Seduced by Murder

by Saurbh Katyal

  “Mr Asrani mentioned that you take care of real estate investments.”

  “Yes, I head that division.”

  I gave him the copy of the agreement. “So you were dealing with Anil Kapoor?”

  “Yes, I was. I was part of this deal. The MD is only the signatory. I decide whether we should go ahead with the deal or not.”

  “Are you aware that Anil forged the signature?”

  His hand flew to his mouth. He looked away from me and focused on the ceiling instead.

  “Not until you told us right now,” he replied. “Well, we were suspicious when Paras Kapoor called Mr Asrani, and took down lots of details about the transaction. However, he acknowledged the transaction, and that’s all that matters.”

  “So what happens now?”

  “Nothing. We have already paid a certain amount of money. The property has been transferred in our name. And the Kapoors have acknowledged it.”

  “The money you paid Anil was to the tune of thirty crores?”

  “I cannot divulge that. It is, in a layman’s terms, called goodwill.”

  “That’s very nice. I have already been told that you got a good discount, and gave a huge component as cash.”

  “Yes, that is common practice. Only, in this case, it has been a very attractive deal for us; plus we save on the stamp duty, if the registered value of the actual transaction is less. So we don’t mind.”

  “What do you mean by attractive?”

  “One of the best investments we have made this year! Or, for that matter, so far in any of our real-estate transactions. We bought the property at half the valuation in the market.”

  “I am sure Mr Asrani is happy.”

  He replied coldly, “The entire board is very happy.”

  “Who was in touch with you during this deal?”

  “Anil Kapoor.”

  “So you met him. And Sunil was never in the picture?”

  “No. I only interacted with Anil Kapoor during the transaction. For us, there was no reason to get suspicious. It was, after all, in the family.” He pulled at his collar for some air. I wondered what was making Thapa nervous.

  “Okay. So Anil Kapoor met you and concluded the deal?”

  The coffee came. I noticed he was sweating in the cold room.

  “Uh … yes. In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “In a manner of speaking?”

  “Yes. Actually, I spoke to Anil on the phone.”

  “On the phone? What about in person? Face-to-face?”

  “Uh … unfortunately, I couldn’t meet him.”

  I pushed the agreement towards him. “While handing over the cash? While getting his signature?”

  More beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead. He fiddled with his tie.

  “You never met him face to face?”

  He nodded. “We planned to meet during the actual signing of the agreement, but Anil and Sunil were busy on the days when Mr Asrani was free, and vice versa. I didn’t want to postpone the deal. The draft had been approved by both the lawyers. The signed agreement was sent to me by their CFO. In fact, he was the one who collected the cash. But it was okay. I was on the phone with Anil the whole time.”

  “So Mr Asrani never met Anil Kapoor?”

  Thapa fiddled with his collar again.

  “Mr Asrani is a busy man. I collected the agreement on his behalf.”

  “But does Mr Asrani know that none of the signatories ever met you?”

  “I assure you that I have my MD’s complete confidence, and he would not like to be bothered with such trivial details.”

  “I think he might, especially after he’s been told that the signature was forged.”

  “But the family is going ahead with the deal,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Hmm … but even then I would want to inform Mr Asrani that while the deal was being processed, the man he had trusted with the deal did not meet any of the signatories, which is strange, especially since you signed as the witness.”

  He leaned forward and pleaded, “Listen, this can get me into some trouble. Why don’t you forget this, and collect a little reward for whatever you have done so far?”

  “What sort of reward?”

  He whispered, “Money. Fifty thousand? A lakh? I am a reasonable man.”

  I took my time to answer. “You would give me that kind of cash just to walk away?”

  “Yes. My MD is paranoid. No sense in spoiling the good deal that has been done. As of now, it is a lucrative deal. Let it remain that way. Even if Anil did forge the signature, he is dead, and the family doesn’t want to press charges. How would it benefit either of us if you spill the beans now?”

