A car stopped in the middle of the woods during the late night. Faizal opened the door and stepped off the car. He took out his gun. He opened the trunk of the car. Rekha lay inside the trunk with her hands tied and mouth wrapped with a duct tape. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the trunk. She fell on the ground, crying.
"You are fond of opening your mouth, right? Now see what happens."
She fell on her knees and cried. He shot on the ground just next to her.
"Shut up!"
She kept on crying.
"I said shut your mouth up!"
She didn't stop. He slapped her. She fell on the ground, still crying.
Special Vigilance Bureau (SVB) Officer, Dev Malhotra stood in the office balcony of the bureau, talking to his wife, Yamini who was packing her handbag in her flat.
He said, "I have packed her dresses and sketchbook in the bag. I will pick her up from the school in the afternoon and then we'll depart for Bengaluru. Yashi will be at your home in three days."
"Yeah, but don't drive too fast. She is scared of your driving."
"I know, I won't. Hey, Yamini, hold on, I am getting a call."
"I am hanging up."
Dev attended the other call.
"Yeah, Archita, I am listening."
Archita stood outside a locked house in a residential colony.
She said, "Sir, the clinic has been seized, but he is not at home, he has also got his phone deactivated."
"He must be leaving, go to the airport. I am reaching there too."
He went to Sarang who was working on the computer on his desk.
"Sarang."
"Sir."
"Go through the list of the passengers of all the international flights from Pune. Check if Doctor Iqbal has got any of the flights booked or not."
Dev walked out of the bureau, he sat inside the car and drove away. He raced his car through the city. His phone rang. He picked up the phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
Sarang said, "Sir, Doctor Iqbal's flight is scheduled to fly at 01:00 PM to Dubai."
Dev glanced at his wrist watch. It was 12:40 PM. He arrived at the Pune Airport. He stepped off the car, ran towards the airport, showed his ID card to the security guards and walked in. He ran towards the passenger waiting section. He slowed down and walked along with the passengers. Doctor Iqbal looked at the display board. He was carrying a briefcase. The flight to Dubai displayed, 'DELAYED'.
"No, not now."
"You are out of luck, doctor."
Iqbal turned around. Dev stood there. He tried to run but Archita showed up before him, with her gun pointed at him. Dev handcuffed him.
"You have got your house locked, which is why we have arranged a new home for you, doctor."
A police SUV arrived near the airport. Three cops stepped off the SUV. Dev handed over Iqbal to them.
He told Archita, "Go through his bank account details. Once we get to know who is financing him, we would be able to take down this ring."
"Yes sir."
"And, I'll be back almost after a week after dropping Yashi at her mom's house. Till then keep posting me each and every development of the case."
"Sir."
The police SUV left followed by Archita's car. Dev opened the door and sat in his car. He took out his phone. He tapped on the call logs application and tapped on a number, making the call. SVB's Head of Pune Branch, Ashish Roy stood inside the cabin of the bureau, looking outside through the window. His phone rang. He took out his phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
Dev said, "Sir, Doctor Iqbal has been taken into the custody. I am departing for Bengaluru in an hour, that's why Officer Archita will proceed further with the case."
Ashish nodded.
"Alright."
Dheerendra sat at a bar counter, having a drink. His phone which was kept on the counter, rang. He looked at the screen. He attended the call. Dheerendra walked out of the bar. He opened the door of his black SUV, sat inside, started and drove off. He pulled over the SUV near a one star hotel. Amit was making out with his girlfriend, Aditi in the room, smooching and kissing while she lay on the bed. He heard a horn honking sound. He went to the balcony. He looked at the SUV. His phone rang. He attended the call.
"I am at the balcony, I am seeing you."
Dheerendra said, "Come downstairs."
"She is asking for one more round."
"Are you coming or not? Otherwise, I'll leave in a minute."
Amit went, he wore his T shirt. Aditi sat on the bed.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Amit hummed. She stepped off the bed and came to him.
"Don't be late."
Amit went downstairs. He walked out of the hotel. He opened the door and sat on the passenger seat beside Dheerendra.
The school bell rang. A crowd of children walked out of school, all were cheerful as their summer vacation was about to begin from the next day. Twelve year old Yashi spotted her father Dev who was standing near the car. He waved his hand. She went to him.
He asked, "Ready for the vacation?"
"Yup."
"Bag."
She took off her schoolbag and gave it to him. She opened the door and sat on the passenger seat. Dev kept the bag on the backseat. He sat on the driver's seat.
"Seat belt."
Yashi fastened her seatbelt and so did Dev. He started the car.
"Let's begin the journey."
"Yay."
He put the car in gear and drove off.
He said, "Hungry? I have a bought you a hotdog."
She opened the glovebox. She took out a packet. She opened the packet. A hotdog was kept inside. She took out the snack and started having the one.
