“The tyre of her car was flat, Bishnoi,” said Inspector Thakur after his long reverie. “I think that is what led to trouble. Had it not been punctured, she would not have stepped out and maybe she would have been still alive.”
“You think she was unlucky and was at the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“That is what my gut feeling tells me, Bishnoi; there are no mechanics or puncture-shops in the area. And within 5 km radius, no mechanic or puncture shop owner has heard of her or her car.”
“True Sa’abjee; and my team checked every farmhouse in 2 km radius; talked to the staff there and gardeners. Rascals heard or saw nothing.”
“If the girl had been beheaded and not strangulated; I could have dumped this case as well on the ‘Mehrauli-chopper.”
“But that psycho works differently Thakur Sa’ab. Goddamn media made him popular, bigger than he is...”
“Mehrauli-chopper case is an additional headache for us. How little we know about him; except that people - typically women, girls and kids go missing and sometimes their heads or body parts are found in and around Mehrauli.
“Ask me; staff at Police station incompetent. No possible that a murderer killing like this...not caught until now. If they ask me they should have rounded up 2-3 dozen suspects, thrashed them and get their murderer.”
“I doubt, Bishnoi, that all murder cases are connected to the serial killer; which media has made famous as ‘Mehrauli-chopper.”
“Thakur Sa’ab; ask me; goddamn other states’ criminals, even other police stations, they pick up murdered people, dump them in Mehrauli, blame goes to Mehrauli-chopper and work increases for us.”
“I would not rule that out. Bring me a pen and paper. Let us make a list of things we know:
1. In the Mehrauli-chopper cases, bodies or body part show up in and around Mehrauli.
2. No established pattern, no similarity in age or gender: women, girls, kids all have been murdered.
3. Head is cut off from the torso.
4. Strange and unexplained vermilion and traces of lemon, lobaan, Schönherr, daal found the body.
5. No apparent linkage of Sushmitha murder with Mehrauli-chopper.
“Thakur Saab; while making list, why not you add cases of 4 girls that go missing; no trace found in last 2 years. Those cases also with you. Where is that goddamn dinner delivery boy? I go and check,” he said getting up.
While he was gone, Inspector Thakur opened a creaking iron file cabinet with a glass lid and took out the file of the serial killer and looked at the photographs of the victims. After his assistant came back, he remarked, “You may have joked, but there is one remote linkage to the missing girl's cases as well?”
“Now Sa’abjee this too much. Every case cannot be connected to this!”
“The girls disappeared within 10 kilometers of Mehrauli”
“What logic?” Bishnoi asked. “Then all cases in 10 km should be dumped on our serial killer,” argued A.S.I. Bishnoi.
“Bishnoi, take out their files and see what was the last known location of their mobile?”
“Thakur Saab, will have to take out that big pile of files.”
“Do it when you get the time. Look at the list I have prepared and tell me what you think?
“For Sushmitha’s murder - you think Mehrauli-chopper is responsible?”
“Yes,” said Inspector Thakur. “Because she was in the area when her mobile was switched off.
“Saab, ask me, all this done by a Tantrik; who else will use vermilion and lemons? I say, let us roundup all tantriks in Mehrauli and across the border in Haryana.”
“Maybe he is doing this on purpose; to put us on a false scent. Do check all tantriks, but I am not sure that he will be caught that easily. My gut feeling is that we are dealing with the most intelligent, ruthless and cunning serial killer in India’s history; who is more vicious and evil anyone can imagine. I also worry that either he will destroy our careers and reputation or give us a chance to crack once in a lifetime case.”
