The Slave
Trade
Disclaimer: This is inspired from a real life case that was
shown on Crime Patrol. It made me realize that children are in a pitiful state.
This story is written as an inspiration of hope for a better and brighter
future. I hope you all take it in the same way and maybe one day everyone will
realize the same as well. This is also a tribute story to Rajat...the cop who was
sidelined when he could have been a great lead along with the trio. This is
also a sort of celebration story for the 16th Anniversary of CID!!!
NGO Office, Tuesday, 11:40AM
The
4 were going through the photos that Ravi had taken. Ravi said, "Inhe sab
bachon se zabardashti bheec mangwayi jaati hai aur kam karwate hain."
Debasree
asked, "Yeh dono kaun hai?"
"Yeh
inhe bachon ke saath har baar dikhayi dete hain. Ek baar maine inhe ke saath
baat ki toh inhone kaha ke yeh inhe bachon ke maa baap hain. Aur yeh bheec nahi
mangange toh aur kya karenge," Ravi replied.
Misha
said, "Inhe bachane ka koi tareeka?"
"Raid
kar dete hain," Neha said.
"Nahi!
Pehle inhe bachon ke saath jo ho raha hai uske saboot chahiye," Ravi said.
"Yeh
kafi nahi hain?" Debasree asked.
"Main
toh kheti hoon ke inhe ke saath hamare boss ke paas jaate hain. Zaroor raid kar
sakhenge," Neha put in.
"Lekin
mujhe nahi lagta hai ke hum iss mamle main kuch kar payenge. Ek NGO ke paas
itni power toh hoti hai ke woh chote mote raids conduct kar len lekin yeh bahut
bara raid hoga," Misha said.
"Toh
phir police ke paas jaate hain," Debasree said.
"Lekin
agar yeh itne baare scale pe sab kuch kar rahe hain toh police bhi inke saath
mili huyi hogi," Ravi said.
"Toh
phir CBI yah CID ko involve karte hain," Neha said.
"CID
ko involve karna zada asaan hoga. CBI main toh hum ghumte reh jayenge," Misha
said.
"Main
unka number dhoondta hoon phir unhe hum yeh saari baatein bata denge," Ravi
said.
"Main
hamare kamre tyar karwati hoon," Debasree said.
Debasree
and Neha left to do that, while Ravi searched up the number.
*****
CID bureau, 12PM
Abhijeet
walked into the bureau to see an anxious Rajat and Freddy. He asked, "Kya huya?
Itne pareshan kyun lag rahe ho?"
"Sir
mujhe iss case ne pareshan kar raha hai. Koi aadmi bina vault main tode kuch
bhi kaise chura sakta hai?" Freddy asked.
"Yah
toh woh pehle se undar tha yah phir woh wahan pe kam karta tha," Abhijeet
replied.
"Lekin
kisi ne vault ko khola hi nahi tha ek ghante main aur jab vault khula toh chori
ke baare main pata chala," Freddy added.
"Yani
shayad jisne vault khola woh bhi mila huya hoga," Abhijeet replied. He turned
to Rajat, "Aur tum pareshan kyun ho?"
"Sir
mujhe yeh letter mila hai. Ek hafte main mujhe duty ke liye report karna hai
Delhi ke CID main," Rajat said, giving Abhijeet a paper.
ACP
Pradyuman and Daya entered at this moment and heard this as well. Daya asked,
"Tumhe aise kaise woh transfer kar sakte hain?"
"Pata
nahi sir. Lekin papa ko pehle hi maine wahan ke ek hospital main shift kar dia
tha toh shayad isli unhone mujhe wahan shift kar diya hai," Rajat replied.
"Yani
ab yeh tumhara aakhri hafta hai hamare saath?" Abhijeet asked.
"Actually
aakhri teen din. Mujhe Friday shift karna hai," Rajat replied.
"Sir
aap kuch nahi kahenge?" Freddy asked ACP Pradyuman.
"Nahi.
Mujhe pata chal gaya tha kal. DCP ne mujhe kal hi bata diya tha lekin maine
isli kuch nahi kaha kyun ki main chahta tha ke Rajat khud bataye," ACP
Pradyuman said.
Before
anyone could say anything else, the phone rang. Freddy picked it up, "Hello,
CID bureau."
It
was Ravi. He said, "Ji mera naam Ravi hai. Main Save the Children NGO ke saath
kam karta hoon. Hume aap se milna tha kuch bachon ko bachne ki baat karne ke
liye. Kya hum aapke bureau aa sakte hain?"
"Haan
zaroor. Aap ko pata pata hai?" Freddy asked.
"Ji
haan. Hum aadhe ghante main paunchte hain. Bye," Ravi said.
Ravi
hung up and Freddy turned to the team and repeated what Ravi had said. ACP
Pradyuman said, "Dekhte hain ke inhe kya kehna hai."
*****
CID bureau, 1PM
After
the preliminaries, the STC group set up their papers and were now going over
everything they had found. Neha began, "Yeh sab tab shuru huya jab do mahine
pehle yeh, Sandhya, hamare paas bhag kar aayi bheec mangti huyi. Iski umar
dekhte huye humne iske maa baap se baat karni chahiye lekin iss pehle ke hum
unhe se kuch bhi keh paate woh wahan se bhag gaye."
"Yahan
pe main aaya. Main STC main ek private detective ka kam karta hoon. Logon ko
peecha karna aur saboot dhoondna mera kam hai. Jab yeh log unhe se baat nahi kar
paaye toh main wahan pauncha unhe dhoondne aur samjhne. Pehle kuch din maine
sirf tasveerein li. Woh saare isme hain. Kareeb che din baad maine yunhi inhe
logon se baat ki aur inhone bataya ke yeh saare bache unke hi hain lekin unke
paas koi kam nahi hai isli woh bheec maangte hain," Ravi continued.
"Yeh
sab inhe bachon ko bachane se kaise related hai?" Rajat asked.
"Hum
usse tak abhi paunchte hain. Humne aise hi bachon ki madat karne ke liye aapna
NGO khola huya hai. Hum free ke schools chalate hain. Badi mushkil se inhe dono
se baat kar ke humne inke bachon ko do ghanton ke liye aapne school main
padhane ka mauka mila hai. Pehle do hafte tak toh yeh log wahani rehte the
lekin phir uske baad woh jaane lage aur yehi mauka mila hume inhe bachon se
baat karne ka," Debasree replied.
