The Mohanbari Murders

by Esha Pandey

  "Sahab, mujhe nahi maloom." Chetiya was still sticking to his 'I don't know' bit. Imran had his call records and he knew that Chetiya had spoken to Raju the night of the murder. After that Raju's phone was switched off. In fact, his last location was Bhawanipura, leaving no doubt that Raju was involved in the murder.

  "Sir, let me take care of him." Sugriv, his column commander offered. Imran picked up his packet of Marlboro Lights and went out to the balcony.

  There were two men. But almost everybody talked about only Raju. If Raju and Rahim were friends why was he threatening Rahim? What was Chetiya hiding? Who was the second man? Imran was in charge of two companies of the Jat Regiment in Mohanbari. It was a fairly independent charge and since he had been showing results in the last two years, the seniours trusted him. He had informed his Commanding Officer about the current operation he had undertaken with the police. Imran had been warned to not exceed his mandate. Sometimes rules had to be broken. He took a deep drag and threw the cigarette butt.

  Chetiya was in distress. Heaving. "Stop it, Sugriv." Sugriv stopped mid-air. They had beaten up Chetiya. But there were no visible marks to bear witness on his body. "Chetiya are you ready to talk now?" Imran asked in his no-nonsense voice.

  "Sir, I have told you so many times. I don't know anything." Chetiya was being stubborn. He was a professional criminal, not that easy to break. But Imran had dealt with many such cases. He slapped Chetiya with all his might. Chetiya was a small Assamese man, he fell down. He looked up at Imran and knew he meant business. Wiping the small drop of blood trickling down his nose, Chetiya started talking.

  ◆◆◆

  "Simran, I have a lead about Raju. Prepare your team and meet me at the Hydel Intersection." Imran meant business.

  Within twenty minutes, the QRTs of Police and Army had surrounded a multi-storey building in Bhawanipura. This was a densely populated colony, close to the SOC of the murder. It was almost impossible to be discreet in such a scenario. It was twilight by the time the intervention began. The public was asked to move away and a cordon was made. They had to go inside the ground floor flat. One sniper was positioned aiming at the entrance sitting at a vantage point. Commandos banged the main door in.

  Simran decked up in her BP gear, and her Glock aimed for the enemy, was close behind her team. She could hear her heart pounding in her ribcage. Imran was behind her. "What's that smell?" Imran thought out loud. As they entered the second room in the flat, they saw a body hanging from the ceiling. It was putrefied. The face was swollen but eyes were not bulging, neither was the tongue out. The noose had been made out of jute rope. "Looks like Raju" Imran couldn't hide his disappointment, "from the level of decomposition of his body it looks like he hung himself at least two days back."

  "Don't reach a conclusion so quickly. We have to check if the hanging was antemortem or post-mortem?" Signalling Two-One Simran quickly added, "Two-One take charge of the crime scene before it gets contaminated. Call the Crime Team and look for any note. Also, pick up fingerprints and DNA samples."

  Two-One quickly took charge and the Army QRT receded. The Investigating Officer started recording statements of anyone who knew the victim. Hundreds of people watched the proceedings, from their houses and rooftops.

  Simran and Imran were huddled in a corner. "What next?" Simran echoed Imran's thoughts. "Where do we go from here? I think Raju has been murdered. It didn't look like antemortem hanging. What do you think?"

  Imran mulled over her question. "Chetiya knows more. I think he knew that Raju has been murdered still he sent us here. He is playing with us. Let's play with him."

  Chapter 9: Two Can Play a Game

  Chetiya bumped into a fast-food cart, limped ahead, meandering the by lanes of Fancy Bazaar. He had chosen to visit the market on Thursday because it was a weekly market day and there would be thousands of people buying things. He would go unnoticed.

  He had no idea he was being followed.

  Chetiya lunged forward, purposefully, bumping into people, cursing them and moving on. He stopped in front of a Panwala, bought a packet of cigarette, Marlboro Lights. This was his vice, he liked expensive cigarettes and Marlboro Lights was his favourite.

