Murder, So Strange

Rakesh Sinha was a retired CID Inspector in Punjab Police. He lived in one of the most posh suburbs of Chandigarh, Sector-35. Inspector Rakesh was a tall erect, handsome man, who still maintained his boyish looks despite him being 56 years old. He was also known as the ‘Poirot’ of the Punjab Police CID, because of his sharp deductive powers. His keen observation powers, acute analysis and perfect deduction were legendary in the department. He was also a bachelor.

Though he had many followers, majority of them being female followers of all age groups and classes; he still maintained a discreet distance from all the females.

 It was as if he deliberately avoided getting into any kind of relationship. He had lived his whole life like this and was quite content with this kind of a lifestyle. The only relative he had was a younger sister, Nalini, who was settled in Canada. Every year she along with her family visited Rakesh twice a year.

She also sent him birthday gifts each year. All of this was quite puzzling and mysterious to his colleagues and rest of the people but they did not bother to probe deeper into the matter. Rather, he was a very amiable and social fellow and he used to regularly meet up with his neighbours. He had also very close friendly relations with a fellow neighbour, a Mr Saxena; who he used to catch up with every morning while jogging in the park just a few minutes from his residence.

It was a Saturday Evening in late October, the last day of the month. It was also the kind of an evening that resembled a bit of transition from the summer into the winter season, and there was a bit of chill in the air.

Rakesh was very keenly going through the newspaper article on the latest sensational murder case which had gripped the nation. It involved the murder of a young girl by her boyfriend. It would seem a normal murder to everyone like us. However, that was not the case!

The sensation was that the boyfriend had cut up the girl’s body into different pieces and thrown them in the jungles nearby.

Furthermore, he had done this a long time ago and was confident that it would be difficult for the authorities to catch up to him. However, one accidental discovery had led straight to him and he was arrested. Though, it was still very difficult to charge him with the crime as there was hardly any evidence to charge him with. Anyways, Rakesh was very much still the ‘sleuth’, if you would like to call him despite his retirement. So he was keenly following up on the daily developments of the case.

“This guy is devious and extremely smart” Chuckled Rakesh, as he was listening to the news and making his dinner. One thing I forgot to mention, that his house was a bit away from rest of the houses. He was also privately researching on the motive of this murder. No one had asked him to do so; it was his own method of keeping his deductive powers still sharp. Oh, he was also working as a security consultant for one of the largest security service providers of the country.

He had taken all the available information that was available from the news report and had written down his observations from it on his research notebook. This he was meticulously maintaining since the news of the murder broke. . Now, Rakesh was listening to Western Classical Music, “Beethoven”, to be exact. He was also a connoisseur of good food, wine and loved to read books. He was a great fan of all the mysteries of the ‘golden era’ and also very much into the latest crime and mystery genre writers.

It was around 9: 30 P.M. when the doorbell rang.

“Who could it be at this hour?” thought Rakesh.

He got up from his favourite couch, kept the wine glass on the table and went to take a peek through the magic-eye. All he could see was a tall man covered in face-mask and a cap pulled over covering half of his face. He was carrying a packet in front of him. Rakesh could understand the mask as Corona was still very much prevalent and he also put on a mask whenever he went outside. 

He took out his mask and put it on before opening the door.

“There is a delivery for you Sir.” The man with the package said.

“Who is it from?” asked Rakesh.

“From a Miss Nalini Madam, sir. The man replied.

“Wait here.” Said Rakesh and went to get a pen for signing on the receipt.

The man immediately barged in as Rakesh turned his back on him and gave him a violent push.

Rakesh stumbled forward and fell on the couch with a surprised expression on his face. Before he could realize what was happening the man took out a silenced pistol and fire point-blank at Rakesh’s forehead. The man must have been a good shot and hit his mark on the first go.

Rakesh could not understand anything and gave the man a puzzled look before realizing that he was dying.

The killer stood there for a while and finished the half finished wine and went away quietly whistling.

The killer was extremely cautious and removed any sign of his arrival.