CHAPTER 2: THE ACTRESS AND THE SUITOR
Payal Chatterjee got off the bus near Bhikaji Cama Place and walked towards her friends’ flat in a multi-storied housing complex. She stopped before the brilliantly lit glass window of a big showroom of fancy lights. In the large mirror in that glass-window, Payal looked at her own reflection. She couldn’t help but smile and nod approvingly; she saw an exceptionally beautiful young woman, whose extremely fair face was filled with zeal for life. She had long black hair that went past her shoulders; well-kept eyebrows, almond shape ‘catty’ eyes, beautifully shaped lips and a determined chin. Her pointed fingers-nails were painted red, and her hands looked like cat’s paw, as remarked by one of her friends. She was about 5.3 inches tall and had a firm buxom. She was wearing a white shirt, gray trousers and high-heeled sandal of black velvet. She moved her glance away from the mirror and once again started walking majestically with a face held high and a conviction not to become a part of the crowd.
It was nearly half past one in the afternoon when she pressed the bell of the flat. Her friend opened the door for Payal. She was wearing a nightie and her hair was tied behind her head in the shape of a ‘pony-tail’. Shalini was a beautiful young woman same as Payal’s age but was three inches taller and had thicker hair.
“Come, come, darling,” she welcomed Payal, stepping aside to let her pass. ‘Darling’ was Shalini’s pet-word, everybody, from Gregory Peck to his Indian version Dev Anand, as also her friend Payal, all were her ‘darlings’.
“You still haven’t taken a bath?” Payal asked entering the flat. “Do you know what time of the day it is?”
“Don’t you know about my call-center job in Gurgaon? You expect me to take a bath so early when I return only in the early morning from my night long duty?” Shalini said closing the door of the flat and sitting on the sofa next to Payal. Putting her hand on Payal’s shoulder she asked, “Tell me, darling, how was your meeting with that casting director?
“Don’t even start!”
“Why did he try anything?” Shalini asked changing her posture and sitting cross-legged on the sofa.
“You think I’m that kind of a girl?”
“No girl is that kind darling,” Shalini said philosophically, “it is the boys who are forever up to their naughty tricks.”
“He was a leech and was staring at me like he had never seen a girl before. Why can’t men think of anything else except one lousy thing all the time!”
“Yes; and they ain’t even half as good as Gregory Peck or Dev Anand or Shashi Schönherr.”
“No use arguing with you. By the way, what’s up for lunch? I feel so hungry.”
“If you want lunch you’ll have to prepare it yourself darling. I will go and take a Jacuzzi.”
“Why, something special?”
“Yes; Naresh is in town; he had called me in the morning after you had left. He will come to pick us both in the evening; we’ll go out to a five-star hotel in Gurgaon for dinner.”
“What will I do between the two of you? You both go out and I’ll make something for supper.”
“No way that Shalini is leaving her sweet child Payal all alone. I have talked to Naresh; he has set up a blind date for you. A young and good-looking man who works in a Travel agency in Connaught Place and is single like you.”
“Now really Shalu, I’m not in the mood.”
“He’s a thoroughly decent man, Naresh has assured me; nothing cheap or way-side Romeo stuff. His name is Abhay Batra and is a school time friend of Naresh. Now please don’t say no; Naresh has already got him to agree to accompany us and if you don’t show up it’ll be quite embarrassing for both of us.”
“All right,” Payal said, “if you insist so much, I’ll come.”
“Love you, darling!” Shalini said with a peck on her cheek and looking at the wall clock said, “My God! Look at the time; make up something for lunch darling, I haven’t eaten anything since morning.”
; “Alright I’ll go and fix something for lunch,” Payal said rising up while her friend went to the bathroom.
Changing her clothes in the bedroom of the flat, Payal thought about Naresh Khurana, the six feet plus boyfriend of Shalini. He was incredibly handsome and looked dashing with his moustache. But he or any man like him was not what Payal was looking for; a life of marriage and children was simply not for her, she was determined to make it big time in acting.