  In five minutes he had offered me a bribe. And it had all started when I threatened to speak to his MD.

  “I don’t want your money. Just answer my questions truthfully, and you will never see me again. Okay?”

  “Uh … okay.”

  “Who contacted you? How did the deal start?”

  “We had sent mailers, a month ago, to all prominent builders and brokers, inviting offers for tenanted buildings at a yield of thirteen per cent or more. Some of the brokers got back with a yield of ten per cent or so. I was surprised to receive a mail from Anil Kapoor, offering their prominent buildings at half the valuation. I still have the email if you want to see it. It came from his official email ID. I thought there had to be a typo, or some other error, so I called him. He reiterated the offer on the phone. I was excited. It was the mother of all distress sales!”

  “And you never interacted with Sunil during this deal?”

  “No. Everything happened so fast.”

  “On the phone? Never face-to-face?”

  “Well, the main exchange was via official email. He was not very eager to meet with me. In a week, we had formalised the draft, and agreed on the numbers.”

  “When was that?”

  “About two weeks ago.”

  “And when did you pay the money?”

  “Last week. Five days before Anil was murdered.”

  “Hmm … to the CFO?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did he look?”

  “Tall. Goatee. Grey eyes. What? You know him?”

  “Yeah. Can you identify him?”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “Okay. You gave him the cash, and collected the agreement. Then you signed as the witness, went back to Asrani, and told him that you had personally met him.”

  “Well, yes,” he said nervously. “But Anil had been on the phone all the time. Moreover, we hadn’t made the entire payment. The white component was pending, and they had already transferred the asset in our name. So you see, we had the upper hand.”

  “When were you supposed to make the white component of the payment?”

  “Well, that is the funny part. Anil insisted that his family was travelling abroad, and we would complete the rest of the proceedings on or after Thursday. That would have been tomorrow.”

  Thursday was the day Anil had planned to elope with Leo. So he wanted the white component to be transferred after his departure. It made sense. He wouldn’t want people to become aware of the forgery until he had left the country with the cash. What didn’t make sense was why Thapa had been so eager to close the deal.

  “All right, Thapa. One last question, that has no bearing on my investigations, but I will not sleep easy unless you answer it truthfully. And if you do, I never walk into Asrani’s office again.”

  “What?” he asked nervously.

  “Anil was in a hurry to close the deal. And you helped him expedite a deal of around seventy crores. It took me more than a week to finalise the rental agreement for my apartment. And that deal was worth fifteen thousand. Without your help, Anil’s plan would have failed. So, tell me, did he offer you a cut?”

  “What? Are you insane? I never—”

  I picked up the phone, and started dialling a random number.

  “What … what are you do
ing?”

  “Trying to reach Mr Asrani.”

  “No!”

  He snatched the phone from my hands and threw it on the table.

  “Listen, I didn’t do anything wrong. It was a good deal for my company. I am proud of it. If anything was given to me, it was because Anil was happy that I had helped him. So don’t try scaring me.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it. I just wanted to place a piece in this jigsaw puzzle. So your motivation for expediting the transaction for Anil was partly some money.”

  “Never. I received something as a token of his gratitude,” He softened. “Listen, I am willing to give you five lakhs. Let everyone be happy.”

  “No, that’s okay. You have been very cooperative. Thanks.”

  I got up to leave.

  “Wait. I insist. Meet me this evening for a drink.”

  “Thanks again. Not needed. Enjoy yourself.”

  “You … won’t tell Asrani?”

  “Nope. None of my business.”

  “Really, I would like to share some of this good fortune with you. I like you.”

  That made me laugh. I turned around and said, “Just one more question. How much did you make?”

  He brightened. “Oh, so that’s it! Well, I made half of what the broker would have charged. See, I am a reasonable—”

  “So you made one and a half crores in cash?”

  “One point three. Name your price, but be reasonable. You know you can’t prove anything.”