  ◆◆◆

  "Ma'am, I am outside the adda, I think we can catch them in action. Shall we bring them back up now." Inspector Special Branch had been working very hard on that lead and was finally reaping results.

  "Don't do anything just yet." Simran spoke curtly.

  In a matter of a few minutes, the whole bazaar scene changed. It was swarming with Special Agents, dressed in civvies. The public was gently asked to step away from the old double storey building. Made in the fifties, this building was dilapidated. Before anyone could understand what was going on, Special Agents burst in on the second floor.

  Simran, dressed in jeans and t-shirt, looked anything but the ASP. With the Glock in her hand aimed at the group of people in the room, she screamed, "Nobody move. You have been surrounded from all sides. There is nowhere to run."

  Chetiya tried to scuttle but was caught in time. The other men looked scared. They were not criminals, they were clients! It rang like a bell in Simran's head. What the hell was going on here? She moved forward with a section of commandos to look into the other rooms. Dimly lit, these smelled of urine and some chemical she couldn't put her finger on. She found five boys between ten to fourteen years of age, screaming out of fear in one room and there were four such rooms. Some of the boys were drugged and others scared. The youngest looked barely eight years old.

  Simran came back to the room in fury and slapped Chetiya, "Haramzaade, what have you been doing to these kids?"

  Chetiya caught unawares, started screaming, "Keep your hands off me, you filthy bitch."

  He made an attempt to hit Simran and was promptly put back in his place by a Sub Inspector. "Leave me alone, you asshole." Chetiya was being difficult.

  "Where did you get these kids from?" Simran asked Chetiya.

  "From all over the world," Chetiya said in delirium. He was laughing like a crazy person now. "Don't touch my kids…don't touch them. I will kill you all."

  The kids were also crying or screaming out of fear. Her eyes were welling up at the misery displayed in front of her, but she had to be professional. She had to follow the process to secure those kids. She signalled for the kids to be moved in a separate van to the Children's Hospital. On the basis of the medical result only it could be ascertained whether all of them were sexually assaulted. Most of them looked under the influence of some or the other substance. It was heart-breaking how they were holding on to each other. What the fuck was wrong with this world? Chetiya is a monster.

  Simran leaned close to Chetiya and whispered in his ear. “I will make sure you are put behind bars for the rest of your fucking life.” Chetiya tried to hit back. He was held back by the staff.

  "Ma'am we will take him to the Police Station and start the interrogation." Inspector Special Branch Sanjeev Kumar was a seasoned police officer. He knew that it was important to isolate Chetiya immediately so that they could get the maximum information out of him. With her limited policing experience Simran never shied away from those learning moments.

  "Haan, take him away and see what he tells you."

  Chapter 10: Something Sweet

  "Yes Sir, all evidence corroborate his statement. Yes sir, we have been very careful in sealing and packing of DNA swabs. Yes sir, we have him on remand for seven days. Let's see if he gives more info about his network. No need to worry sir. I am handling it personally." Simran had finally learnt to handle Kilo One. At least on the phone.

  "Ok, Simran. Well done. I am sure this has been a good learning experience for you. You handled it very well," said Kio One. Such high praise from Kilo One.

  She didn’t realise she was smiling as she kept the phone.

  "Why are you smiling?" Imran was intrigued.

  "Because Kilo One finally realized what an asset I am to Mohanbari Police." Simran
winked.

  "Yeah…thank God for that and Chetiya for being stupid." Imran quipped.

  Indeed.

  "It was not by chance that we cracked this case open Imran. Meticulous planning worked out. Everyone chipped in. Especially your INT guys." Simran picked up the cup of coffee. She had finally picked Imran up on his offer for coffee. Date or not, it was fun to hang out with him. She was warming up to him.

  "I agree INT guys did very good work. Chetiya became overconfident and didn’t cover his tracks and we followed him and got what we wanted." Imran pointed out.