"Yeh
bache pehle bahut daare huye the aur kuch nahi kehte the. Lekin do teen din aur
yeh bolne lage. Aur aisi aisi cheezein baatayi jinhe sun kar hamare hosh hi udh
gaye," Misha said. "Ek ne bataya ke usse do saal pehle agwa karke laaya gaya
tha yahan pe aur tab se woh yahani pe hai. Ek saal pehle uske haath ko unhone
tod diya tha taki usse bheec aur araam se mile. Tab se uska haath aisa ho gaya
hai."
"Lekin
zada tar sab ne bataya ke unke parivaar ko yeh kaha gaya ke unhe Mumbai ek achi
zindagi banane ke liye bulaya jaa raha hai. Yahan aaye toh unhe subah aur din
main bheec mangne main laga diya gaya aur sham ko woh intricate hand-made rugs
banate hain," Debasree said.
"Hum
waise toh agar do teen bache hote toh police ki madat se ek raid conduct kar ke
unhe bacha lete, lekin hum shaq ke isme police mili huyi hai. Hum local police
ke paas nahi jana chahte hain kyun ki hum nahi chahte hain ke inhe logon ko
pata chal jaaye aur yeh bache gayab ho jaayein yah, worse, unhe maara diya jaaye,"
Ravi said. "Isli hum aap ke paas aaye hain."
Abhijeet
picked up the folder which had the photos that Ravi had taken. He started
flipping through them. Daya asked, "Yeh bache kya sab ek hi jagah pe bheec
maangte hain?"
"Nahi
sir. Hume abhi tak char alag jagahon ka pata chala hai. Lekin sir maine ek baar
inka peecha kiya tha aur mujhe inka aada mil gaya tha. Wahan aapko saare bache
mil jayenge," Ravi replied.
"Kitne
bache hain kuch pata hai?" Abhijeet asked.
"Hamare
hisaab se 29 bache hain. Pehle 30 the lekin Sandhya, jiske wajah se yeh sab
shuru huya tha, woh pichle mahine maar gayi. Hume bas itna pata hai ke woh
kahin se gir gayi thi," Neha replied.
"Thik
hai. Tum hamare paas wahan ka pata chor do. Hum unhe bachon ko bachane ki tyari
karte hain," Rajat said.
"Nahi
sir. Hum bhi aapke saath rahenge. Woh bache hume pehchante hain. Agar aap akele
gaye toh kahin woh aap ke saath aane ke bajaye bhag naa jaayen. Nahi hum bhi
chalenge. Humne unhe bachon ko aapne paas rakhne ka bandubasht bhi kar liya
hai. Unhe bilkul takleef nahi hoyegi," Debasree said.
"Haan
sir. Aur hum unke baare main sab kuch jaante hain. Hum aapki madat kar sakte
hain," Misha added.
"Thik
hai. Tum log bhi hamare saath chaloge. Abhijeet, Daya tyari karo. Aaj hi sham
ko hum wahan pe humla bol denge," ACP Pradyuman said.
Abhijeet
and Daya nodded.
*****
CID bureau, 4PM
With
some help from the STC team, the CID team now was ready to raid the warehouse
where the kids were working on the rugs. Abhijeet checked their list once more
and then the 5 officers and 4 STC members left in 3 qualises followed by a bus.
*****
Warehouse, 4PM
The
lady said sternly, "Yeh kya hai?!! Hain?!! Itna bara ched?!! Phir se kar! Warna
aaj raat khana nahi milega!"
She
walked around examining the other rugs as the children worked with their heads
bent, quietly and scared. Her phone rang. She looked around once more before
picking up. "Haan bol...Kya?...Maine bola tha ke inhe bachon pe nazar rakh! Lekin
nahi! Ab hogaya naa kam tamam!...Nahi bache jaaye bhad main! Aapni jaan bachao aur
bhaago! Bache toh phir se mil jayenge...Haan sab wahani milenge...Haan rakh!"
The
lady looked around once more and then to her 4 men, "Chalo yahan se! CID ke
kutte aane wale hain yahan pe. Jaldi chalo!"
The
4 men who had been sitting in various positions holding guns quickly got up and
followed the lady out. The children, however, were so scared that they
continued working. They probably thought that the lady and the men would be
back and would beat them if they didn't work.
*****
Warehouse, 4:30PM
Abhijeet
and Daya entered first, with their guns drawn. They checked the two doors on
either side and then moved forward. ACP Pradyuman and Freddy followed. Rajat
was covering the exit door in case anyone tried to run from there. A little
farther behind ACP Pradyuman and Freddy were the 4 STC members. Abhijeet
signalled Freddy to move up and to the side. ACP Pradyuman did the same on
Daya's side. The 4 went around hiding behind the boxes. When they saw the
children they looked around, but didn't see anyone standing over the children.
Abhijeet saw steps leading up to the second floor. Freddy went up the stairs
followed by Abhijeet. Freddy called down quietly, "Sir yahan bhi koi nahi hai."
ACP
Pradyuman said over his headset, "Lagta hai unhe pata chal gaya tha ke hum log
aa rahe hain. Woh bhag gaye bachon ko yahani chor ke. Unhe NGO walon ko le aayo
undar. Woh inhe bachon ko yahan se le jayenge aur tum sab dekho kuch milta hai.
Agar woh jaldi main yahan se nikale hain toh zaroor kuch na kuch chor ke gaye
hain."
Freddy
started tossing aside the boxes as he looked for anything to signal where this
gang had gone or who they were. Abhijeet stepped off the stairs and started
searching in the area itself. ACP Pradyuman stepped forward to stop the
children from working with the STC team. Daya started going through the papers
on the desk, while Rajat covered the outside area.
A
few minutes later the children had been escorted out with the STC team who
drove them off to their site after confirmation from ACP Pradyuman. Daya found
several papers and brought them over to ACP Pradyuman. "Sir yeh dekhiye. Lagta
hai yeh log internationally bhi deal karte hain. Yeh nakli import/export rights
hain aur yeh bhi nakli landing documents hain."