Yamini used to work as Marketing Manager at 'MEDICARE', a pharmaceutical startup. She went to upstairs of the office building. Tarun Sen, the CEO of Medicare sat at his desk in the cabin. Yamini showed up. He nodded, allowing her to come in. She pushed the glass door and came in carrying a bundle of papers in her hand.
Tarun said, "Yes, Yamini."
"For the past three days, I've been receiving calls from the families of the eight children we sent to Pune for the tournament. There has been no trace of them, and they are not answering their phones. I don't know what I should tell their parents."
"Tell them to talk to me directly, why they are calling you?"
"Because they have my number. I assured them that our foundation would give them financial aid and opportunity to participate in tournaments."
"Don't worry, just relax. Tell them the tournament has been postponed for a week."
Yamini sat before him on his chair.
"Tarun, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"What's going on? I want to know what's the truth."
"Yamini, you are crossing the limit. It's better for you to focus on your work rather than poking your finger into the foundation's matter."
Archita sat at her desk in the bureau. She was scrolling through the photos of some children who were in their early teens in the laptop. Her phone rang. She attended the call.
"Hello."
"Ma'am, I am talking from bank. I have messaged you details of the account holder who was transferring money to Doctor Iqbal's account on monthly basis."
"How big is the amount?"
"Thirty lakhs rupees."
"Thirty lakhs! Per month?"
"Yes ma'am, every month."
The sun was going to set when Dev was driving along the highway. Yashi yawned.
"You want to sleep? Recline your seat. We'll have a stay at a motel after a few miles of drive."
Yashi reclined her seat and closed her eyes to have sleep. Dev drove the car to a fuel station. He stopped the car near a fuel dispenser. He extended his hand under the seat and pulled the petrol tank liver. He opened the door and stepped off the car. He gave two five hundred rupee notes to the attendant. The attendant put the nozzle into the petrol tank. Dev headed towards the washroom. He flushed, opened the door and walked out of the toilet. His phone rang. He took out his phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
Archita walked downstairs while talking to Dev.
"Sir, this is a pharmaceutical company which was transferring thirty lakhs rupees to Doctor Iqbal's account monthly."
"Oh."
"Medicare is the name of the company."
"Medicare?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you remember Jyoti told us about that foundation where she used to get training for basketball?"
"SAMYAK FOUNDATION."
"Yeah, Samyak Foundation. Does Medicare has to do anything with this foundation?"
"Medicare finances Samyak Foundation. They claim that they help underprivileged children to make them eligible to participate in various sports tournaments."
Dev nodded.
"Okay."
"I am going to meet Jyoti, doctor has told that she is recovering."
"Yeah (nodding), that kid has gone through a lot."
Dev drove the car away, Yashi still lay asleep on the seat. Archita walked out of the office building. Her colleague, Sujoy stood near her car. Archita drove the car. Sujoy sat beside her.
Archita asked, "Did he say something?"
"He accepted he drugged the seven children what was going to do same with Jyoti but he is not telling where are they?"
"Maybe Jyoti knows where are they."
"We found Jyoti three miles away from the clinic, I don't think she knows anything about them."
"Maybe she remembers something from the photos we recovered from the clinic."
Sixteen years old Jyoti sat on the hospital bed. She was having a tomato soup in a bowl. The nurse, Piya showed up on the doorway.
"Jyoti."
Jyoti looked at her.
"She wants to meet you."
Archita entered the room. Sujoy stood outside.
"Hi, Jyoti."
She sat before her on the bed.
She asked, "How are you?"
Jyoti gave a light smile.
"I am good, ma'am. I am a bit nervous."
Archita placed her palm on her shoulders.
"Don't worry, no one is going to harm you, okay? We'll take you to your home."
She nodded.
Archita asked, "Can I ask you some questions?"
"Okay."
Archita took out her phone and gave it to her.
"These are the photos of children. Do you know them?"
She swiped through the photo gallery. She nodded.
"They were with me in the car. And I think I know where they are."
One week ago, Jyoti lay asleep in the basement. She slowly opened her eyes. She woke up and sat. She saw four more children in the basement. She stood up, went upstairs. She pushed the door and walked in. It was a clinic.
She narrated, "I had no idea how I reached there. I tried to find a way out, but at the same moment I heard something."
She creeped towards a closed door.
"It was not the front door as far as I remember. The door was locked from outside"
Jyoti sneakily peeked through the keyhole of the door. Doctor Iqbal stood with his hands on his hips. Dheerendra and Amit were digging the ground with spade in their hands. Three dead bodies were kept beside the digging site. A fourth man stood there near the site, with his hands on his hips and facing away from her.
"Apart from the three, there was a fourth one too. I was too scared. I couldn't think of anything. I found the front door and ran away."
Jyoti ran away from the clinic. After running for three or four miles, she slowed down, lost her consciousness and fell on the ground.
Presently, Archita tapped on her back, comforting her. She nodded.
Yamini sat on the driver's seat of her car, driving. Her phone rang. She pulled over her car. She unzipped the her handbag, took out her phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
"Ma'am, I have been trying to reach you since Thursday, where is my son?"