  "In fact, after the DNA and fingerprints from both murders came I was sure that it was the same guy. When did you know it was Chetiya?" Simran looked at him piercingly.

  Damn. She looked cute. Imran did lose his bearings every time Simran looked at him, but he was a professional and this was about two bloody murders. She was thorough with her assignments and he loved how seriously she took her job. He took a sip of his coffee and pulled up his collar.

  "I didn't. I was following the lead of Raju as we all were, I confronted Chetiya to get Raju's whereabouts, but when Raju's murder came up, I knew Chetiya was hiding something. I have been dealing with Chetiya and Raju for the last one year. Raju was a peddler but he wouldn't kill anyone. In fact, I had been working with him to burst the drug racket running from Bhawanipura. Chetiya is diagonally opposite. He was elder, crueller and more experienced. I dealt with him, knew that he was thoroughly professional but couldn't fathom that he would be indulging in human trafficking and supplying young boys to clients. If I had known I could have some something about it earlier. I guess this is a lesson for me. There is always more than what meets the eye."

  Seasoned. Experienced. Skilled. He was all of that. And. Handsome.

  "Don’t be so harsh on yourself. Chetiya said he looked out for runaways and railway children and got them addicted to drugs. Once addicted they did anything for those drugs and that's when he started supplying them to clients." She fidgeted with her keys. Why did he make her nervous?

  Simran and Imran had put up a joint surveillance team behind Chetiya. They had monitored all his movements and in about three days had come up with the location of his adda and his acts.

  Once in custody, Chetiya had indeed been an ideal prisoner, confessing almost immediately that he had murdered both Rahim and Raju. Not that police needed his confession; his presence had registered on both crime scenes.

  "On the night of Rahim's murder, Raju was to bring Rahim to a client. But Rahim got angry at Raju and refused. When Raju slapped him, he threatened to go to the police. Raju informed Chetiya as he ran after him. Chetiya caught up with both of them.” Simran checked her phone. Smiled. “Moochhon ki ladayi! It seems Chetiya just wanted to show Rahim his place by sodomizing him and threatening him by trying to strangulate him, but he went a little further and Rahim died. Since Raju was the witness to this, Chetiya couldn't leave him be. He had to kill him. Drug overdose was the most convenient way. Then hanging him to look like a suicide was just to buy time. Chetiya knew we would surely get that." Simran was relieved that it was finally over.

  "No, he did not. Chetiya didn’t know that you would get that. You got it because you put your heart and soul into solving this Simran.” Imran added as he reached forward to hold her hand across the table.

  What is going on? Why is she blushing like a coy school girl? Simran pulled her hand back.

  “So shall we go out for dinner? I have something to tell you." Imran looked happy.

  "Kilo Two, Five-Zero" the set lit up. Thank God for little mercies.

  "Five-Zero, Kilo Two ...carry on please"

  "Kilo Two Ma'am…there has been an incident at Hydel point.."

  "Five-Zero ..ask Double-Two to reach the spot and call me." Divine intervention.

  "Well, I guess our dinner will have to wait."

  The quaint little café was dimly lit. Tina Turner’s record played beautifully in the background, “I call you when I need you, My hearts on fire, You come to me, come to me, wild and wired”.

  Simran got up with a look that held a promise for more. Imran was hopeful. She held out her hand. Imran took it. Held her for longer than he meant to. She didn’t pull it back this time.

  “Simran, I must tell you something.” Imran was in earnest. He was still holding her hand. In fact now cradling it in both his hands. She could feel his warmth seep through to her and that sent a shiver down her spine. She wanted him. She pulled her hand back and said, “message it to me Imran.”

  Simran literally ran from the café. She didn’t want him to see the smile on her face.

  Just as her vehicle moved forward, Imran’s message popped up on her phone. “Give me a chance, Simran.” Her heart jumped with joy. She looked back. He was standing there, looking at her vehicle. She clicked ‘reply’ on the message and sent a heart emoji.

  This could be the beginning of something sweet.