ACP
Pradyuman flipped through them and said, "Daya inhe se inhe logon ke asliyat ke
baare main bhi pata lag sakta hai."
Abhijeet
came over and on hearing this said, "Mujhe nahi lagta hai sir. Inhe se yeh toh
pata lag sakta hai ke kis insaan ne banaye honge yeh lekin uss se sachayi
uglwana asaan nahi hai."
"Koshish
karo. Shayad kuch pata lag jaaye."
Rajat
came in. "Sir bhar yeh teen alag cigarette butts mile hain. Lagta hai yeh log
cigarette kafi peete the. Har ke kum se kum dus mile hain."
Freddy
came down from the upper floor. "Upar kuch nahi hai."
"Rajat
jab Purvi court se wapas aa jaati hai toh tum aur Purvi NGO jao aur inhe bachon
se baat karo. Jinhe logon ne yeh sab kiya hai sirf unhe nahi dhoondna hai balki
inhe bachon ke parivaaron ko bhi dhoondna hai," ACP Pradyuman said.
"Ji
sir," Rajat nodded.
"Sir
main aapne khabriyon ko laga deta hoon kam pe inhe papers ke banane wale ko
dhoondne ke liye," Daya said.
*****
Forensic lab, 6PM
Abhijeet
said, "Sir kuch mila?"
"Arre
yaar tum Pradyuman ki taran ghode pe sawar ho kar kyun aate ho?!! Jab kuch
milega tab bata doonga," Dr. Salunke said.
"Sir
aap gussa kyun ho rahe hain? Main toh pooch raha tha," Abhijeet said.
"Main
gussa nahi ho raha hoon. Bas tum sab ki jaldi dekh kar pareshan ho raha hoon!"
Dr. Salunkhe replied.
"Sir
aaj court main sab thik tha naa?"
"Haan...Nahi!
Logon ko DNA ka sidha sa concept bhi nahi pata hai. Do ghante lage sirf yeh
samjhane main ke koi do logon ka DNA ek sa nahi hota hai. Pata nahi kaise judge
ban jaate hain."
Abhijeet
hid a chuckle at that. Luckily Dr. Salunkhe didn't see that. He asked, "Aur yeh
kya sun raha hoon? Rajat ko Delhi transfer kar rahe hain?"
"Haan.
Sir ko pata chal gaya tha pehle lekin unhone bhi nahi bataya."
"Yeh
Pradyuman bhi naa. Aaj kal kuch bhi nahi batata hai. Bas aapne undar rakhta hai
sab kuch."
"Aap
ko bhi nahi bataya sir ne?"
"Nahi.
Agar bataya hota toh main yeh kehta?"
At
that moment the machine beeped. Dr. Salunkhe went over to the machine, opened
it, and pulled out the rack. He took a dropper and taking a little bit liquid
from each put it into another test tube. Then he pushed the new rack into the
machine beside the first one and turned it on. The first machine had been a
mixing machine that mixed the DNA sample with a solution to clear it. This
second machine was now extracting the DNA and feeding it into the computer. Dr.
Salunkhe turned to Abhijeet, "Woh bache kaise hain?"
"Rajat
bata raha tha ke kafi daare huye hain. Woh aur Purvi abhi bas baat karne
lagenge unhe ke saath."
"Yeh
log jab mile toh inhe kheench ke ek dena mere taraf se," Dr. Salunkhe said.
This
was totally unlike him. Dr. Salunkhe had never shown emotion in such a way.
Abhijeet simply nodded a bit surprised at the way Dr. Salunkhe had said that.
In between the awkward silence that followed the machine beeped. Dr. Salunkhe
went over to the computer and said, "Do aadmi aur ek aurat. Chalo dekhen yeh
hamare database main hain pehle se yah nahi."
Dr.
Salunkhe ran the profiles against their police database as Abhijeet came over
and watched the computer scan the profiles as well. After a few minutes the
scan was done. There was one profile in their system. Abhijeet read through the
profile, "Lallan Singh. Char saal pehle ispe shaq tha ke isne ek khoon kiya
hai. Saboot na milne ki wajah se yeh choot gaya tha. Last known address Andheri
ka hai."
*****
Save the Children office, 6:15PM
Rajat
and Purvi sat in the office as Debasree went to get another 2 of the 29
children who had been rescued. Purvi said, "Sir inhe logon ko pata kaise chala
ke aap log unhe pakdne jaa rahe the?"
"Kya
pata," Rajat replied.
"Sir
aisa bhi toh ho sakta hai ke iss NGO ka koi mila huya ho unhe ke saath," Purvi
suggested.
"Tum
aisa kaise keh sakti ho?" Rajat asked, surprised.
"Sir
jab tak yeh bache unhe logon ke paas the sab thik tha. Lekin jaise hi yeh log
hamare paas aaye achanak se iss gang ko sab pata lag jaata hai aur woh bhag
jaate hain? Mujhe bas ajeeb sa laga."
"Aisa
karo zara ACP sir ko phone karke bata do. Inhe NGO walon ka toh humne socha hi
nahi tha."
Purvi
nodded and stepped aside to call ACP Pradyuman. Once she was done she came back
just as Debasree came back with 2 more children. They were both boys. One
appeared to be 14 and the other maybe 11 or 12.
So
far Rajat and Purvi had talked to 4 children. They still had 23 more to go.
Debasree stepped out of the room and Purvi leaned forward, "Bachon daaro maat.
Hum log CID se hain. Hum sirf aap dono se kuch baatein karna chahte hain taki
hum aap ko aapke parivaar ke paas wapas bhej sakhen."
The
2 boys looked at each other and then looked down. Rajat also leaned forward, "Acha
chalo yeh toh bata sakte ho ke tumhare naam kya hain?"
The
one sitting in front of Rajat said, "Rehan."
The
other one looked at Rehan and then back down and said, "Aditya."
"Acha
Rehan aur Aditya tum yeh bata sakte ho ke tum yeh sab kab se kar rahe ho?"
Purvi asked, carefully.