Yamini was annoyed of the repeated calls.
"Ma'am, please try to understand, they'll return once the tournament is over. It will take a bit long."
"Please ma'am, let me talk to my son, please."
The woman on the other end of the call cried. Yamini took a deep breath. She cleared her throat.
"Hello, can I visit you?"
Yamini's car was parked outside a slum house. She sat before Vidya, she was sobbing.
Vidya said, "Ma'am, it's been more than a week, please, I want to talk to Saurav, he is my only kid."
"Vidya, I can understand, but even I tried to call him. It may happen that they might have taken their phones. It happens sometimes due to security issues. Don't worry, he'll be back soon."
She rubbed her shoulders.
"Don't cry, Vidya, don't cry."
Yamini drove her car off while Vidya kept seeing her as she stood at the doorway. While driving, she got her eyes on a poster pasted on the wall. She slowed down and pulled over her car. She stepped off the car and went near to the poster. It had a photograph of Rekha, a caption was written under the photograph 'MISSING'.
"Rekha?"
Another car was parked at a distance away from her. Faizal sat on the driver's seat, keeping an eye on her. Dev's car was being followed by the black SUV in which Dheerendra and Amit were seated. Dev drove the car into the town of Satara, and arrived near a budget hotel.
"Yashi, Yashi."
She hummed while was asleep.
"Yashi, come on, we have to get off the car. Get the rest of the sleep in the hotel."
Yashi sat on the sofa at the reception. A trolley bag and a backpack were kept near the sofa. Dev stood at the reception desk, completing the paperwork along with the receptionist. The receptionist gave his ID back to him. He turned to Yashi. He picked up the bags.
"Yashi, come."
They went upstairs following the hotel staff. The staff inserted the key into the door and unlocked. He opened the door.
"This is your room, sir."
"Thank you."
Yashi and Dev entered the room with their bags.
The staff asked, "Sir, anything for dinner?"
"No, just a coffee."
"Okay sir, I'll send it up right away."
The staff left.
A JCB was digging the ground behind the clinic. Half a dozen of workers were also there, accompanying the JCB, digging with spade. Sujoy stood there, supervising the site. Three ambulances were parked near the site. A couple of hospital staff picked up a dead body on the stretcher and took it to the ambulance. A few media vans were also parked at the site. The field journalists and camera men were trying to cover the news. Archita came to Sujoy.
He said, "Till now, four dead bodies have been discovered from the ground."
She nodded.
"The number of media people are rising at each passing minute."
A car arrived near the site.
He said, "Oh, only he was left."
Archita turned to see the car. Ashish opened the door and stepped off the car. He came near to the digging site. He put his hands on his hips, looking at the JCB work. He locked his eyes with Archita, and nodded.
Yamini sat at the edge of the couch. Viraj sat beside her on the sofa chair in his flat.
He said, "I even filed a missing report with the police, but they didn't take any action. I visited many a times to ask about the update but they refused to answer. It's more than one months since she had gone missing."
"Did she say something earlier? About the lab where she used to work at."
"She used to be stressed, but she never told me anything about what was going on at her workplace."
Tarun stood in the living room of his house, drinking, while talking to Faizal over the phone. Faizal sat in his car.
He said, "She went to meet Saurav's mother, and then she went to Rekha's house."
"Rekha? Why did she go to her house?"
"She saw her poster on the wall. Her brother has got it pasted on various parts of the city."
"Hey, listen, ask your men to remove every poster of Rekha from everywhere. I don't want anyone to start probing into Rekha's affairs. Warn her brother to stop what he is doing, and even if he doesn't listen to you and do the same with him what you did with her."
"Okay, what about Yamini?"
"Keep an eye on her, let her do what she's doing. Her time is closing too."
Yashi lay asleep on the bed. Dev sat on the edge of the bed before the laptop which was kept on the table. His coffee cup was kept beside him. He typed 'MEDICARE' in the Google search bar. He clicked on the website. The website loaded, a homepage opened, having a graphical interface of the page. There was an image of Tarun with the logo of Medicare. There was a caption below the image, 'FOUNDER AND CEO'. He scrolled down. There were a list of staff along with their miniature passport size photos. He came across the photo of Yamini, and then Rekha, but couldn't remember where he had seen her.
He went to the tab section of the page, clicked on 'OUR CONSULTANT'. Doctor Iqbal's image appeared on the section. He scratched his chin. Doctor Iqbal's details, like his qualifications, specification and experience was mentioned on the page. He clicked on the 'SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY'. It took him to the another time where a new page opened. It was of 'SAMYAK FOUNDATION'. There were a number of images of underprivileged children playing sports. One of the image was of Tarun standing between a dozen of underprivileged children as if he had adopted them.
Dheerendra and Amit walked into the hotel. Dheerendra placed his phone before the receptionist. The screen had an image of Dev. Dev washed his face at the basin in the bathroom. He came out while wiping his face with the towel. He kept the towel on the chair. He picked up the bottle. He was about to open the lid when the doorbell rang. He kept looking at the door for a while. He kept the bottle on the table. He creeped towards the door, peeked through the peephole, held the doorknob and opened the door. Dheerendra and Amit stood outside. He scanned the two faces.
