”
“I thought so. He is trying to throw me off track. I know who the killer is now.”
“Let me know if you need my help again.”
“Why would an efficient officer like me need your help?”
Tanvi shakes her head and says, “Whatever,” and leaves his office.
Chapter 14
At Sativali village, near Vasai, in an orphanage, a woman hurries into the office cabin of Superintendent Sushila Oak.
“Madam, Siya and Riya haven’t returned from Patil sir’s house.”
The uninterested superintendent looks up from her register. “So, call up and find out.”
“I did. They left about two hours ago.”
“But Patil’s house is just 15 minutes away,” comments the superintendent, bunching her brows.
“Yes mam. I enquired with the other girls. They know nothing.”
“As if they would tell you if they knew something.”
“They have taken their belongings along. Their mother’s picture is also missing.”
“Are you suggesting that the girls have eloped?” asks the superintendent rising from her chair.
The woman stares anxiously at the superintendent.
The superintendent panics. “Destroy all physical and electronic records of the girls from our files. We can’t have anything linking our orphanage to them. Warn all the other girls against opening their mouths in case of enquiry.”
“Yes madam.”
“I hope they are dead or abducted by child traffickers. We were only extracting physical labour from them. Now they will realise they were safer here than in the outer world.”
At the periphery of Sativali village, twin sisters Siya and Riya are sitting under a huge banyan tree.
“Do you think we are far enough?” asks Riya while trying to catch her breath after a long run.
“I think we have left the orphanage far behind. By the time they realise we are missing, we will be out of this village forever,” replies Siya, panting.
Riya removes a picture from the cloth bag hanging on her shoulder and looks at it with tearful eyes. “We will be at our home town soon. Our grandmother is still alive. She will provide us a place to live.”
Siya places a reassuring hand on Riya’s shoulder and takes the picture from her hand. “I am glad we met our mother’s friend at the orphanage. Why hasn’t she come yet? She promised to meet us here.”
“She will be here any minute. Remember, she said it is risky. We shouldn’t be seen by anyone,” reminds Riya.
“Yeah, she said she will take us to the bus stop and pay our fares. She will inform our grandmother to pick us up. She has sent our pictures to our grandmother,” says Siya.
“You think our grandmother must have recognised us?” asks Riya, thrusting a knuckle into her mouth while smiling.
“Sure, she must have. Aunty said we look just like our mother,” replies Siya, blushing.
“Finally, we will have our own house. We will have a place to rest, smile, talk and laugh without fear of being thrashed. Finally, we will be treated like humans and will not have to do derogatory work,” sighs Riya.
“The superintendent said that our mother dropped us at the orphanage 16 years ago because we were burdens. She said we were unwanted children. No one cared whether we lived or died,” says Siya.
“Well, now we know that she lied. We were abducted and our mother was in distress after that. She died of shock. It feels good to know that we were loved,” replies Riya, taking Siya’s hand.
“Yes, it does,” smiles Riya.
“Riya, do you think we will be able to celebrate our birthdays? Have our own cakes with our names?”
“Yes of course.”
The sisters hold each other’s hand and smile.
They hear someone hooting from behind a tree in the field behind them. They see someone wearing a black robe standing there.
“I think she is waiting for us there,” suggests Riya.
“I can’t see her from this distance. Are you sure it is her?”
“Yes, who else would signal us? I think she wants us to come there.”
“OK, let’s go,” says Siya getting up.
Both of them have springs in their steps while bouncing towards the tree. They go behind the tree.
“Who are you?” asks a frightened Siya.
“We came here by mistake,” explains Riya and they turn to run away.
But they are held back forcibly by four people adorning black robes. Before they can shout for help, they are struck on the back of their head. They lose consciousness. The four tantrics burn some cannabis and expose the girls to the smoke. The girls get drugged.
They wrap the girls in black drapes and carry them on their shoulders. They move towards a shrine in Tungareshwar woods.
One of the tantric bows to the lead tantric and asks, “Should we take them to different shrines or should we perform the rituals at one shrine for both of them?”
The head tantric looks at him with bloodshot eyes, “You dim-witted fool! Two offerings for two mahavidyas have to be made at two different shrines. In the central part near Bangora lake, there are two shrines close to each other.”
“But that part is frequented by wild animals.”