Both
didn't say anything. Purvi pressed, "Dekho hum sirf tumhari madat karna chahte
hain. Aur kuch nahi. Ho sakta hai ke tumhare parivaar wale tumhe dhoond rahe
ho. Agar hume yeh pata lag sakta hai ke tum yahan pe kab se ho toh shayad hume
aur bhi kuch pata lag sakta hai."
Purvi
was trying to say that maybe the boys had been reported missing and by knowing
when they had disappeared they could check the National Missing Person's
database. Rehan replied first again, "Main shayad yahan pe pichle do saalon se
hoon."
Aditya
looked towards Rehan and said, "Main bhi."
Rajat
asked, "Tum dono kahan se ho yeh yaad hai?"
Rehan
was a bit more open this time. "Main Delhi ke paas ek chota sa shehar hai
Sonipat wahan se hoon."
"Aur
main bhi," Aditya said.
Purvi
raised an eyebrow at that. She asked, "Kya tum dono ek doosre ko jaante ho?"
Rehan
nodded. "Hum dono bhai hain."
Rajat
and Purvi sat back at that. The two were brothers who had been brought here
together and their parents weren't looking for them? Rehan continued, "Didi hum
toh yahan ek achi zindagi banane ke liye aaye the. Do saal pehle ek memsaab
aayi thi hamare shehar main aur hamara ek street performance dekhne lagi thi.
Unhone kaha tha ke woh yahan pe ek school chalati hain aur hume yahan dhakela
mil sakta hai. Woh hamari bhaliye ke liye karna chahti thi yeh sab. Maa papa
bhi mann gaye the kyun ki woh hamara kal sudharna chahte the. Woh hum dono ko
yahan li aayi aur hume pehle din hi pata lag gaya ke hum yahan koi padhai nahi
karne wale hain."
Rajat
asked gently, "Tumhe tumhare maa papa ke naam yaad hain? Yah unka pata?"
"Hum
wahani ek choti si basti main rehte the. Nagara Basti tha. Kholi...kholi..." Rehan
got stuck.
Aditya
said, "Kholi number 3."
Purvi
made a note and then asked, "Jab se tum yahan aaye ho tumne dekha hai ke kitne
log the jo tumse yeh kam karwate the?"
"Do
memsaab thi aur paanch saheb. Aur maine ek baar uss badi wali memsaab ko ek aur
se baat karte huye suna tha jab ki saab wahani the," Aditya said.
"Woh
jinhe se baat kar rahi thi woh saheb tha yah memsaab?" Rajat asked.
"Shayad
memsaab hogi," Aditya replied. Then he asked, "Kya hum ab jaa sakte hain?"
Rajat
nodded. The two left the room and Purvi said, "Matlab koi aur bhi mila huya tha
iss sab main?"
"Tumne
jo kaha hai woh bhi sahi ho sakta hai," Rajat said. "Chalo woh Debasree ko
bulate hain aur do aur bachon ko bulwate hain."
*****
CID bureau, 6:30PM
Daya
got off the phone and said, "Sir aapne do khabriyon ko kam pe laga diya hai.
Woh shayad jaante hain ke yeh nakli papers kisne banaye hain lekin confirm
karke batayenge."
ACP
Pradyuman also got off the phone and said, "Purvi ko lagta hai ke NGO se koi
mila huya hai. Nahi toh woh gang achanak se bhag nahi sakti thi."
"Main
NGO walon ki information niklwata hoon. Ho bhi sakta hai ke jo Purvi keh rahi
hai woh sahi ho."
Freddy
came in with a paper at that moment. "Sir yeh woh list hai jisme unhe saare
jagaon ke naam hain jahan yeh log inhe bachon ko le kar jaate the bheech
mangwane ke liye."
"Map
pe daalo," ACP Pradyuman said.
Freddy
put them in 5 different colours to represent the 5 different teams that went
out on the map. Freddy said, "Yeh log zada kar ke Andheri ke alag alag jagaon
main hi rehte the. Aur sirf yeh dono teams main ek aurat thi. Baki dono main
bas ek ek aadmi tha."
"Inhe
ki yeh factory bhi Andheri main hi hai," ACP Pradyuman said.
"Aur
ek suspect bhi Andheri main hi rehta hai," Abhijeet said, from the door.
He
came inside with a file. "Sir yeh Dr. Salunkhe ne bheja hai. Teeno cigarette
butts main se ek aurat hai aur baki dono aadmi. Unhe main se ek yeh hai. Lallan
Singh. Andheri ka address hai iska."
"Toh
chalo isse pakde ke lekar aate hain," Daya said.
The
two left to bring in Lallan. ACP Pradyuman said to Freddy, "Freddy NGO main jo
bhi log kam karte hain unhe sab ki information nikalo."
Freddy
nodded and sat down at the computer to pull up that information.
*****
Lallan's residence, 7PM
Daya
knocked on the door as Abhijeet glanced through the window. He saw someone
coming towards the door and said, "Koi aa raha hai."
They
were at a small one-bedroom flat in the middle of a rundown area. A lady opened
the door and asked, "Ji? Kisse milna hai?"
"Hum
Lallan se milne aaye hain," Daya said.
"Aap
log kaun hain?"
"Ji
hum bank wale hain. Ek karza liya tha usne aur yahan ka pata diya tha. Pichle
teen mahino se kisht nahi di hai loan ki isli aaye hain," Abhijeet said,
quickly.
"Ab
usne loan bhi le liya?!! Dekhiye woh nikamma yahan nahi rehta hai! Teen saal
pehle jab uspe woh khoon ka ilzaam laga tha tabhi maine usse aapne ghar se
nikal diya tha. Kahin aur jaa kar dhoondiye ab usse!"
"Aap
hain kaun?" Abhijeet asked.
"Main
uski behen hoon. Yeh mere pati ka ghar tha. Mere pati ko maar diya aur kehta
hai ke usne aisa nahi kiya. Main nahi maanti hoon."
"Kya
hum ek baar ghar main dekh sakte hain?" Daya asked.
"Arre
kyun? Jab maine keh diya hai ke woh yahan nahi hai toh nahi hai!" the lady
exclaimed, blocking the door.
Daya
showed his badge. "Hum koi bank wale nahi hain. CID."