"Do I know you?"
They didn't respond. He got his eyes on the pistol tucked under Amit's trousers.
"Ah. Okay."
He came out, closed the door, twisted the doorknob and locked it from outside.
"Can we talk outside? Guests must be sleeping."
Dheerendra said, "As you wish?"
They went downstairs as receptionist saw them. They pushed the door and went outside. Dheerendra, Amit and Dev stood behind the SUV.
Dev asked, "You are here to kill me, who sent you?"
Amit said, "We don't reveal names."
"Too professional, I am impressed."
Dheerendra said, "Amit, you forgot, we are not paid to talk."
"Yes."
The moment Amit took out his gun, Dev quickly held his hand, snatched his gun and shot him. Dheerendra took out his gun, Dev kicked him and shot him on his head. Both the goons lay dead on the ground, bleeding. Dev kneeled down, checked their pockets, took out a phone from Dheerendra's trousers. He placed the before his face, unlocked. He went through the contact lists. He switched off the phone. The receptionist stood outside the hotel, scared. Dev came to him.
"Did you see everything?"
The receptionist nodded.
"Good, tell the police what you just saw. But, call them once I leave the hotel."
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I can't stay here anymore."
He said, "Don't worry brother, I am a cop."
Dev entered his room. He shook Yashi.
"Yashi, get up. We've to leave."
"Dad, what happened? Let me sleep."
"Yashi, try to understand, we have to leave now."
Dev drove his car away, with the luggage at the backseat and Yashi on the passenger seat. He drove the car to the highway.
The ambulances were on the way to the hospital. They are followed by Archita who was driving the car and Sujoy sat on the passenger seat. Archita and Sujoy stood outside the hospital near the car. They were having tea at night. Ashish came to them.
"Archita, I need to talk."
Archita came out of the premises. They stood behind Ashish's car.
He asked, "What is this, Archita?"
"Sir?"
"What's going on? Who gave you permission to dig behind the clinic?"
"Sir, I had no time. If we have to gather evidence against Medicare, this is the only way."
"Who told you that the bodies of the children were buried there?"
"Jyoti."
"Jyoti? Who is Jyoti?"
"Three days ago, a newspaper vendor found her unconscious near the Kamla Nehru Park. She was immediately admitted to the hospital. She told us how she was taken to the clinic, and what did she see there."
"Oh."
He scratched his chin.
Inspector Sumer stood outside the hotel, talking to the receptionist.
"He was staying here. The two men came and then they took him out of the hotel. He killed both of them. He threatened me not to call the police otherwise he would get me killed. The moment he left I called you."
Sumer nodded.
"Any photo of him?"
"Yeah, I have a copy of his ID card."
At the reception, Sumer was holding the photocopy of Dev's ID. Yashi's ID's copy was also kept on the desk.
"He came here with his daughter."
"Daughter?"
It was around seven at morning, Yashi and Dev sat on a bench near a stall, having poha. Dev was also having tea with the breakfast. The stall owner's phone was kept on the stall. A live YouTube video was playing in his phone broadcasting the news.
The YouTube news anchor said, "We would like to inform you that late last night, extensive digging was carried out behind Dr. Iqbal's clinic, from where the bodies of seven children were recovered. This clearly indicates that a large-scale racket was operating within the clinic premises. The pressing question now is whether the police were completely unaware of these activities, or if the administration deliberately turned a blind eye. Stay connected with us for continuous updates on this case, because at any moment, a new twist may emerge."
Dev was listening to the same while eating. He threw the disposal glass and plate into the dustbin after he was done. He stood up. He paid the stall owner in cash. His phone rang. He took out his phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
Archita stood inside the hospital carrying a report file in her hand.
She said, "Sir, the preliminary autopsy report of the seven children has received. A chemical substance identified as Neosolide was detected in the blood of all the victims, causing instantaneous death at the scene."
"Neosolide?"
"Yes sir."
"Neosolide is the same chemical which has been prohibited by the CDSCO to be used in any medicine."
"That's what the doctors said. The chemical is the only reason why they died."
Vidya mopped the floor in the bedroom of a house where she used to work as maid. She heard the news. She walked out of the bedroom. The news was being broadcasted on the TV in the living room.
The anchor said, "The department has released the photos of the seven children whose corpses were buried under the ground."
The screen displayed the photos of the seven children. One of them was of Saurav. Her eyes were filled with tears. In no time she was devastated and started crying. Yamini was at the self service retail store, carrying basket in her hand. She put the basket on the billing counter. She got her eyes on the TV screen. She was astonished to see the photos of seven children in the news. She was taken aback after hearing doctor Iqbal's name and seeing his image in the news.
She walked out of the retail store carrying the shopping bag in her hand. She opened the door and sat in. Her phone rang. She attended the call.