“You want to serve the future immortal ruler of this earth or worry about a few worthless wild animals?” shouts the lead tantric.
“Forgive us Lord for doubting you.”
“Now, move fast before the police team tracks us and hinders our ritual. That day we went unnoticed because it was dark and they didn’t look for us on tree tops.”
All four of them rush into the woods towards the central part of Tungareshwar forest.
On their way, they chant the following mantras alternately,
Om hreem kleem hum Matangyai phat swaha
Om ha sa ka ha la hreem Sodayasyai namah
The drugged twin girls listen to the mantras and smile.
At last we are on our way home. Our grandmother is performing a ritual for our birthday. We will soon cut our cakes and our friends will greet and give us gifts.
They keep drifting in and out of consciousness.
After a few hours, the tantrics reach the shrines. They commence their ritual by applying a long black tilak on the lead tantric’s forehead. They chant more mantras. They apply vermillion and adorn the goddesses with red chunris.
“Bring one of them,” commands the head tantric.
One follower unwraps the black drape and places Riya before the goddess. They apply vermillion on her forehead too.
The head tantric makes Riya lie on her stomach and raises her head by pulling up her hair. Riya winces and before she can comprehend, her head is smashed on a stone lying before the shrine. With a single blow, Riya’s skull cracks. She opens her eyes momentarily, gasps and then her lifeless head falls back on the stone splashing her blood around.
They repeat the ritual at another nearby shrine for Siya too. She meets similar fate.
The tantrics finish their ritual and leave the two dead sisters in the forest. They move ahead to find their next victim.
After about six hours, at 7 p.m., at CID headquarters, Soma Singh hurries into Tanvi’s cabin.
“Madam, the forest department from Tungareshwar has reported suspicious activity in the forest.”
“Have the tantrics re-emerged? Let’s move,” says Tanvi getting up.
“Ma’am, the local villagers have reported greater than usual scavenger bird activity near the central part of the forest.”
“Oh!” sighs Tanvi, sinking back into her chair. “Did they check?”
“They are on their way. But the central part is inhabited by wild animals, so they have limited access at this hour. They are waiting for flood lights and other resources to search the place in the dark.”
“OK. Makrand, Rane, and I will join their team. You and Sushant hold the post here. See that you rest at night in case there’s nothing.”
“Ok ma’am, I’ll in
form them to leave right away.”
Tanvi nods and then calls up Abram, “Hi. How are you feeling?”
“Great. I want to get back to work.”
“We’ll see about that. I am going with the forest officials of Tungareshwar into the forest.”
“At night?”
“Yeah, if the victim is alive, we don’t want to wait until morning.”
“You think the tantrics will leave a live victim?”
“They did leave you and me alive, didn’t they? Besides, we are not sure if it is the tantrics.”
Abram sighs. “You take care.”
“Yup. You too.”
Tanvi, Makrand, and Rane reach the site. The local police team is already there. The place is illuminated with flood lights. Tanvi notices two body bags.
“Two victims?”
The police inspector in charge replies, “Yes, they are twin sisters. Their heads were smashed on stones near these neighbouring shrines.”
“Has anybody claimed the bodies?”
“No, we have no clue about them. No missing complaints lodged in nearby police stations. But they seem to be the tantric killer’s victim. They have vermilion on their foreheads and the shrine goddesses are adorned with fresh chunris.”
“Can I see that bag? Were the victims carrying this?”
“Yes, we only found some cash and a picture of a woman, probably their mother.”
Tanvi inspects the bag. She turns it inside out. A small note slips out of the bag. Tanvi picks it up. It has a seal of the orphanage at Sativali.
She hands it to the inspector. “Let’s check this orphanage.”
She turns towards her team and says, “I’ll accompany the inspector to the orphanage. The tantric killers are most likely around the villages in Tungareshwar now. They picked up these victims from Vasai and brought them to Tungareshwar. We will have to thoroughly scrutinize all the villages near Tungareshwar. We will start at dawn tomorrow. I’ll meet you at the forest office of Tungareshwar at 6 a.m. tomorrow.”
They all disperse. She calls up Abram.
“Hi, I can’t come home tonight.”
“Is everything okay?”
“The killers have become bold. They know we are after them. They have slaughtered two girls today. Maybe you were right about them being bound by a deadline. It’s already day 7. I am not going to rest till I find the…”