Then
Daya pushed the lady aside and went in. Abhijeet followed suit as the lady
sputtered. But she had been right. There was no sign of Lallan in the house or
any sign that he had been there recently. As they were leaving though, Abhijeet
spotted a duffel bag under the bed. He bent down and pulled it out. Inside he
found two pairs of men's clothes and a razor. He asked, "Kya hai yeh? Woh yahan
nahi aaya tha? Toh phir yeh kis ka saman hai?"
"Mujhe
nahi pata hai," the lady stuttered.
"Nahi
pata hai. Toh thik hai. Bureau chalo. Wahan tumhe sab yaad aa jayega," Daya said.
"Ek
minute sir. Main...main...main batati hoon. Woh aaya tha. Aaj hi aaya tha. Pure
teen saal ke baad. Uske paas yeh bag tha aur kuch paise the. Usne mujhe paise
diye aur kaha ke usse kuch dino ke liye yahan chupne doon. Toh maine usse jagah
de di. Abhi thodi deer pehle woh bhar gaya tha yeh keh kar ke ek ghante main aa
jayega. Bas aata hi hoga," the lady said.
"Chalo
phir hum bhi zara uska intezaar kar lete hain," Abhijeet said.
Abhijeet
and Daya sat down on the bed to wait.
*****
CID bureau, 7:45PM
Rajat
and Purvi were going through the notes and calling the police stations of each
area to find the parents of these children when ACP Pradyuman came in. He
asked, "Kya dekh rahe ho tum dono?"
"Sir
yeh unhe bachon ke statements hain. Hum unke maa baap ko dhoondne main lag rahe
hain," Purvi replied.
"Thik
hai. Kya kaha unhe bachon ne?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Sir
sab ka taqreebein ek hi kahani hai. Woh ek gareeb ghar se hain aur unhe ke
parivaar se ek aurat milne aayi jisne kaha ke woh bachon ko yahan aapne ek school
main padhane laa sakti hai. Yahan pe aaye aur unhe bheech maangne aur rugs
banane main laga diya gaya. Kafi bache Haryana aur Uttar Pradesh se hain. Kuch
Rajasthan se bhi hain," Purvi replied.
"Inhe
bachon ka yeh bhi kehna hai ke do auraten aur paanch aadmi hain iss pure gang
main. Lekin ek ka yeh kehna hai ke usne ek baar ek aurat ko kisi se phone pe
baat karte huye suna jo issi gang ka hissa lag rahi thi," Rajat put in.
"Thik
hai. Tum dono inhe bachon ke maa baap ko dhoondo hum dekhte hain ke yeh gang
kahan hai," ACP Pradyuman said.
At
that moment Abhijeet and Daya brought in a struggling man. He kept saying,
"Chodo. Maine kuch galat nahi kiya. Chodo mujhe."
Daya
forced him into a chair and said, "Sir yeh Lallan hai. Pure raaste kehta aaya
hai ke isne kuch nahi kiya hai."
"Acha
isne kuch nahi kiya hai? Toh phir tum hi bata do ke iska woh cigarette butt bhar
kaise pauncha?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Sir
shayad udh ke gaya hoga," Daya replied.
"Nahi
nahi sir. Koi isse phasana chahta hai," Abhijeet said.
Lallan
looked from Daya to ACP Pradyuman to Abhijeet as they said this and quickly
agreed with Abhijeet, "Haan haan. Koi mujhe phasana chahta hai."
"Arre
arre arre. Koi isse phasana chahta hai. Lekin phir woh isse aise hi kyun
phasayega? Koi khoon whoon main phasata toh yeh phansi pe bhi toh chad sakta
tha," ACP Pradyuman said.
"Shayad
woh isse tarpana chahta hai," Abhijeet said.
"Haan,
haan koi mujhe tarpana chahta hai," Lallan agreed again.
"Lekin
iska matlab hai ke jo isse phasana chata hai woh iss sab main mila huya hai,"
ACP Pradyuman said. "Toh phir Lallan yeh toh batana parega ke woh kaun hai aur
kahan milega."
"Ji
woh...woh...woh," Lallan stuttered.
"Woh
kya?!! Khud iss sab main mile huye ho aur naam kisi aur ka thera rahe ho!" ACP
Pradyuman said angrily.
"Nahi
sir! Main iss sab main mila huya nahi hoon. Maine unhe bachon se bheech nahi
mangwayi hai! Main kuch nahi janta hoon!" Lallan exclaimed. Then he bit his
tongue.
"Unhe
bachon se bheech nahi mangwayi hai. Khin bachon se. Humne toh bachon ka naam
tak nahi liya tha. Tumhe baara pata hai shamal naa hone ke liye," Abhijeet
said.
"Haan
main mila huya hoon. Main unhe main se ek hoon," Lallan said.
"Toh
phir Lallan zara yeh bhi bata do ke yeh sab kyun karte ho," Daya said.
"Paison
ke liye aur kis liye," Lallan said, getting cocky. He had accepted the fact
that he had been caught.
"Tumhare
baki saathi kahan hain?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Mere
ko nahi pata," Lallan replied.
"Acha
toh phir tum unhe se miloge kaise?" Abhijeet asked.
"Jab
waqt hoga toh hamari boss hume message kar degi. Phir hum uske bataye huye
jagah aur waqt pe paunch jayenge aur aapna kam phir se shuru karenge," Lallan
replied.
"Tumhare
boss ka koi naam yah number?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Hoga.
Mujhe nahi pata hai," Lallan said, shrugging indifferently.
This
angered the 3. Daya grabbed Lallan's collar and said, "Dekh yah toh tu thik se
jawab de yah phir main aisa chanta maaronga ke daanton main se piano bajne
lagega."
Lallan
yanked his collar out of Daya's hand and said, "Mere ko jo pata hai main wohi
bata sakta hoon."
"Toh
jo pata hai woh bol de yahan pe," Daya replied, before standing up straight
again.
"Thik
hai. Batata hoon. Mere boss ka number kya hai woh nahi pata hai. Uske paas kahi
alag alag SIM cards hain aur woh kaunse hume SMS karegi mujhe nahi pata hai.