While she was making a dish of beans for lunch in the kitchen, Payal’s thought about her father, whom she was very close to and how happy he would be to hear about her progress. She used to call him on the phone on every alternative day and was very frank with him, unlike her mother who was very strict, despite Payal being her only child. On the other hand, Shalini was closer to her mother, who called her daughter every day from New Jersey. Shalini was in the habit of talking too much, uncaring of the hefty bill, her father had to pay each month. Her logic was simple; if dad had taken the mom away with him; it was the least he could have done for both of them. She even talked about what food she had eaten and asked her mother recipes on the international call!
There were also her cousins, living in Jaipur and Bangalore, who came to visit Shalini every month. But it was Shalini’s mother’s elder sister, who troubled Payal most, when she came to live with Shalini. Unlike her sister – a Doctor living in America, she was a conservative, narrow-minded old woman, educated only till matriculate level, who criticized everything about her niece Shalini and was especially mean and nasty towards Payal. Married into a Brahmin family, she looked at the ‘fish-eating Bengali girl’ with disapproval and suspicion and had tried hard to convince Shalini to kick her out of the flat, but had failed.
Payal did her best to avoid and ignore the mischief-maker and grumbling old woman. She had even mulled over moving out and living separately, but the prohibitively high rents, insecurity, and the offense Shalini took to the mere mention of the idea, had made her abandon the thought.
The smoke coming from the beans brought her back to reality and she concentrated on her cooking. She did not have much enthusiasm to meet her blind-date, who was coming along with Shalini’s boyfriend but had little choice except to tag along.
It was a beautiful night of dazzling lights, happiness, and fun for both the girls, who were extroverts and enjoyed going out. Especially for Payal, she wasn’t exactly a small-town girl, but her native hill-town Shimla – a famous and crowded tourist spot - could not compete with Delhi and it’s satellite town of Gurgaon. And the long drive from their apartment in the air-conditioned ‘Ford Endavour’ with tinted glasses had been fabulous; they had travelled on some of the best roads in the city, filled to the hilt with expensive cars, carrying the most hyp, neo-rich, and educated professionals of the metropolis that was bursting at its seams.
This was the new, young, brave, cosmopolitan urbane face of modern India; a far cry from the country of elephants, snake charmers and ‘Tajmahal’ – as it had been in the yore, traditionally viewed in the West. That was of course before the days ofB.P.O.s or call-centers, India’s underground nuclear tests, emergence as a leading computer software developer and an aspirant economic power-house that was working over-time, but had a lot of catching up to do with its more successful neighbour and arch-rival China.
As the valet took away the car to the parking lot in the ‘Trident Hilton’ hotel, the foursome, namely Shalini, Payal, Naresh, and Abhay were ushered in the lobby by a doorman smartly dressed in a red turban and uniform. Having frequented the resort where her father worked Payal was no stranger to the atmosphere of hotels, but she was still dazzled by the huge lobby and mammoth size of the super deluxe hotel. It was not just big but ostentatious on a scale she could not have imagined. And to think that after becoming a successful actress, she too would live in such places while traveling. The mere thought was enough to make her spirits soar to high heavens.
After they had walked into the restaurant of the Hotel and dinner had been ordered, the conversation began in the earnest. It was Naresh, who was the common link between them, who said, “I had made the brief introductions back in the flat, let us now break the ice with this fine champagne.”
All of them raised the crystal glasses and clanked them together saying cheers. Payal was of course well familiar with tall, well built Naresh, who spends his time alternately between England and India where his parents and grandparents lived respectively. He was in a white silk shirt and dark trousers and was looking dashing as always; never a hair out of place, as Payal had observed. He never failed to remind her of Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, to whom he bore a close resemblance.
His friend, Abhay Batra, who was her blind date; was a man in his early thirties, slightly on the heavier side, prematurely balding. He appeared a bit shy or reserved in his disposition and was wearing a well-tailored suit with a diamond pin. Also, he wore a heavy gold ring of sparkling diamonds on the thick finger of his chubby hand, with an expensive looking watch. Everything about him betrayed his wealthy status. She had also noticed how he repeatedly stared at her and immediately looked way when she looked back at him.