"Hello."
Dev was driving the car while talking to her. Yashi sat beside him.
He sat, "You work at Medicare, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"You must be familiar with doctor Iqbal."
"Yes, I do. He is our consultant. He was also the chief guest of our annual program organised by our SAMYAK FOUNDATION. I know why you are asking about him. I just saw the news."
"Then you must have heard the news about the seven children whose corpses were discovered by the department. They were part of your SAMYAK FOUNDATION."
"As fas as I know there were eight children. Their parents still call me because they have no idea what happened to them."
"One of them is still alive, Jyoti."
"Jyoti?"
"Yeah. Do you have any idea how did they die?"
"No."
"Neosolide."
"What? Neosolide? But it's prohibited by CDSCO."
"Right, and your company is using Neosolide to manufacture their drug."
"Oh, this might be the reason Rekha went missing."
"Rekha, yeah. I was going through Medicare's website last night. I saw her photo there. I remembered something. For a while I thought I have seen her somewhere."
"Yeah, may be in news."
"May be."
"Rekha had went missing a month ago. Her brother even filed a missing report, but she is still not found yet."
"What was her job profile in the Medicare?"
"She was a lab assistant."
"Oh. A lab assistant."
Ashish walked through the detention wing. He arrived near Doctor Iqbal's prison. A constable unlocked the prison, he opened the door, Ashish entered the prison. The constable walked away. Ashish sat before Iqbal.
"How are you, doctor?"
"Trying to adapt with this closet."
"I can understand. But I don't think you'll be kept here for a longer time. Do you know why? Because you'll hanged to death within a month of the trial. You have murdered seven children, doctor."
Iqbal nodded.
He asked, "But, why are you here?"
"You'll be taken to court tomorrow where your trail will be held. And I am sure, you'll tell them some names along with the Medicare."
"Don't worry Mr. Roy, I won't speak anything about you there."
"How did the girl escape from your clinic?"
"I don't know, however, there is a possibility that the sedative's effect diminished earlier than anticipated."
"Do you have any idea what your negligence can lead to? The girl saw everything that night. She is the only reason because the SVB has discovered their bodies. She must have seen me that night, along with you."
Iqbal said, "Well, if you want you can still take me out of here?"
"Are you insane?"
Ashish stood up. He turned around, scratching his forehead.
He said, "The media will raise finger on me if I help you to get you out of the prison."
"Come on, you can do that. You have a strong political background."
Ashish turned to him, angrily.
He yelled, "No one is going to help you right now!"
He grabbed his collar.
"We had a deal, remember? I promised you that I'll give you protection from any legal trouble and will keep you away from any police raid when you would be conducting your clinical trials and Medicare will pay me for the same, but you messed it up. What would I answer the minister?"
He left him. He took out a vial and a syringe from his pocket.
"It's the same drug you injected into those children, now inject it into yourself. I don't want you to open your mouth before you reach the court tomorrow."
The minister Anurag Shinde sat before a Nigerian crime lord, Chief Sola Ogun, who was smoking. They sat in the middle of the jungle in the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. Sola's men were roaming around carrying guns in their hands. A table was kept between them.
Sola said, "Mr. Shinde, I can't wait anymore. It's already been more than a month. I don't like anyone to grab my money and does nothing for me in return."
"I can understand Ogun."
The gangsters stopped and pointed their gun at him. A scared Anurag looked around.
"Chief Ogun."
The gangsters continued to roam.
Sola said, "You know we are not good people. Unless we don't get the drug, your wife and your daughter will remain in my custody."
"Please, don't hurt them, I beg you, chief."
"If I don't get the drug by Saturday, I'll open the barrack where your wife and daughter are kept, and you have no idea how much thirsty my men are."
Ashish opened the door and sat inside the car. His phone rang. He looked at the screen.
"Minister?"
He attended the call.
"Hello."
Anurag walked through the woods.
"Ashish, brother, please give me an update on the drug."
"Sir, there is a problem?"
"Problem?"
"Actually, the doctor messed it up."
"Ashish, try to understand, I have to deliver the batch of the drug by Saturday, otherwise his men will do something with my wife and daughter you can't even imagine."
"I can understand, but the police has been involved and his clinic has also been seized."
"You'll get me and my family killed, Ashish."
Ashish hung up the call. He kept the phone on the dashboard. He pat on the steering wheel.
"Fuck!"
Viraj carried a bundle of posters of Rekha in his hand. He pasted a poster on the wall. Faizal came to him and ripped down the poster from the wall.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"Come with me."
"What?"
"You are her brother, I know. Let me show where she is."
Dev slowed down his car at the toll plaza. He drove his car through the fastag lane. He passed through the toll after the payment. Inspector Sumer came to Sub Inspector Harish who sat at his desk working on the computer.
"Harish."
"Yes sir."
He switched to the CCTV footage.
"Sir, it's toll plaza's CCTV. His car was captured in the footage ten minutes ago. He has just crossed Kolhapur."