He also took the glass with him.

On his way out, the killer had a dramatic encounter with the security guard, Birju. Before Birju could say or ask anything, the killer shot him also and dragged his body in to an abandoned spot behind the house and dumped the body into a big empty drum.

The killer again then meticulously wiped away all the blood stains from the floor and satisfied with his handiwork went out chuckling.

All of this took maybe 10-15 minutes, and it may seem surprising to you, but there was no one in sight to see all this! It would also seem just like in the movies or in crime fiction books that we all love so much. However, this happened in real life!

The next day, being a Sunday, was normally a day where Rakesh would be seem to be all busy and do odd things in his house. Things for instance, cleaning the study room and the recreation rooms only. These two rooms were off-limits to the maid Shanta.

Coming back to the story, Shanta came by her usual time and was a bit surprised to see the front door slightly ajar. She was about to ring the doorbell when she noticed this. She made her way into the house wondering “yeh darwaza kyu khula hai?” “Sahabji kahan hain?” As she made her way towards the living room; she was stunned to see the scene in front of her.

She saw Rakesh lying sprawled on the couch with a bullet wound to his head. Blood had oozed and stained the couch and slowly dripped to the floor. Most of it was by now dried and congealed. She stood there for a couple of seconds paralysed not knowing what to do. Then she screamed “Manjeet……………. Manjeet…………. Birju……..” “Where are you……… come fast!”

Manjeet was Rakesh’s driver. He was cleaning the car out in the lawn when he heard Shanta screaming. He immediately rushed inside and was taken aback by the scene. “Where is Birju?” asked Shanta still in shock. “I don’t know.” Manjeet replied.

“I have not seen him from morning.” He added further.

“What do we do now?” Shanta was hysterical.

Manjeet immediately dialled the police and rushed to inform the neighbours. The neighbours were equally shocked and stunned to get the news early in the morning. They rushed towards Rakesh’s residence. Mr Saxena, who had just come back from his morning jog was also dismayed at hearing this and rushed towards Rakesh’s house.

The Police as usual, just like in Bollywood movies, took its own time to arrive to the scene. The Officer-In-Charge was our very own the famed ACP Abhimanyu Pratap Singh. At that time he was not so well known and he had not yet met the love of his life. These were the days when he was still a young Police Inspector who was learning the ropes and making his mark which would later make him legendary in Police circles. The first thing Inspector Abhimanyu did was to get a cordon erected around the crime scene. He then instructed his Head Constable Baldev Rana to get the people off the crime scene and asked “Who saw it first?”

Shanta replied “I, Sir.”

“W ho are you and what were you doing here?” Inspector Abhimanyu asked.

“Who all are there in the victim’s family?” He asked.

“He was living alone sir. He only had a sister who stays in Canada.” The neighbours and Shanta replied together.

He then turned towards his Head Constable and instructed him to make arrangements to immediately notify Rakesh’s sister about this unfortunate tragedy. He also ordered a list of people who had last seen Rakesh alive and at what time.

The first person was Mr Saxena who said that he had met Rakesh yesterday in the morning at the park while jogging. The next person was Shanta, who said that she had left at her usual time at 5:30 P.M. in the evening. Manjeet was the next one and he said he left at around 8:30 P.M. in the night. The only person that was missing was Birju, the security guard. Inspector Abhimanyu instructed Baldev and Sukhvinder, another constable, to make a thorough search of the surrounding areas and issue an alert look out notice for Birju.

Inspector Abhimanyu when entered the house and went near the crime scene, he saw Rakesh’s body lying sprawled on the couch with a surprised expression in his eyes. He also saw a rounded mark of a glass on the table in front of the couch. It was as if Rakesh had a glass of water or some other liquid in front of him. He also made a note to enquire about this. He then made a tour of the house. He was impressed by the sense of order and management skills of Rakesh. He could deduce that Rakesh was very meticulous in life.

The Police then took away Rakesh’s body in an ambulance. The forensics team also took their leave after bagging all the necessary evidence.