Mujhe yeh pata hai ke uska naam Maya hai aur main uske liye pichle teen saalon
se kam kar raha hoon. Woh yeh kam kafi waqt se kar rahi hai. Hamare iss gang
main hum paanch aadmi hain aur teen auraton," Lallan said.
"Yeh
paanch aadmi aur teen auraton kaun hain?" Abhijeet asked.
"Kya
unke naam aur paate chahiye?" Lallan retorted.
"Agar
de sakte ho toh wohi de do," Abhijeet said.
"Agar
main itni saari information doonga toh mujhe deal karna hai. Meri saza kum honi
chahiye," Lallan said.
"Nahi.
Tumhe toh puri saza milegi. Tum hume information doge yah nahi?" ACP Pradyuman
said.
"Nahi
doonga. Khud dhoond lo," Lallan said, spitefully.
Abhijeet
riffled through his coat and pulled out a phone from Lallan's pocket. "Chalo tum
naa batao. Tumhara yeh phone bata dega."
Abhijeet
started to go through Lallan's phone. He reached a message and said, "Lo yeh
mil gaya uss madam ka number. Ab tumhara khel khatam."
Abhijeet
pulled out his own phone and called the phone company to trace a number. Daya
took Lallan away. Rajat and Purvi came over, "Sir unhe 29 ladkiyon main se 15
ke maa baap ko dhoondna jaari hai."
"Aur
baki 14?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Unhe
bhi dhoond rahe hain sir," Purvi said.
"Number
ka location mil gaya hai," Abhijeet said, hanging up.
"Toh
phir chalen?" Daya asked, coming back in.
"Haan.
Pakdte hain iss madam ko," Abhijeet said.
*****
Mumbai Central Railway Station, 9PM
Abhijeet,
Daya, and Freddy reached the railway station. Like always there was a lot of
traffic in the railway station. Freddy asked, "Sir itne logon main kaise pata
chalega ke woh kaun hai?"
"Uska
number baar baar dial karte hain. Jab bhi woh uthayegi aur hume dekhega toh
usse pakde lenge," Daya said.
Abhijeet
pulled out his phone and dialled the number. It rang. Abhijeet said, "Baj raha
hai. Dhoondo."
Daya
and Freddy started looking around. The phone got cut and Abhijeet dialled again
as he looked around as well for the ringing phone.
After
several minutes, Daya finally saw a lady who kept cutting her phone. He called
Abhijeet and waited until he came over. Daya said, "Woh dekho Abhijeet. Mujhe
lagta hai yehi hai."
"Ek
minute isse phir se phone karke dekhta hoon," Abhijeet replied.
Freddy
also came over as Abhijeet dialled the number again. The lady looked at her
phone again and pressed a button. Abhijeet's call got ended as well. Abhijeet
nodded, "Haan yehi hai."
"Chalo
toh phir isse aapni khatardari dekhte hain," Daya said.
The
3 walked forward and without the lady realizing it surrounded her. Freddy said,
"Hello ma'am. Lagta hai koi aap ko pareshan kar raha hai?"
The
lady looked up surprised. Freddy introduced himself, "Inspector Fredericks,
CID."
The
lady gave a surprise and then tried to run, but knocked into Daya. Daya grabbed
her arm and said, "Arre, arre. Kahan jaa rahi ho? Jaise bachon ko aapna mehman
banaya tha chalo hum tumhe aapna mehman baante hain."
The
lady scowled, but walked out of the station with them.
*****
CID bureau, 10:30PM
The
lady had refused to speak and was therefore cooling her heels in their jail
cell. Meanwhile the team was working on finding the remaining gang as well as
the families of the children.
Freddy
put some papers down and went over to the computer. He typed in something and
after a few minutes said, "Sir shayad woh NGO wala connection mil gaya hai!"
Abhijeet
and Daya came over. Freddy said, "Sir yeh ek Snehal ka bank account hai. Yeh
ussi NGO main kam karti hai jisne unhe bachon ko bachaya hai. Mujhe ispe tab
shaq huya jab maine yeh dekha ke pichle do mahino main isne bahut si nayi nayi
mehngi cheezein liye hain. Yeh tabhi se shuru huya jab NGO wale unhe bachon ko
bachane main lag gaye. Yeh maine uska bank account nikala toh dekha ke isse
pichle do mahino main achanak se 50 lakh mile hain jisme se woh 30 lakh toh
kharch bhi kar chuki hai."
ACP
Pradyuman had overheard this. He said, "Freddy tum aur Purvi kal subah hote hi
NGO jao aur iss Snehal ko yahan pakde ke laayo."
*****
CID bureau, Next day, 10AM
Purvi
dragged a protesting Snehal into the bureau and forced her into a chair. Snehal
demanded, "Mujhe yahan kyun laaye ho?!!"
"Tumhari
aarti utarne ke liye," Purvi replied, sarcastically.
"Uske
liye aise laane ki kya zaroorat thi!" Snehal exclaimed.
"Chup!
Tum toh bachon ki bhalayi ke liye kam karti thi naa? Toh phir yeh achanak se
unhe ke mazdoori ki taraf daari kyun karne lag gayi ho?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Yeh
aap se kisne kaha? Maine aisa kuch nahi kiya hai," Snehal said, looking
confused.
"Acha.
Matlab jo kal 29 bachon ko bachaya tha uss gang ke saath tumhara koi lena dena
nahi hai?" Abhijeet asked.
"Kya?
Nahi! Main toh khud unhe bachon ko bachana chahti thi. Lekin Debasree, Misha,
aur Neha ne mujhe kabhi uss team ka hissa banaya hi nahi," Snehal replied.
"Isli
tum gang ke saath mil gayi. Unhone tumhe 50 lakh diye taki tum unhe yeh bata
sakhao ke bache kya bata rahe hain tum logon ko lekin tum kuch nahi bata paayi
kal tak. Kal tumhe pata chala ke Debasree, Misha, Neha, aur Ravi hamare paas
aaye hain aur tumne unhe savdhaan kar diya taki woh bhag gaye aur bachon ko
wahani chorgaye," Daya said.
"Kya?
Yeh kisne kaha aap se?" Snehal asked.
"Tumhari
madam ne," Purvi said.
