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Word Count : 3400

Audio Theme : Ezra Title Music

https://youtu.be/KDQTscU2jkk

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37 | To, The SIT, With Love

13 May 2023

| Saturday - 1405 Hours |

"Two weeks, four days, and ten hours! That's all you have, officers!" The Inspector General banged his palm violently on the conference table. "Save me some shame for my next meeting with the Chief Minister, please!"

Hinduja corrected her left blazer sleeve as the door slammed against the wall and the IG strode straight out of the conference room with his PA and a constable quick on their toes behind him.

Even puppies these days had better lives than those two minions.

Raghav gulped down a bottle of water, his jaws tight.

Meanwhile, the others looked on, awkward in their bearing at their respective places.

Hinduja was the first one to get seated, nonchalance screaming through her external appearance. Raghav followed suit, and the rest did too.

"So," Ramandeep Singhvi sighed. "What next?"

Hinduja promptly got up from her seat. "I heard the cheese sandwiches here at the food court are really good." She scratched the left side of her neck. "I am hungry. Anyone else here wants to have anything?"

The group of nine investigators stared at the criminal profiler in black formals, unable to comprehend even an inch of her persona or whatever it was that went on inside her mind.

All of them could hear the imaginary crickets chirping in the background.

Breaking the silence, Patwardhan sheepishly grinned. "I want to have some tea too. Let me come with you."

Fifteen minutes later, the group of ten was seated around a round table in the office allotted to them with a plate of sandwiches and a cup of tea in front of each one of them.

Raghav cleared his throat. "The search team couldn't find anything at all. All the police checkpoints are on high alert, yet we don't have anything on our plate."

"Well, we do have something on our plate." The profiler interrupted, swallowing a thoroughly chewed piece of sandwich down her throat.

As if on record, the rest of the nine occupants of the official room quirked up their ears instantly. "You have some input to share? What do we have on our plate?" Gaurav quizzed.

Hinduja looked confused. Then she pointed at her plate. "Sandwiches. I was talking about the sandwiches. We have them on our plate, don't we?"

The tea in Rukmini's mouth flied straight out of her mouth onto Patwardhan's white shirt.

"Shit!" Patwardhan bellowed, getting up from his seat.

The others guffawed.

Raghav exhaled, staring at the bunch of jokers before him, his brain not being able to wind up around the unusually calm and indifferent behavior of the ever-so-serious criminal profiler. "Enough." The austerity in his voice wasn't concealed this time.

The team instantly turned silent.

"Rao" He turned his gaze towards Hinduja. "You seem to be in quite a joking mood today? Any inputs?"

The criminologist turned administrator wiped her mouth with the napkin kept beside the paper plate, scrunched it to make a ball out of it, and then aimed it right into the dust bin kept in the left corner of the office.

Then she turned around, meeting Raghav's eyes. "Now," she began firmly, "you want inputs? Then, take me to the crime sites."

Raghav's tone hardened. "You yourself know that we are not aware of any exact crime sites because the abductions are executed at CCTV blind spots!"

"Talk properly, sir." Hinduja enunciated, interlocking her digits firmly on the table. "I am talking to you in a calm tone, and I expect the same from you."

The DCP nodded in frustration.

She continued. "I want to see a fresh crime site. Better to say, we somehow have to find out the spots where Rituparna Kukreja and Misha Debbarma got abducted today."

"That's akin to finding a good relative in a nest of snakes." Rukmini commented shaking her head.

Intervention in the conversation came in the form of a call on the DCP's cell phone.

He acknowledged the call, bringing the phone towards his right ear.

One sigh, a few 'ohs', some three 'okays', and a 'Jai Hind' later, the DCP got up on his feet and said, "Janani Godagiri, age 17. . . missing."

He then faced Hinduja. "You want a fresh crime site, don't you? Come with me, then." He shifted his attention towards the other eight. "You all as well." Then he looked at Hinduja again. "If Officer Rao here wants to see a fresh crime site, then she most definitely has a plan. Correct me if I am wrong."

Hinduja got up and walked towards the white board without saying a word.

"Praapti," she called out. "Get me the map of the entire NCR region, please."

Praapti nodded and swiftly strolled towards the in-wall almirah on the other side of the room. Unbolting the almirah, she extracted out a long and heavy-looking ivory scroll, bolted the almirah, and then got back to her place.