The only thing that kept troubling Inspector Abhimanyu was Birju’s absence. It looked as if he got scared and took flight after committing the murder. But you know, the first thing they teach you while investigating a crime is never trust what is apparent. So this was another thing which was nagging Abhimanyu.

Nalini, Rakesh’s sister was devastated on hearing the news. She had a breakdown and her family had a tough time in managing her. They took the first flight out of Montreal and arrived at Chandigarh International Airport in the next couple of days.

Nalini was very grieved and desperately wanted to have a last look at her brother’s body.

Inspector Abhimanyu “Why was he living alone?”

“He never wanted to get into a relationship.” Nalini replied.

“Why was that?” A puzzled expression on Abhimanyu’s face.

Nalini waited a while before answering. She looked at her husband who gave her a stern look.

Abhimanyu could clearly discern that there was something which was being hidden.

He pressed on “was there any specific reason for taking this decision?” He curtly looked at Nalini.

Nalini hesitated and then replied “there was an incident which happened few years ago. I don’t know the whole details.”

“What incident?” Abhimanyu asked.

“As I said, I don’t remember. Raka dada also was quite evasive about the subject. So I let it be.” Nalini responded. When Abhimanyu asked whether she used to call him by that name, she nodded.

Inspector Abhimanyu looked at Nalini for a while and then surmised she was telling the truth. He then posed few important questions. Questions that had a direct link to this case.

“How was your relationship with your brother?” He asked

Nalini distinctly looked uncomfortable. She again glanced at her husband who just shrugged.

“Everyone knows that we were not at the best of terms for quite some time.” She replied looking forlorn and dejected and much grieved by the memory.

“Why was that?” Abhimanyu was now genuinely puzzled and alert for any clues.

“He was against our marriage.” She responded after a long sigh.

When Abhimanyu still looked confused, she said “dada did not particularly like him.” She pointed towards her husband, who just stared at his wife.

“He even went on to say that if I continue to persist then I will not get anything from our parent’s will.” She looked straight ahead and said this.

Abhimanyu could understand that Nalini was going through a tough time recollecting all those unpleasant situations. He gently asked “what happened next?”

Nalini took a sip from the glass of water then replied “after a few years when my first child was born, Raka dada made a surprise call.” “I was so overjoyed and burst out in tears hearing his voice after a long time.” Nalini recounted fondly.

Abhimanyu then asked “What kind of a person was Rakesh Singh?”

Nalini looked at Abhimanyu, paused for a moment and then said “Dada had a lot of shortcomings; still he was the best brother, a very good human and was also a very good detective even after his retirement.”

The last couple of sentences made Abhimanyu sit up. “What do you mean a good detective after retirement?”

Nalini replied “You must be aware of the latest murder sensation.” He nodded.

“Dada was keenly following this up and researching and collecting material and evidence related to this case.” Abhimanyu was now all ears.

“How do you know all this?”

“He used to animatedly discuss this case over the phone.” She recollected lost in thoughts.

Now, Abhimanyu knew that he had to tread very carefully regarding the next question. He said “you said that he had his shortcomings. What were they exactly?”

Nalini suddenly jolted upright, as if being brought back from her memories in the harshest manner. She looked at Abhimanyu and said “the way he handled his cases. He was a strict disciplinarian and a hard task master. He also sometimes got carried away in a flow of emotions.” She replied looking a bit apprehensive about her brother’s image might come out to be.

Abhimanyu now thanked Nalini and her family for their cooperation and support. He politely advised them not to leave the city till the investigation is over. He then took Head Constable Baldev aside and said “I want all the cases that Rakesh Singh has handled in his career. Also who might benefit from killing him” Baldev simply nodded.

As an afterthought, Abhimanyu asked “any news of Birju yet?”

Baldev shook his head. Inspector Abhimanyu wondered aloud “Birju tu kithe gaya?”

A few days had passed and there was no breakthrough in either the case or in the search for Birju. Abhimanyu had just on hunch went again to Rakesh’s house and made a tour of the places where he had not gone earlier.