"Oh
hello! Woh meri madam nahi hai. Main aapne liye kam karti hoon," Snehal
objected. Then she bit her tongue.
"Haan.
Tumne sahi kaha. Tum sirf aapne aap aur paison ke liye kam karti ho. Ab batao.
Tumhe kaise pata chala ke hum raid karne wale hain?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Haan
yeh sach hai ke main uss gang ke saath mil chuki thi. Aur kyun naa milti? Maine
kitni baar kaha Debasree se ke mujhe bhi ek mauka de ek baare raid main lekin
har baar keh deti thi ke agli baar. Toh maine bhi soch liya ke agar main woh
nahi kar sakti hoon jo main karna chahti hoon toh NGO ka bhi koi kam main sahi
nahi hone doongi. Mujhe toh iss case ke baare main aise hi pata lag gaya. Main
ek din Debasree ke office main gayi aur woh wahan nahi thi lekin Sandhya ke
saath ki gayi baat ki transcript thi. Toh maine usse padh liya aur phir
Debasree ka peecha kiya aur ek aadmi tak paunch gayi jisne mujhe uss Laila se
mila diya. Laila ne mujhe 1 crore ka wada kiya agar main kisi taran se NGO ko
rok paati bachon ko bachane se. Lekin main uss team ka hissa nahi ban paayi toh
maine kaha ke maine unhe yeh bata doongi ke raid kab hoga. Uske liye mujhe 50
lakh mile. Jab kal chaaron wapas aaye toh maine yunhi pooch liya ke woh kahan
gaye the aur baaton baaton main unhe bata diya sab kuch. Tabhi maine Laila ko
sab kuch phone karke bata diya. Lekin I guess woh bachon ko aapne saath nahi le
kar jaa paaye," Snehal said.
"Ab
tum woh 50 lakh ke khub maaze uthana. Jail main," ACP Pradyuman said.
Purvi
took Snehal away as she kept protesting. ACP Pradyuman said, "Ab uss baki ke
gang ko bhi dhoondo. Abhi bhi char aadmi aur ek ladki gayab hain."
"Sir
shayad Laila hamari kuch madat kar sakti hai iss mamle main," Freddy said.
"Freddy
woh toh kuch keh nahi rahi hai. Toh woh kya madat karegi?" Rajat asked. He had
come into the bureau just as Purvi had been taking Snehal out.
"Sir
yeh baat hum jaante hain ke woh kuch nahi keh rahi hai. Woh log toh nahi jaante
hain. Aur waise bhi uske phone se chahiye hum sab ko SMS bhejen yah phir woh.
Kisi ko kya pata?" Freddy suggested.
"Freddy
idea toh bahut acha hai. Lekin hume kya pata ke woh kaun hain?" Abhijeet asked.
"Toh
kya huya Abhijeet. Hum ek mass text bhej dete hain iske phone pe sab ko aur
unhe kahin bula lete hain. Aur aise code main bhejenge ke sirf unhe samjh
aayega jo iss gang ka hissa hain. Baki sab ko nahi," Daya said.
"Waise
sir zada log nahi aayenge agar sab ko samjh bhi aa jayega. Kyun ki Laila ke
phone pe sirf 10 numbers Mumbai ke hain aur ek Snehal ka hai aur doosra Lallan
ka," Purvi said as she looked through Laila's phone.
"Matlab
8 log aayenge aur unhe main se paanch iss gang ka hissa hain," Rajat said. "Toh
phir toh karna chahiye."
"Thik
hai. Jaise Lallan ke phone pe text tha waise hi SMS inhe aaghton ko bhejo aur
aaj sham ko ussi factory main bulao. Dekhte hain kaun aata hai aur kaun nahi,"
ACP Pradyuman said.
As
Purvi typed the message out, Rajat's phone rang. He picked up and talked to
someone on the other end before hanging up. He turned to the team and said,
"Sir ek Inspector ka phone tha. Usne do bachon ke maa baap ko dhoond liya hai.
Woh aaj ki train pe bhete hain aur kal tak yahan paunch jayenge."
"Yeh
toh achi baat hai. Do bachon ko toh aapne maa baap se phir se milne ko milega,"
ACP Pradyuman said.
"Ab
aise hi baki sab maa baap bhi mil jaayen," Abhijeet said.
"Sir
message type ho gaya aur send kar diya," Purvi said.
"Kya
time kaha?" Daya asked.
"4
baje," Purvi replied.
"Thik
hai. Tyar raho. Chaar baje se pehle hum wahan hoyenge aur inhe logon ko pakdene
ke liye puri tyari ke saath," ACP Pradyuman said.
*****
Warehouse, 4PM
Daya
looked towards Abhijeet who looked towards Rajat who nodded. The 3 were ready.
On the other side Purvi, ACP Pradyuman, and Freddy also checked up on each
other.
Two
men walked in at that moment. One said, "Yeh Laila ma'am kahan hai?"
"Aati
hongi. Woh toh waise bhi hamasa last aati hain aise meetings main," the other
man replied.
A
lady walked in as well. "Tum dono ko bhi message mil gaya tha?"
"Obviously
Laila ma'am ne sab ko hi bulaya hoga," the first man replied.
"Baki
teeno kahan hain?" the lady asked.
"Lallan
ne toh kaha tha ke woh aapne behen ke ghar main chupega agar kabhi unhe bhagna
parega. Toh woh zaroor wahani hoga," the first man replied.
"Aur
Rakesh aur Sattu ne kaha tha ke woh gaon bhag jayenge. Ab kya woh bhag gaye yeh
nahi pata," the second man replied.
Abhijeet
whispered into his mouthpiece, "Sir agar woh dono bhag gaye hain aur Lallan
hamare paas hai toh hum toh sirf inhe hi pakdene aaye the. Pakde len?"
"Ruk
jao zara. Ho sakta hai woh dono bhi aate ho," ACP Pradyuman replied.
The
team watched and waited. After about 5 minutes, the 3 got restless. The lady
said, "Yeh Laila aayegi yah hume bula kar wapas gayab ho gayi?"
"Nikle?"
the first man asked.
"Nahi
do teen minute aur ruk jaate hain," the second man said.