In the footage, Dev's car was clearly visible.
Sumer said, "Send his car details and his ID to Belagavi police station."
Faizal sat on the driver's seat of his car. Viraj sat beside him.
Faizal said, "Won't you kill yourself after seeing your sister's situation, I am just asking. May be you are a coward and could easily get a heart attack just by seeing her."
Viraj held his phone in his left hand beside his legs, sending his live location to Yamini.
Tarun sat on the couch in his living room of his bungalow, playing game on the PlayStation, holding the gaming console. He wore an earbud, talking to Ashish who stood in his cabin, smoking.
Tarun said, "I can't allow the manufacture of that drug anymore. My company is already highlighted in the media, I can't take risk right now."
"The minister is trapped among the Nigerians. Unless they won't get the drug they won't let him and his family go out of there."
"That's not my problem. I can't proceed until the matter cools down. Oh, I think you should ask Doctor Iqbal about the extra delivery of the batch. He must having its possesion."
"What? An extra batch?"
"Yeah, he ordered an extra batch just a few days ago."
Archita operated a juicer mixer in her kitchen, making pomegranate juice. Jyoti walked in.
"Archita di."
"Oh, Jyoti, you want something in kitchen?"
"No, I was just roaming around."
"Oh, okay."
She came near to the slab.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yup."
"When will I go home?"
"Once you are presented in the coury, and give your statement against Doctor Iqbal and Medicare, we'll send you safely back to your mom."
"Do I also have to be there, in the court?"
"You only have to speak to the judge what you saw that night, okay?"
Jyoti hummed. She walked out of the kitchen to the living room. She got her eye on the photograph in which Archita was being awarded by Ashish, a gallantry medal. She went closer to the photograph and looked at Ashish's face, observing.
"Archita di, who is he?"
"What?"
"Come here, please."
Archita came out of kitchen.
"What happened?"
"Who is the other guy in the photo?"
Archita came closer to her.
"He is our senior officer, Ashish Roy, why?"
"I think the fourth I saw that night, was him."
Archita didn't respond.
Jyoti said, "When I came out of the clinic, I saw a car which was parked there. It's windshield has the same logo."
She pointed at the SVB badge kept on the table near the photograph. Archita held her shoulders.
"Are you sure, it was him?"
She nodded. Archita rubbed her forehead. The doorbell rang. Archita opened the door. Ashish stood at the doorway.
"Archita. How are you?"
"I am good sir."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure sir."
He came in and saw Jyoti.
"Oh, there she is. I was looking for her in the hospital."
He stepped towards Jyoti, who gulped. Archita hinted her by waving her finger, not to tell him anything.
"Hi Jyoti. Are you okay?"
He sat on the couch.
"I am good, sir."
He nodded.
"Great?"
"Do you know me? Have you seen me anywhere?"
"Yeah."
Archita was stunned.
"I just saw you in the photograph."
Ashish glanced at the photograph. He stood up and came closer.
"I remember, this photo was taken last year."
He turned to Archita.
"Our brave officer received this medal for the encounter of three abductors. I still feel proud that such kind of officer is working under my supervision."
"Thank you sir."
He said, "Well, according to your statement, when you ran away from the clinic that night, you saw Doctor Iqbal burying bodies of those children behind his clinic."
He turned to Jyoti.
"What else did you see?"
"I just saw the doctor, his two men who were digging the ground, and yes the three dead bodies."
"That's it? No one else?"
Jyoti knew Ashish was there that night, but she couldn't answer.
"I was in a hurry and scared, that's why I don't remember anything else. I just saw what was going on in front of my eyes."
He nodded. Her phone rang. He glanced at the phone which was kept on the table. The screen displayed the name of, 'SUJOY'. She picked up the phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
"Archita, Doctor Iqbal is dead."
"What?"
Ashish went curious. Sujoy stood in the prison before the dead body of Doctor Iqbal. He kneeled down. He twisted his arm, a word was written on his arm with blood, 'ASHISH'.
He said, "Archita, he has written the name of Ashish sir on his arm. He must have written it before committing suicide. The same drug has been found beside him which he had injected into the children."
"Oh."
"I am sending you the photo."
The call was hung up. Her phone beeped. She opened the chat and saw the image of Doctor Iqbal's dead body. The name of 'ASHISH' was visible on his arm. Ashish snatched the phone and saw the image.
Archita screamed, "Jyoti, go in!"
Ashish was about to take out his pistol when Jyoti rushed to the bedroom and locked the door. He missed the bullet that hit the door. Archita grabbed him, he smashed her, hurled her on the couch and shot on her waist. He went to the door, pat on the door twice.
"Jyoti, open the door!"
"Jyoti, use the small phone, second drawer. Call Sujoy."
He turned around and shot Archita on her legs. She groaned. Jyoti pulled out the second drawer of the table. She took out a keypad phone, unlocked, went to contact list, searched for Sujoy's name, called him. Sujoy's phone rang while he was driving the car. He picked up the phone and attended the call.