  I shook my head and walked out. He made one point three crores, cash, for a week of paperwork, and here I was thinking that twenty-five lakhs was all the money in the world. I was so depressed that I didn’t even ask the smiling receptionist for her number.

  I sat in the car and decided to call Anjali. The battery had gone kaput. I tilted the flask into my mouth. The flask had gone dry. I picked up last night’s packet of wafers, and put my hand into it. It was empty. This was going to one of those days. I drove to office.

  I walked in after forty-five minutes. Aarti looked at me.

  “What happened to your face?”

  “Long story. Any calls?”

  “Yes. But I can’t reach you, can I? Because guess what? Your phone, as you know, is always unreachable.”

  “Later. I am in pain now, lady.”

  She softened. “Can I get you something?”

  “Call Pranay and tell him to get his ass over here.”

  I walked into my cabin, and took a few swigs of whisky before filling the flask. The pain in my neck receded. I decided I was fine for a couple of more hours without sleep. I connected the phone to the charger, and removed my shirt. Blue and black bruises covered my abdomen where Abhijit had kicked me. I washed my face, wiped away the blood from my chin, and sat down on the chair shutting my eyes for a few seconds.

  Once the phone was charged, I heard multiple beeps signalling the arrival of SMSs. I walked to my desk and picked up the mobile. There were two messages, both from Anjali. The first one read:

  Hi. Your phone is not reachable. Recd a call from a lady. Has info on Kapoor case. Going to meet her. Call me back.

  This had come at eleven in the morning. I must have left the Kapoor residence, and been on my way to Asrani’s office then.

  The second one was sent at eleven-forty:

  At the old zoo. Ghat Road. Ur phone still not rchble. Going inside. Spooky place. Scared. Wish you were here.

  I dialled her phone. It was switched off. I waited for five minutes, and tried her number again. It was still switched off. I had a bad feeling about this. The only women associated with the case were Aditi, Shalini, and Reena. Anjali had never mentioned any of them. I called Paras on his mobile. He picked up at the first ring.

  “Yes, Vishal?”

  “Hi, sir. I was just wondering where all the ladies of your household were.”

  “What?”

  “At this precise moment, where are Shalini, Reena, and Aditi?”

  “Why?”

  “Please this is an emergency.”

  “Okay. Reena is right beside me. Aditi has gone to the mall to pick up something, and Shalini has taken her father to the hospital for his check-up.”

  “Which hospital would that be?”

  “Nayantara. What is this about?”

  I disconnected without exchanging pleasantries. Nayantara was a prominent hospital located on Ghat Road. I dialled Babu’s number.

  “Hi, buddy!” he said cheerfully.

  “I need you to send some men to the old zoo at Ghat Road. Emergency! We are looking for a female.”

  “The old zoo? That is abandoned. They shifted the animals to—”

  “I know that. Anjali Singh, the journalist, was called to the old zoo, at the pretext of giving her some information regarding Anil’s murder. I have a bad feeling about this. Her phone is switched off.”

  “I remember Anjali Singh. Who called her?”

  “Some female. Anjali was trying to reach me, but my phone was off.”

  “Oh, okay. I will call the Ghat Police Station, and tell them to send some men there.”

  “Good. Where are you?”

  “I am at the city station.”

  “Why don’t you make it there too? Whoever called her is related to the Kapoor case.”

  “Okay. I am starting now. Should be there in half an hour. What about you?”

  “I am at the other side of town. Should be there in an hour.”

  “You said a lady called? Who?”

  “I don’t know. But Shalini is right now at Nayantara hospital. With her dad.”

  “Isn’t that the one on Ghat road?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh! I am leaving right now.”