At the rear of the house, he saw a small plot of unused land. It was full of wild grass, trash cans, distorted plastic bottles etc. He also saw a big drum sitting at an odd angle. Curious, he went and tried to move the drum.

The drum did not budge. Despite several attempts, the drum refused to move. Abhimanyu then saw that the lid of the drum was loose. He shoved it aside and immediately rolled back gagging. Inside was the decomposing, maggot infested body of Birju, the security guard.

 Meanwhile, Baldev, the head constable had managed to find from records, that about 8 years ago, Rakesh had a violent encounter with “Balwinder”, also known as ‘Bitta’, the dreaded gangster. Rakesh had successfully investigated and arrested Balwinder on a murder charge. The important thing in the record was that Balwinder had openly threatened Rakesh Singh.

Abhimanyu was now getting a bit of the picture. The killer had surprised and killed Rakesh and then while making a hasty exit had suddenly encountered Birju. Not knowing how to avoid the guard, the killer had shot the guard also and hid his body at the rear of the house. Thinking no one will ever come to this place and was confident that the police would concentrate on Birju as the killer. He was in for a surprise when Baldev handed him the report.

“Where is Balwinder now?” asked Abhimanyu.

“In a maximum security wing of Tihar Jail at Delhi.” Abhimanyu could write off Balwinder as being a suspect in this case. Though, he instructed Baldev and other police personnel to keep a close watch on the still active “Bitta” gang.

Next, he again called Nalini, Shanta and Manjeet.

He asked Nalini “You said in your earlier meeting that Rakesh had threatened to cut you off from the will. Is that correct?” Nalini looked surprised; she looked at her husband who looked away.

“That’s right.” She responded looking down.

Now, it became interesting for Abhimanyu. He waited for further clarification.

“It was a sore point between us.” Nalini added.

“What was in the will?” asked Abhimanyu.

“That he will get the present house, another house at Delhi, the farmhouse in Mehrauli.” She replied.

“What about you?” asked Abhimanyu. Nalini gave a long pause and said “according to the will, I would be getting this house after his death. I was also getting some amount in cash.”

Abhimanyu was now enjoying this. “When did you last visit him?”

“Four years ago. After that I used to send him gifts every year on the 3rd of November that was his birthday.”

“This year also I sent him a gold plated Zippo lighter, with his initials inscribed on it.” She added.

Abhimanyu was confused by this last statement. He did not see any gift package near the body.

“Are you sure of that?” asked Abhimanyu.

“Yes, why did you not see it?” asked a now perplexed Nalini.

“No, we did not find anything of this sort.” He replied.

Nalini was now concerned and burst out crying. Her husband had a difficult time consoling her. Abhimanyu was almost very clear in his deductions, but he wanted to be absolutely sure before he could come to any conclusions.

He then questioned Shanta, who was still very much depressed. However, when Abhimanyu asked what kind of man was Rakesh. She replied that “he was the most kind, benevolent and caring human I have ever come across in my life sahib.”

Abhimanyu was not satisfied with this answer but he let it go for the time being. He then called Manjeet and asked the same question. “Rakesh sir was like a god to me.” The way Manjeet made it sound like made Abhimanyu a bit surprised.

Meanwhile, a few days later, Mr Saxena was out for an evening stroll when he saw a light in Rakesh’s house. He was surprised that who could have been there now.

He thought of informing the police first but then decided to investigate first. He saw the door of the house slightly open. He tiptoed inside. He saw the whole house was in darkness except one place. That was Rakesh’s study room. He was again surprised as no one was allowed entry into the study as per Rakesh. However, all Mr Saxena could see was a torch light darting here and there in the darkness. He decided to barge in but chose not to and waits for the intruder to come out. Then he would grab him. When the intruder took a good amount of time; around 15 minutes and still did not come out. Mr Saxena decided to barge in and confront the intruder and hand him over to the police. As he made his way towards, the study; the intruder came out all of a sudden. Both of them were now facing each other. Mr Saxena was completely surprised and could utter only “You” before the intruder shot him dead and fled from the scene.