Unfurling the map on the round table, she got seated again.

"Thank you." Hinduja began. "Officers, I don't know how many of you noticed this, but there is something regarding the abduction locations that we all missed."

"Each one of those girls who were abducted went missing from places around their homes, isn't it?" She probed.

"Yes." Raghav replied.

"Now if you look at it closely, you'll find that the range of distance from the probable places from where they might have gone missing comes within five hundred meters of radius from their homes." She explained. "For example, Bhavya Nath. According to her parents, she went to the park nearby for skating that afternoon. Notice that that park is around three hundred and fifty meters away from their apartment complex." She jotted down the details on the board with a black marker. "Moreover, since we are talking about the fresh cases this month, let's take the examples of Rituparna and Misha itself. Most public, private, and government schools have already begun with the summer holidays, including Rituparna and Misha's. While Rituparna had supposedly gone out to buy stationery, Misha was out for coaching classes since she is appearing for the law entrance exam this year. Again, it should be noted here that the stationery shop that Rituparna frequently goes to is only three hundred and forty meters away from her home. While Misha's coaching institute is located exactly half a kilometer away from her house."

Dropping the marker back inside its folder, she marched closer to the table the team was settled around.

"Coming to Janani Godagiri, may I know her area and place of residence, sir?"

"House number 245/1, 8th Cross, Janpath Vihar."

She then put forward her next question. "If she has been abducted, then she was most probably out of her house at that time for some purpose. Can you tell me the purpose for which she went out as informed by the parents to the officials in the control room?"

"To deliver some food to her aunt's house, who lives nearby." Raghav answered thoughtfully. "Surprisingly, her mother found out later that Janani never took the tiffin boxes along with her."

"Understandable. All the victims know the culprit already. Going out for any other work is just an excuse." She reasoned. "Anyway, may I know the distance between their respective places of residence? I mean Janani's and her aunt's."

Nodding his head, Raghav said, "Let me check with the control room." And he got up to place the call.

Silence prevailed, and some three minutes down the line, the DCP disconnected the call. "Nishchala Godagiri. She lives four hundred meters away from the Godagiri house in her own rented apartment."

"Within five hundred meters, again." SI Daleep Bedi commented. "Madam's reasoning seems to make sense now."

"What about Snigdha Patil then? The communications minister's daughter? She was abducted somewhere around her school, which is nine kilometers away from the minister's residence. She doesn't come under this category." ASI Maninder Yadav pointed out.

Hinduja smiled. "The answer to your question lies within your statement, Yadav Ji. Snigdha Patil isn't just anyone. She is the communications minister's daughter." Supporting her palms against the table, she continued, "The reasoning that I proposed just now isn't a correlation that the syndicate uses. It's simply an 'act of convenience.' for them. To be specific, the area in which the minister resides is a heavily guarded and posh location, without a doubt. Let alone five hundred meters of area around his bungalow, or even a kilometer or two, that whole area is under 24/7 CCTV surveillance. Not even a single blind spot." She trailed and then slowly inched closer to the map on the table. "So, what does the rule of convenience say? Obviously, abducting Snigdha Patil from some place around her school was a much safer choice than anywhere around her home. In a similar fashion, abducting the other victims from within five hundred meters away from their respective homes was a much safer choice than any other place, as all of them belonged to normal families, so it was easy to find CCTV blind spots around their house. Our country doesn't exactly have the best kind of surveillance network anyway. Snigdha Patil became an exception because of her influential background, while the rest of them in the last decade did not. There might be exceptions in them as well, but as of now, this is what I think. Again, remember, this is not a correlation but an act of convenience. It's that simple."

Maninder Yadav acceded.

Raghav had a lopsided smile etched on his visage. "I get it now. You want us to search for all the possible blind spots within five hundred meters of radius around the respective victims's homes?"

Hinduja shrugged. "Exactly." She paused. "And possibly add another criteria to this as well. Secluded or deserted spots. The best kind of locations for a perfect abduction to be executed."

"Okay, then, let's start the work. Since we are in search of fresh crime sites, we'll go for Rituparna, Misha, and Janani's abduction spots for now. Let's divide ourselves into three teams." Raghav suggested.

Hinduja agreed and then pointed at a certain location on the map. "Janpath Vihar. I need two more people with me to go there."

"Daleep, Ji, and I can accompany you." Raghav suggested.

"Alright."