  Paras had tried my number twice while I was on the phone with Babu. I dialled his number and informed him about the developments, so that he would get off my back. I rushed out of my cabin, grabbed Aarti’s mobile, and transferred my SIM card while running down the flight of stairs. The old zoo had been shut two years ago. It was out of city limits. One had to take a detour of at least a kilometre from the main road to reach the zoo. I drove the car through the irritatingly slow city traffic, and jumped a few signals to make up for lost time. Babu called me after about half an hour.

  “Yeah?”

  “We found her body!”

  I slowed down and parked at the side of the road, hoping that I had not heard him right. “What?” I felt the panic in his voice.

  “We found her body. In the fountain. Murdered. And we arrested the murderer too. He was fleeing the crime scene.”

  “Who?”

  “Rajesh. Shalini’s ex.”

  “Hold him in custody. I should take another twenty minutes to reach you.”

  “One more thing!” Babu said. “We have proof! Shalini did it with Rajesh. We have them now!”

  “What’s the proof?”

  “We found an earring in Anjali’s fist. It has been identified. They have confirmed that it belongs to Shalini.”

  “Who are they?”

  “Well, Paras sir and his family. They arrived here shortly after I reached. You called them, right?”

  “Not exactly. Never mind. So what are you going to do now?”

  “I am going to talk to Rajesh. I am sending some men to Nayantara to escort Shalini and her father here. You should get here fast.”

  “Shalini was not on the site?”

  “No. Only Rajesh.”

  It took me fifteen minutes to reach the turning for the zoo. I got off the main road, and drove the odd kilometre, till I saw the rusted iron gates and a dilapidated sign that read City Zoo. I drove in.

  Dense foliage comprising wild grass and weeds covered the land. The sound of crickets was deafening. I followed the fresh tyre marks until I came to a fork on the muddy road. Anjali’s pink Scooty was parked there. Her small footsteps were visible near the two-wheeler. She had parked the vehicle here and walked towards the right. Someone must have been directing her on the pho
ne. There was a hedge running parallel to the road. I took a right from the fork, and drove another fifty metres until I came across a police jeep and two cars that I recognised as the Kapoors’.

  The driver of the jeep pointed to an opening in the hedge. It was imperceptible. One couldn’t find it unless he was aware of its existence, or was being guided towards it. I walked through it, and found myself in a small square-shaped lawn, with a fountain in the centre, and four cemented benches at each corner. The area had been created as a resting spot for visitors. The people surrounding the fountain stopped squabbling as soon as they became aware of my existence. I glanced at everyone. All the Kapoors were present. Ram was also there. Babu quickly walked towards me, looking visibly relieved.

  “What took you so long? And what happened to your face? You are bleeding!”

  I wiped the blood from the wound on my chin.

  “Where is Rajesh?”

  “He is in the jeep. Handcuffed. Shalini and Mayank should be here any minute.”

  Babu pointed towards the fountain, motioning that I should step forward and take a look. All of a sudden I felt nervous. My feet felt heavy. I stood rooted to the spot and stared at Reena. She didn’t register any emotion when her gaze met mine. If she was aware of my confrontation with Abhijit, her expressions did not give her away. Paras coughed slightly. He was the only one standing at the foot of the fountain, near the body.

  Babu came closer to me and whispered, “They will come and take the body. Don’t you want to…um…look for clues?”

  I nodded, and started walking towards the fountain. My senses were still trying to come to terms with the fact that Anjali was lying there – dead. The grass covering the lawn was eight inches high, erect, and the blades had sharp tips. They reached my calves, cutting the ankles through the socks.

  Anjali’s body was immersed in the fountain. I avoided looking at it directly, staring at the fountain for some time. It was an old, rusty fountain, filled with approximately four feet of water. Probably just rainwater over the last couple of days. Some gushed out from a crack at the bottom of the fountain, forming a stream around my shoes. I could feel the intense gaze of many eyes at my back, urging me to act. I took a deep breath and looked at the body. Anjali’s left foot rested on the edge of the fountain, while the rest of the body was partially immersed in the water. She was wearing a pink top and a long white skirt that came down to her ankles.