This latest murder turned upside down all the theories Inspector Abhimanyu had made till now. The media, as you know, are always on the lookout for sensationalism, and were now making a big hue and cry in the public. The Police brass was also breathing down on Abhimanyu’s neck.

Despite all this, there is always a “silver lining behind every dark cloud”. Abhimanyu got his first major clue while going through the reports that Baldev had given him. In here he found that there was a case around 15 years ago, in which in an encounter an innocent girl had been badly injured. She was brain dead due to the bullet wounds inflicted on her. She was now convalescing in a private clinic. Abhimanyu made a note to visit that clinic.

The next day, he, Baldev and another constable went to that clinic. Here they met with the doctor who was treating her. He told them that her condition has neither worsened nor improved during the last fifteen years. He also said that a man visits the girl every week; as he was the brother of the girl. When Abhimanyu asked how did the good doctor come to this conclusion. The doctor smiled and showed him some records which were very much surprising to Inspector Abhimanyu.

Afterwards, he asked Baldev to put a discreet surveillance on all of the people involved in the case. Meanwhile, Nalini was getting impatient and she asked for an appointment with Inspector Abhimanyu.

“When is this investigation going to end?” she asked Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu did not say anything and was slightly amused.

Nalini grew bolder and said “I have to go back to Canada and the way this investigation is going; it seems that it’s going to take an eternity.” She remarked.

Abhimanyu just looked at her and reassured her that this will end very soon. Nalini was not completely satisfied but reluctantly agreed to be patient.

 On the other hand, Inspector Abhimanyu got the news from the surveillance teams that one of the people involved in the murder case was trying to get in touch with the ‘Bitta’ gang. Abhimanyu was very much sure of whom that person might be; but still wanted to confirm, and he got the confirmation he was waiting for.

The next day found Abhimanyu in an elated mood. He called all the people involved in the case to gather at Rakesh’s residence. It seemed a bit odd but Shanta, Nalini and her husband, and Manjeet all gathered at the residence. Abhimanyu came with Baldev and Sukhvinder. He also had kept rest of the team ready to go in at the first sign of trouble.

He then addressed Nalini directly “You know I was already thinking of you as a suspect when you mentioned that Rakesh was against the marriage and had threatened to cut you off from the will.”

 He waited for a reaction, but then none was forthcoming. So he continued “I also thought Shanta might have a hand in his death; being bedazzled by all this affluence.” This time he looked at Shanta who looked alarmed. “How ever, I also knew that this woman is self-respecting, laborious woman; who would not bite the hand that fed her.” “So I ticked her off the suspects list.”

“What’s the point of all this Inspector?” asked and irritated Nalini.

“I also initially thought that Birju could have killed Rakesh and fled in fright. However, as everyone knows that is also not a possibility as he is already dead.” He now waited a moment.

“My suspicion even pointed towards the dreaded gangster ‘Bitta’, who is now in Tihar jail.”

“Come on Inspector, out with it.” Nalini’s husband interjected now.

“Patience my dear friend. Patience.” Abhimanyu replied calmly.

“Now, I started thinking who would have a motive for killing Rakesh?” This time he looked at Manjeet, who had started fidgeting nervously.

“So, I dug a bit deeper into Rakesh’s life. I found out that around 15 years ago something happened which completely changed Rakesh’s life.” Nalini was immediately all attentive.

“Around that time, Senior Inspector Rakesh Singh was involved in a shoot-out with some dreaded criminals. Unfortunately, during that time a young innocent girl had the misfortune of coming directly into the line of fire; and this had resulted in her getting grievously injured.”

“Am I right Manjeet?” He directly asked Manjeet.

Manjeet was startled and fumbled “how …… would….. I know…… sahib?”

“Yes, right?” Abhimanyu said.

“How long have you been working for Rakesh?” He asked Manjeet.

“Around 8 months sahib.” He replied.