“So you work in a Travel agency in Connaught Place?” Payal asked.
“Yes,” he answered while Naresh and Shalini talked to each other. “I am an assistant director at S.E.T.O. World Travels. Our branches are in almost all major cities of the country; package tours within India and abroad, booking for airlines tickets, luxury ships, money exchange, we cover everything.”
“Sounds impressive,” she said trying to act interested, but in reality being only nice and social.
“And you are into modelling?”
“Acting actually,” she answered. “I’m from Shimla and I came here to get a break in Television serials and perhaps later in movies, if I get the chance.”
“Did you have any success so far?”
“She won a beauty contest in her hometown,” Shalini interjected, “isn’t she pretty?”
“Yes, she’s…she is beautiful!” came out of Abhay’s mouth.
“He’s trying to flirt with me!” Payal said in a lighter vein.
“Not at all; I’m telling you the truth. I deal and work with women every day, but I haven’t seen anyone like you. Your eyes, hair, face, skin, everything is perfect.”
“Too bad that he isn’t a producer of a tele-serial; what do you say, darling!” Shalini spoke.
All of them laughed at that and presently started to eat the hot and delicious dinner that had been served at their table. Being an oh-so-predictable Delhi’s Punjabi, Shalini had stuck with the Mughlai cuisine; while Naresh had ordered a more continental spread; Abhay and Payal had both chosen Thai delicacies on their part; choosing to rotate the dishes and thereby getting the chance to enjoy all the tastes. They started with green papaya salad, rich with the flavour of the fish sauce and shrimp offset by papayas. Followed by the main course, which was au tic Thai prawn curry with plain white rice, hot in flavour and an absolute delight for their taste buds. While the men washed down their food with Scotch; Shalini ordered a bloody Marie, Payal insisted on having only a pop-soda - one glass of Champagne was enough for her for one evening.
“Where do you live Mr. Abhay?” she asked after the dessert was served, which was a bowl of fruit-filled custard.
“I live in my family bungalow in Rajouri Garden.”
“And your parents and siblings?”
“Both my parents died in a car accident two years back and I am their only child.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“Never mind; you tell me about your folks.”
“My father is a senior manager at a resort in Shimla and mother a homemaker. I did my schooling from Loreto Convent and went to college in my city itself.”
“Mine was Modern School and did my graduation from Bhagat Singh College. I work for a travel firm in Connaught Place.”
“And what are your interests and hobbies?”
“Music,
reading, net-surfing, traveling and also movies, television to some extent. Quite a normal everyday guy, wouldn’t you say so?”
After eating the dessert they left the restaurant and drove back towards Delhi from the hotel. The buildings, which housed the offices of all night working call-centers, had their glass windows lighted and they, along with tall buildings that lined the highway made for an impressive sight. The weekend traffic was heavy, but Abhay proved a skillful driver and dropped the two women outside their building at quarter to one. Like a responsible man, he waited until they had crossed the gate and were safely inside the compound of the building complex. He had dropped Naresh at Saket earlier and after waving at Payal and Shalini drove alone towards his own house.
CHAPTER 3: THE CAPTIVE GIRL
While Abhay was driving on the vacant roads; the Raul estate in Mehrauli, on the other side of the city, was plunged into darkness. The estate was spread to 4 acres; most of which was wilderness with large and small red rocks protruding from beneath the surface, and uneven mounds and ditches, as the ground rose and fell abruptly. The unkempt and ghastly place - with wild bushes and trees that had grown up in an unplanned manner, showed the disdain or carelessness of the owner. The prominent places in the estate were a farmhouse - a building with a glass pyramid at the top; and secret cellars and caves beneath the ground. There was also a lake, remnants of a Circus, Gypsy ruins and the mini-jungle of wild kikar trees that adjoined a Shamsan (cremation ground) and a Kabristaan Muslim graveyard.
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