  Author’s Note

  Dear Readers,

  I hope you liked this story. The Mohanbari Murders is intended to be a series with the characters of Simran and Imran recurring and solving various murders. I am working on the second story in the series. I must state categorically that the characters and incidents in these stories are purely fictional and any resemblance to any person, place or case is purely coincidental.

  I look forward to hearing from you on Twitter or Facebook. Don’t forget to review the book on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews do feed an author’s soul and add to the success of a book.

  With love,

  Esha

  About the Author

  Esha Pandey

  Esha Pandey, is an author and a police officer. She made her debut as an author with her book Kiss of Life and Other Stories, a collection of short stories.

  Esha currently lives in New Delhi. She is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2010 batch. Over the years, Esha has worked in various capacities and various territories.

  Esha has a Masters in International Relations and Masters of Philosophy in American Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Before becoming a civil servant, she dabbled with the idea of being a journalist and worked with Times of India as a copyeditor. She has won a United Nations FPA Award for Excellence for the “Best Short Story”.

  Esha has kept her passion for writing alive through her tough assignments in policing because writing is music for her soul. Her TDH hero is her partner for life, her husband Rajiv, who supports her in all her endeavors. When she is not doing either, policing or writing, she is busy dealing with her two bundles of naughtiness, her sons. She can be reached at twitter.com/PandeyEsha and https://www.facebook.com/EshaPandeyAuthor/ .

  Other works by Esha Pandey

  Someone Exactly Like You

  Blurb

  A beautiful young girl, drenched in rain, is being chased by a couple of goons along the narrow meandering roads of Landour, Mussoorie, when a swashbuckling stranger comes to her rescue. She faints and on waking up, realizes she is in the company of the ‘bad boy’ of Bollywood—Veer Singh Tomar.

  Natasha falls for Veer, who, incidentally, is married and dealing with a messy divorce. By some cruel twist of fate, Veer’s estranged wife Amyra comes back to his life. But by then, Veer is already drawn to Natasha.

  Will Veer ever find his way back to Natasha?

  Praise for the book

  “Can a level headed aspiring director at the threshold of her career and a superstar director dealing with a messy divorce work together without sparks flying? Apparently not. If you think it is just another Bollywood studded love story, you are mistaken. In Natasha, we see a typical (not stereotyped) Indian girl. Aspirational, independent and professional. Veer is a handsome hunk with a hard exterior but with a heart to admit the truth and stand by it. The communication that the protagonists share with each other lends an air of honesty to this story and makes it enjoyable. Apart from these, the ending stole my heart. Five stars just because the heroine, ins
tead of cowing in, realized her ambition with maturity.”

  Kiss of Life and Other Stories

  Blurb

  In Kiss of Life you will find five stories which will fill your heart with love.

  Kissed by a swashbuckling aviator, a girl changes the course of her life. What will happen when she returns home pregnant? What happens when an army officer asks a girl he has met only once to marry him?

  In these short stories the woman is strong willed, modern, yearns for love and knows how to make it happen. Stylish, tasteful and contemporary these stories will leave you with a delicious feeling of tenderness and affection.

  Praise for the story

  “'Kiss Of Life' is a collection of short stories which focus on human relationships, emotion and realities of life. The author has captured almost every spectrum of human emotions in these stories. Highly recommended!!”

  “"Kiss of Life" is a collection of short simple yet captivating stories of strong willed women filled with passion, resilience, persistence and grit to face love and life. The subtlety of the plot and the adorability of the characters created by the author, Esha Pandey propel you to read the book right till the end!!!”

  “Here are some sweet, insightful short stories - each tackling a different theme but with love central to them all.”

  Man of the Series

  Blurb

  When a peppy Delhi girl chances upon a celebrity cricketer, sparks will definitely fly. Can love also happen? Read to find out!

  Praise for the story

  “A celebrity romance is always very exciting for the readers. I loved the simplicity of the storyline and the characters. Narration is smooth and flowing.”