“Okay, coming back to the case, the night on which Rakesh got killed at around 9:30 p.m.; there was supposed to be a delivery of a package.” “This we confirmed from the courier service guys. They gave the reason for late delivery because of a technical problem.”

“However, there was no delivery guy who had actually gone to Rakesh’s house at 9:30 p.m. that night. We further found out that the delivery guy was stopped in midway and another man took the package from him.” He looked at Manjeet who was looking very nervous now.

Inspector Abhimanyu smiled and continued “We also found that the package was missing from Rakesh’s place, as there was a glass which was also missing. This we found from the mark left on the glass table.” He took out an object and showed it to everybody. It was the same glass which had contained Rakesh’s wine.

Everyone was stunned, especially Manjeet. Now, the time came to deliver the coup. Abhimanyu looked straight at Manjeet and asked “do you want to tell why you killed Rakesh, Birju and Mr Saxena, or should I go on?”

Manjeet was completely taken by surprise. He tried to flee but Baldev and Sukhvinder had already positioned themselves on his either side. Dejected he confessed “Yes, I killed Rakesh. It was because of him my sister is right now in this condition. I was just 10 years old at the time. I wanted to get even at the very moment; however I waited for my time.” He replied.

“How did you get access to Rakesh?” Abhimanyu asked.

“Through an ad he had given in the newspaper. I came for the interview and when I saw him, my blood boiled. I wanted to kill him instantly.” Manjeet started crying.

Abhimanyu waited patiently “What happened next. How and why did you kill Birju and Mr Saxena?”

“I gradually grew up close and personal with Rakesh in the course of these 8 months. I came to know about the gift packages. Then one day, I saw the delivery guy coming up to the gate. I knew this was my chance to get even with that man. So I persuaded the courier to give the package to me. I convinced him that I was related to Rakesh and I would deliver the package to him personally.” Nobody said anything,

“That night around 9:30 p.m. I finally made my move. I changed into a delivery’ guy’s dress which I had purchased from some cheap store. Put on a face mask and put a cap on my head so that Rakesh could not recognise me.” He continued.

“When Rakesh opened the door, I thought of immediately shooting him but I would not be able to savour the moment I was looking for. So I followed him inside and shoved him”. “As he fell on the couch, I took off my mask and cap and before he could react, I shot him.” There was as a stunned silence. Nobody said anything except Nalini just silently sobbing.

Manjeet looked at her and said “I am sorry for your loss, but if you had been in my place, you would have probably done the same thing.” He cried for the first time. Nalini could not react but suddenly could feel Manjeet’s agony which he had kept suppressed for so many years.

“Why did you kill Birju and Mr Saxena?” asked Abhimanyu.

“Birju appeared out of nowhere and I did not what to say to him, so I shot him. Mr Saxena also tried to act smart with me and threatened me with the police. He was the only witness who knew that I had killed Rakesh and Birju.” “That’s why I was trying to sell the gold plated Zippo lighter which Nalini ma’am had sent as a gift.”

“What were you doing at Rakesh’s house when you killed Mr Saxena?” asked Abhimanyu.

“I was looking for something more precious to sell to the ‘Bitta’ gang; so that they can arrange for a passport and help me escape from the country. Unfortunately, Mr Saxena had seen me enter Rakesh’s house and he waited till I got out of the study to confront me with an ultimatum. Before he could say anything I shot him dead.

Abhimanyu just looked at Manjeet and motioned Baldev and Sukhvinder to take him away. He now addressed Nalini and said “that your brother was a good man and the reason for not marrying was the tremendous guilt he was carrying inside. He did not want to burden or ruin anyone else’s life.” Nalini just looked about to break down.

“I also found this from his lawyer.” He handed Nalini a document which stated that all of his properties should be given to Nalini and her family. It was also stated that Rakesh will only act as a caretaker for a certain period of time. Nalini now completely broke down and fell to her knees crying inconsolably loud for her brother.

Abhimanyu somehow consoled her. While taking his leave he turned towards Baldev and remarked “badle ki bhavna insaan ko andar se ekdum khokhla kar deti hain.” With that, they left the house.