"Hello."
Jyoti said, "I am Jyoti, speaking. Please come home. Your senior officer will kill us."
"What?"
"Ashish Roy will kill us!"
Faizal drove stopped his car in the woods. He and Viraj stepped off the car.
Faizal said, "Follow me."
He followed Faizal to a small wooden cabin the forest. A weak, tired, and injured Rekha lay naked on a bed. Her limbs were tied with the corners of the bed. She was out of her senses, and was groaning. Viraj was astonished and disturbed to see his sister in this situation.
Faizal said, "Actually Tarun had told me to kill her, because she was about to open her mouth. I had a chance to kill her. If it was a man, I would have killed him on the spot, but your sister is a young beautiful girl, why would I kill her instantly. That's why I kept her alive. I come her twice a day. Yeah, I give her some pain, but her scream is my real turn on."
An enraged Viraj smashed him to the wall. Faizal grabbed his head, paining. He was about to take out his gun when Viraj kicked him. He fell out of the cabin, dropping his gun. Viraj picked up a heavy stone. Faizal crawled towards his gun. He was about to get his hand on the gun when he was smashed by the stone. He died instantly, bleeding from his head. Viraj sat on his knees, hopelessly. He cried. A car arrived. Yamini stepped off the car and ran to him. She saw Faizal's dead body and then Viraj.
"Viraj!"
She entered the cabin and was astonished to see Rekha. She untied the rope.
"Rekha, you are good, nothing will happen to you."
Ashish sat before Archita.
He said, "I know very well, she knows about me. She saw me there at night."
Archita shook her head while holding her gunshot wound.
"No, leave her. She knows nothing."
He stood up.
"I know, she knows. There were four men, not three. And she knows it too that it was my car which parked outside the clinic."
"How do you know about it?"
He chuckled. He took the gallantry medal off the wall.
"The medal, do you know who recommended your name for the medal?"
"Dev sir."
"Wrong, minister Shinde."
"But, Minister Shinde, Anurag Shinde?"
He nodded.
"Yes dear."
He sat on front of her.
"The three abductors were his men. He had sent them to kidnap the journalist who knew about his shady deals with the Nigerians, but you killed them all."
"Then why did he chose me for the medal?"
He flipped the medal. He removed the case of the medal and took out a small device.
She said, "A bug?"
"I had been ordered by him to keep an eye on you that's why I placed the bug in your medal."
Sujoy barged in carrying his pistol in hand. He pointed the gun at Ashish.
"Sir."
Ashish looked at him.
"Sir, put your gun down."
"What? Are you out of your mind, Sujoy? Do you have any idea what are you doing?"
"Sir, please put your gun down. You are under arrest."
"Doctor Iqbal has two crore rupees in his account. I can order the transfer the entire amount in your account, right now."
Archita said, "Don't listen to him Sujoy, he is lying."
"If you don't trust me Sujoy, then let me make a call."
Ashish took out his phone. He made a call.
"Hello, yeah, do you remember the account number I gave you last night? Transfer ten lakhs in the account."
Sujoy's phone beeped after a couple of seconds. He took out his phone and saw the message of his account credited with ten lakhs. Ashish hung up the call.
"You can trust me now."
Sujoy turned his pistol to Archita.
She said, "No, Sujoy, don't. You know the game."
Sujoy shot her. She died. Ashish stood up.
"The girl is not opening the door, by the way."
"We can still kill her even if she has locked her inside."
Sujoy dragged a gas cylinder out of the kitchen, placed it at the bedroom door. He poured the kerosene oil on the ground, from door to the entrance of the house. Ashish walked out of the house following Sujoy.
"Can I say something, Sujoy?"
"Yes sir."
"There is a rule, even for betraying someone."
"And what's that?"
"Don't betray someone for money."
Sujoy stopped. The moment he turned around he was shot on his head by Ashish. Ashish took out a lighter, lit it up and threw it into the house. He drove his car off. Jyoti sobbed, she creeped towards the door. The moment she opened the door the cylinder exploded. Ashish saw the reflection of the explosion in his side mirror. He smirked.
Dev and Yashi had their lunch at a diner near the highway. They walked out of the diner together. Yashi had a choco bar ice cream in her hand. They went to the car. A police car arrived. Inspector Safina stepped off the car.
"Dev Malhotra."
He turned to her.
"Yes?"
"You have to come with me, to the police station."
"I have to drop my daughter to her mother's house. She won't want to see her father sitting inside the police station being interrogated."
"I want to talk about the incident that took place last night, near the hotel."
"I know. I was the one who told the hotel guy to call the police. Do you even have idea who were they? They were guns. If I hadn't killed them, they would have killed me and my daughter."
"Who are you? Why would they kill you?"
He took out his badge.
"Oh, Special Vigilance Bureau."
"I could have covered up the matter if I wanted but I didn't because I need help."
"What kind of help?"
His phone rang. He attended the call.
"Hello, Yamini."