"As for Shaskrita Vihar, where Rituparna Kukreja resided, Patwardhan, Gaurav, and Praapti can investigate that area."

The said three adhered to their seniors's orders.

"Now coming to Bellungami Road, where Misha Debbarma resided, Jishu, Ramandeep, and Maninder Ji can have a look around that area. Clear?"

Three crisp words of affirmation echoed in the office.

"What about me, sir? Rukmini frowned.

"You need to stay here and coordinate with both sides-us and the control room. It's an important task."

Rukmini nodded nevertheless.

"Also," Hinduja intervened, "try to keep a check on the ground underneath your footfall as well for unusual or out-of-order objects or suspicious tire marks after narrowing in on the spots. Carry your respective torches and digital devices with yourselves so that we can constantly be in touch, especially with video calls. Yeah?"

Collective and firm expressions of assurance fell on her ears as she picked up her phone.

***

After walking around the entire locality of Janpath Vihar on foot for two hours at one go, the trio had successfully narrowed down on four blind spots that were within a five hundred-meter radius of the Godagiri household.

"I think we should progress with a conference video call with the other two teams for the rest of the process." Hinduja recommended.

"Alright, let me take out my tablet. It will be much easier for us to make out things on it than on phones." Raghav added and swiftly flipped up the cover of his tablet to carry forward with the task at hand.

Meanwhile, Daleep Bedi and Hinduja roamed their eyes around the first CCTV blind spot. It was a secluded, long path of around eighty meters with trees on both sides.

"Here."

Both of them turned around to look at the tablet screen. Six of the SIT members stared back at them from the other side, in two separate boxes on the screen.

"What's the progress?" Raghav questioned.

"Three spots, sir." Ramandeep Singhvi replied. "Currently, we are on hold at the first location."

From the second box, Patwardhan voiced out, "Five on our side, sir. On the first spot as well."

"Okay, then. Switch to the other side of the camera and walk along the path you are standing on. Let's try to see if there are any commonalities between all the spots that all three teams will walk through."

The six of them affirmed, along with Hinduja and Daleep.

The regular breezes in between caused the leaves of the trees on both sides of the road to rustle around.

The Special Investigation Team eventually started with its work, searching for every nook and cranny for even the smallest of clues.

Time passed as all three teams continued with the task.

Hinduja adjusted her specs, her sharp gaze alternating between the scene right in front of her and the scenes on the screen.

Some time later, the SIT progressed from the respective first blind spots they were investigating to the respective second spots of specification in three different parts of the city.

Going by the rule, all nine of them searched the areas they were in with the video call still in function. Hinduja lifted her wrist up to check the time. It was already six-thirty p.m. in the evening.

Sighing, she turned around to glance at Raghav, who was himself in another zone, his shrewd gaze piercing through each and every inch of the area he was stepping on. Daleep Bedi was no better. She then paid attention to the live happenings on the tablet screen.

Eventually, she moved further, beginning with inspection again, when something caught her eye.

Hints of pristine white against the dark brownish earthy background of the ground.

"Ma'am! Sir!" Jishu's voice resounded from the tablet, and she instantly shifted her consciousness to the screen.

Daleep Bedi and Raghav Katoch immediately assembled next to her. "What happened, Fernandes?"

"We found nothing in the second blind spot too. We are moving to the third one." He explained.

"Same here." They heard Patwardhan's voice. Sweat trickled down his glabella as he said so, turning on the camera towards himself. The rest of them were no different. The heat wave was at its peak after the rainy spree that had engulfed the state in its charmingly cool embrace for the last few days.

"Here also, it's the same situation, Sahab ji." Daleep Bedi replied to Patwardhan while wiping off the sweat dribbling down his nose.

"We are also about to move to the third spot," Raghav announced.

And the three teams proceeded towards the next set of surveillance blind spots, albeit at three separate locations.

The third spot that Patwardhan and his party were searching for was quite a sizable area. Extremely deserted and shrouded with Ashoka and Neem trees from all around.

Time slowly ticked forward to the next hour. The milieu had slowly submerged itself under a terrorizing shade of black garb.

Switching on their respective torches, they continued with their investigation.

Abruptly, Hinduja heard the ringtone of her phone. Daleep and Raghav looked on as she fished out her phone from the blazer pocket and answered the call.

To her astonishment, it was a video call from Rukmini from the headquarters.