Daya
whispered, "Sir mujhe nahi lagta hai woh dono aane wale hain. Inhe pakde?"
"Haan
thik hai. Pakdo," ACP Pradyuman replied.
That
was all the team needed. Abhijeet, Daya, and Rajat pushed the boxes aside and
came out of their hiding places with their guns drawn. The 3 criminals saw them
and ran towards the door. This is when Freddy and Purvi revealed themselves.
ACP Pradyuman stepped forward as well with his gun drawn. The 3 turned towards
the back door but by then Abhijeet, Daya, and Rajat had blocked the back door.
Realizing they were caught the 3 held up their hands in surrender. At this
time, 2 more men came walking through the front door. The lady yelled, "Bhaago
Rakesh, Sattu!"
The
2 men turned and ran. Daya and Rajat ran after them as Freddy and Purvi took
the 3 out to the CID qualis. Abhijeet said, "Ab toh yeh puri gang hamare haath
main aa chuki hai."
ACP
Pradyuman agreed, "Ab unhe bachon ko unke maa baap se milwana reh gaya hai."
*****
CID bureau, 6PM
Rajat
and Daya had caught up to Rakesh and Sattu as they had been trying to start
Rakesh's car. Now the 8 gang members were sitting in front of the CID team.
Abhijeet demanded, "Ab bolo! Kyun kiya yeh sab?!!"
Laila
laughed. "Iske liye bhi wajah deni paregi? Paison ke liye."
"Lekin
bache hi kyun?!!" Daya demanded.
"Kyun
ki bachon ko bheech asaani se mil jaati hai. Aur unhe ke haath bhi chote hote
hain toh woh araam se ache ache rugs bana lete hain," Laila replied.
"Yeh
sab kab se kar rahe ho?" ACP Pradyuman asked.
"Chaar
saal," Laila replied.
"Tum
bachon ko chunte kaise ho?" Purvi asked.
"Hume
jab bhi bache chahiye hote hain toh main aur Lallan Uttar Pradesh aur Haryana
jaate hain chote chote shehron main aur wahan unhe bachon ko chunte hain jo
bahut gareeb hain aur jinhe bahut asaani se yahan laaya jaa sakta hai. Ek do
baar hum Rajasthan bhi gaye hain bache laane," Laila replied.
"Snehal
ko kaise involve kiya aapne iss gang main?" Rajat asked.
"Maine
aisa kuch nahi kiya tha. Yeh khud aayi thi. Aur gang ka hissa banane nahi bas
hamari madat karne taki hum pakde nahi jaayein," Laila replied.
"Dekha!
Maine kaha tha ke main toh sirf inki kuch madat karna chahti thi," Snehal
exclaimed.
"Tum
bhi utne hi gunehgar ho jitne yeh hain!" ACP Pradyuman said, angrily.
With
no other questions left, the 8 were led out by Freddy, Purvi and Rajat.
*****
CID bureau, Next day, 9AM
Today
was Rajat's last day in the bureau. He walked in hoping for a quiet day and was
surprised to see the lights out. He checked his watch. Yep it was 9AM. Usually
Abhijeet and Daya were here by this time. He found it weird, but turned on the
lights and was met with a surprise. The entire team was standing in front of
him. ACP Pradyuman stepped forward and said, "Yeh tumhara aakhri din hai isli
yeh tumhare liye."
They
all stepped aside to reveal a table laden with gifts and a cake. Rajat stepped
forward and smiled. Freddy said, "Sir jaldi se cake kaato."
"Haan.
Mujhe toh bahut bhuk lagi hai," Pankaj said.
Everyone
looked at him as Rajat started laughing. He picked up the knife, cut the cake,
and fed a piece to ACP Pradyuman. Purvi came forward to cut the cake into
pieces for everyone. Their happiness was short-lived though. Rajat's phone rang
and he picked up. Another child's parents were found.
*****
CID bureau, Two weeks later (An epilogue of sorts)
Debasree
came in with Rehan and Aditya. They were the last 2 children left from the 29
children. The other 27's parents had been found and over the past 2 weeks their
children had been returned. Yesterday, their parents had finally been found and
today they were standing in the bureau waiting for their children. Abhijeet
said, "Yeh lo. Aap ke bache aa gaye."
The
mother turned around and ran forward hugging both Rehan and Aditya as both
started crying. The father ran forward and hugged them as well. Debasree
stepped out of the way. Freddy said, "Sir kitna acha lag raha hai."
"Haan
Freddy. Hum hamasa parivaar walon ko kisi ke maarne ki khabar dete hain. Aise
cases bahut kum hote hain jahan hum parivaaron ko milate hain," Abhijeet
agreed.
"Abhijeet
jo bhi ho yeh ehsaas sab se acha hai," Daya said.
Abhijeet
nodded. The mother and father wiped their tears and the children's tears before
coming back. The mother said, "Saab aapka bahut bahut shukriya hamare bache
hume lautne ke liye. Humne kabhi nahi socha tha ke hamare bachon ke saath yeh
sab ho raha hoga."
"Nahi,
nahi. Isme shukriya karne ki koi baat nahi hai. Yeh toh hamara farz tha,"
Abhijeet said.
"Sir
main kuch keh sakti hoon?" Debasree asked.
"Haan
kaho naa," Daya said.
"Main
aap dono ko bas itna batana chahti hoon ke hamare NGO ne Sonipat ke ek
government school se baat kar li hai. Aap dono ke bache wahan padne jaa sakte
hain issi saal se," Debasree said. "Aur agar kabhi kuch bhi chahiye ho toh yeh
hamara card hai wahan ke local office ka. Aap wahan chale jana."
The
mother took the card and then saying Namaste left. Debasree also said, "Okay
sir ab main bhi chalti hoon."
The
3 nodded and Debasree left.
Abhijeet
said, "Chalo ab wapas lagte hain doosre cases pe."
Daya
agreed, "Haan abhi ACP sir aa jayenge aur poochenge ke kya huya hai abhi tak."
The
3 had just sat down when ACP Pradyuman came in and asked, "Woh robbery case ka
kya huya?"
Abhijeet
and Daya exchanged amused glances as Freddy started updating ACP Pradyuman. Ah
the typical day of a CID officer. Never so typical.
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