Rekha was being treated by the doctors inside the hospital room. Viraj sat outside the room. Yamini stood in the corridor, talking to Dev.
She said, "Dev, Rekha has been found. She was kidnapped by Tarun."
Lalit showed up behind her, dressed as a hospital staff. She injected a syringe in her neck and sedated her. She was about to fall when he held her. Two other men dressed as warden boys brought the stretcher and they laid her on the stretcher. Lalit picked up her phone.
He said, "Yamini won't be able to talk for a while."
"Hello, who are you? Where is she?"
Lalit hung up the call. Dev understood something was wrong.
Safina asked, "What happened?"
"I have to reach banglore by night."
"Are you in danger?"
"My wife is in danger."
Ashish broke the latch of Doctor Iqbal's house door. He entered.
"I know, you have kept it somewhere here."
He went to bedroom. He opened the closet. He kneeled down. He took out a briefcase. He opened the briefcase. It had a number of vials filled with liquid and syringes. He picked up a vial and looked at the label. He smirked.
Dev sat on the driver's seat, driving. Safina sat beside him. Yashi sat on the backseat. His phone rang. He attended the call.
"Hello."
Tarun stood in his office, talking over the phone, smirking.
He said, "Your wife, she is in my possession. I know, you who you are. You are in SVB. I have heard lot about you."
"I too have seen your photo in your company's website where you pretend to be a guardian angel for underprivileged children. Yes, Tarun Sen, Your illegal clinical trial stands exposed-you're well aware of that by now. You believe turning my wife into leverage will make me fold. It won't."
Tarun chuckled, "Your words are quite impactful, why don't we talk, face to face."
"I won't talk, I'll put my bullet into your head."
Tarun smirked, "I am waiting."
Ashish sat in the waiting lounge of the airport.
At late evening, Dev entered the territory of Bengaluru.
Safina said, "I have informed the team, they are tracking us."
"Good."
He arrived near a hotel.
"You stay with her until I returns."
Safina nodded. She and Yashi stepped off the car. Dev drove the car off. He arrived near the Medicare's office building. He stepped off the car, walked towards the office, and went upstairs.
He called, "Yamini! Yamini!"
He called her again, but got no response. Two gunmen carrying rifles showed up and smashed him on his head. He arrived on the terrace, and was astonished to see Tarun who was carrying a pistol. Viraj lay dead on the ground. Yamini sat on her knees. The two gunmen stood behind Dev.
Tarun said, "I didn't want hurt your beautiful wife. I warned her many a times to stay away from the matter, but she didn't listen to me. Eventually, I got no choice."
"You still have an option. Jump off the building. It will take you away from every trouble."
Tarun chuckled, "You have made me upset again."
He came closer to Yamini, pointed the gun at her. He was about to pull the trigger when they heard a helicopter blade sound. An SVB sniper sat inside the helicopter. He aimed at the two gunmen and shot them one by one. Tarun quickly picked up a rifle and shot Tarun, who died immediately. She stood up, ran towards Dev and hugged. She cried.
She asked, "Where is Yashi?"
"She's safe."
Safina opened the door. Yamini walked in and hugged Yashi.
"Mom!"
Yamini kissed her on the head.
"How are you, kiddu?"
Dev stood in front of doctor in the hospital.
The doctor said, "Rekha's condition was worse when she was admitted, that's why we couldn't save her even after trying our best."
Sola sat inside his camp. Ashish kept the briefcase in front of him. Sola opened the briefcase and saw the vials. He smirked.
"Good job."
Anurag stood up and hugged Ashish.
"Thank you, thank you brother. You saved my ass."
Ashish, Anurag, Anurag's wife and daughter sat inside Sola's SUV. The driver stopped the car at the airport. They opened the door and stepped off the SUV.
One week later, Ashish was in Goa. He entered the bar. He went to the wine counter. The bar tender kept a glass filled with red wine in front of him.
"Sir, your drink has been prepared."
"Oh, thank you."
He drank the half glass. His phone rang. Dheerendra's name was displayed on his phone.
"Dheerendra?"
He attended the call.
"Hello."
"Turn around."
Ashish turned around. Dev sat in the corner, carrying the phone. Dev and Ashish strolled through the beach.
Dev said, "I recovered his phone the moment I killed him and his associate."
Ashish nodded.
Dev asked, "So you were doing it for money. You killed Archita and, Jyoti too."
"I had to save Minister Shinde at any cost. I couldn't let his secrets out. He was earning a lot from the Nigerians."
"Well, do you even know what was mixed in your drink?"
"What?"
"Neosolide."
Ashish felt an ache in his heart. He fell down, collapsed and died while Dev walked away. Minister Anurag walked out his house. He was about to open the car door when there police cars arrived. The policemen came to him. One of whom was carrying an arrest warrant. He sat on the backseat of police car with his hands cuffed. Dev sat inside a restaurant, having his luch, watching the news of Anurag's arrest for his connection with Nigerian gangsters.