"Yes, Rukmini? What happened?" She asked as the gap between her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Ma'am, something weird has happened here. Is Raghav sir there?" She asked, her demeanor tensed.

"I am here, Desai. What's the matter?"

Rukmini gulped and then switched the camera to the other side. And there on the table in the office, where they were all settled some hours prior, was a small card board box stationed in its full glory. "Sir, this box was found outside the main gate. The guards reported it to me since it was addressed to the SIT. But then, sir, I feel something is wrong with this box, with the case we are currently dealing with, so I called you all to consult about it. I haven't unboxed it's contents yet."

The six of them who were connected to Hinduja, Daleep, and Raghav through the video call on the tablet heard everything clearly as well.

Raghav appeared perplexed, and so did the others.

"Put on a pair of gloves, Rukmini." Hinduja instructed, instantly poker-faced.

"Yes ma'am."

A minute later, Rukmini appeared on the screen again, her hands covered in pale clinical gloves.

"Open it." The command came from the feminine figure in black formals.

"Wait!? What?! Don't open it, Rukmini!" Raghav ordered. "What if it's an explosive or something radioactive? We can't rule out that possibility."

"Believe me, it isn't." Hinduja whispered firmly. "I assure you."

Raghav breathed out heavily as the others seemed confused and frazzled at the same time.

"Open it, Rukmini."

Rukmini did what she was asked to.

She first zoomed the camera on the box, allowing the three of them to see the printed message on it.

To,

The Special Investigation Team.

With, love.

(●'◡'●)

. . .It read.

The smiley face at the end of the message, no matter how cute and adorable it appeared, was the brainchild of a sinister mind sitting somewhere veiled in dense and dark fog, completely unknown to them.

Rukmini lifted the lid of the box.

The content inside it turned all of their minds into an absolute battlefield of bewilderment and disorientation.

"What is it?" Patwardhan hurriedly probed.

"Yes! What's inside the box?" Ramandeep asked.

Hinduja looked on.

There, against the brown backdrop of the cardboard box, was a beautiful lily blossom.

It's slender yet forest green stem in a downright contrast with the pristine white, snowy flower.

Pristine white?

The wheels in her brain spun.

Hinduja swallowed, the realization of her ignorance finally dawning upon her.

"Oh no." She mumbled, adrenaline gushing through her veins.

She immediately turned around. "Daleep Ji, can you drive me to the second blind spot we had investigated earlier?"

Raghav and Daleep stared at her in uncertainty.

"What happened, madam ji?"

"Just drive me to that place! I'll explain everything later on. Please."

Daleep Bedi nodded, glancing at Raghav for a second.

"What happened, actually? Can someone please tell us?" Ramandeep grew irritated.

"Yes!" Patwardhan concurred.

"Continue with your search while being on the video call for the time being." Raghav directed.

A couple of minutes later, Hinduja rapidly marched out of the SUV they were traveling in, while Daleep and Raghav followed behind her.

She quickly heeled and toed to one particular spot in that area and promptly crouched down. Directing her torch towards the ground underneath, she uplifted something.

"What's that?"

"A flower." She whispered under her breath.

The on-duty officer felt the space between his brows crinkling almost immediately. "Sorry?"

"It's a flower... a lily."

"The kind that Rukmini found in the box back at the headquarters?" Raghav further probed.

"It looks exactly like that one," Daleep tossed in his input.

But what startled them more, were two more lily flowers, similar to the one in Hinduja's hands, stationed on the ground, just beside her formal heeled shoe-clad feet.

She picked them up too.

"Janani was the third one in order to be abducted today, hence three flowers." She exhaled. "Alert Ramandeep sir, and Patwardhan to search around for these flowers immediately. They will definitely be there. Patwardhan and his party will find only one lily because Rituparna was abducted first in order, while Ramandeep sir and his team might find two because Misha Debbarma was second in order. Call the forensic team at the earliest. This is a crime scene. We need to put up barricades immediately."

"But lilies?"

"Lily," she trailed and about-faced to meet Raghav's eyes. "It's a 'calling card' or a 'signature' as we call it in criminal psychology. It's a way to taunt the police."

"Sahab Ji!" SI Daleep Bedi called out.

"I have informed the forensic team. But there is bad news, Sahab Ji. Another girl named Karuna Tomar, age 14 . . .she has been reported missing."

***