It was around eleven at night when the metro train stopped at the secluded station. Sanjana stepped off the train. She walked towards the staircase while keeping her eye on her phone screen, must be chatting. She climbed the stairs and headed towards the autorickshaw. The autorickshaw dropped her near an alley. She paid her in cash. She walked through the alley when she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped at turned around. No one was there. She continued to step ahead when a masked man showed up before her. She got scared. She was about to scream when another masked guy behind her. He pressed her mouth and nose with a Hanky. She fainted seconds later.
Days later. One morning, Akshat did a set of thirty pushups in his rented 2BHK flat. He opened the door and picked up the newspaper. He poured tea into his cup with a tea strainer. He sat on the carpet and had his tea while reading the newspaper. He turned the page around. There was a black and white photograph of a man whose name was written below the image, 'ARIF ZAIDI'. A word, 'WANTED' was written above his photograph. He didn't went through the entire context written beside the photograph and turned to the business page. He went through the news of stick market and GDP growth. He then switched to the sports news in the paper. He folded the newspaper. He stood up. He kept the paper on the window sill. He cleaned the dishes at the kitchen sink. He wore his office outfit in his bedroom. He wore his ID card. Akshat used to work as an executive in a private firm.
He sat at his desk before the computer. It was seven at evening. His shift was over. He logged out of the system and turned off the computer. He stood up. He zipped his bag. He was about to pick it up when his manager, Suhas showed up. He kept his one hand on the cubicle.
"Hey, Akshat, are you leaving?"
"I just logged out."
"Will you do me a favour? Could you sit on my system for just ten minutes? I urgently have to go to see my wife in hospital."
"Okay."
"I have had my email inbox opened. Once the client replies you just have to send me the screenshot, and then you are good to go."
"I will do that."
Suhas pat on his shoulder.
"Thanks buddy. Sorry for the inconvenience brother."
"No, don't bother about that. That's completely okay."
Suhas nodded and left. Akshat sat in the manager's cabin before the laptop, tapping his fingers on the desk, waiting for the client's reply. He got his eye on the rubix cube kept the corner of the table. He picked up the cube and tried to solve it. A new mail reflected on the inbox. He opened the mail. He clicked the snipping tool, took the screenshot and shared the same to Suhas via Microsoft Teams. He closed the tabs. He clicked on the start button on the taskbar. He was about to click on the power icon when he got his eye on the recently viewed folders. One of them was an image file. He opened the file. He was stunned to see it was an image of Sanjana. He closed the file. He right clicked on the file and chose 'OPEN FILE LOCATION' option. The location folder had a dozens of image files. All were of Sanjana in which she was in obscene state. He clicked on one of them which was a selfie taken by Suhas. In the photo he was topless and sat with Sanjana in the bedroom. Akshat was taken aback after seeing the thing. He took out his phone and clicked the photo. He shut down the computer and walked out of the cabin. The assistant manager, Shweta showed up.
"Akshat."
"Yes ma'am."
"Are you going?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, I have sent him the screenshot of the client's reply."
"Oh, okay."
Akshat went downstairs carrying his backpack. He drove his bike, thinking about what he had just seen. He sat on the mat in his flat, having fried rice as the dinner. Sanjana's face kept ruminating his brain. Everyone in the office thought she had left job that's why she was not coming but it was something else. Akshat couldn't tell this to his colleagues as knew about the politics and backbiting in his office.
It was Sunday next day. Akshat pulled over his bike near the alley. He got off his bike and walked through the alley. The three storey appartment building was on his left where tenants used to reside. He pushed the door and entered the building. He climbed stairs. Megha was unlocking her flat room door on the second floor. Akshat came to the floor. She saw him.
"Akshat, right?"
He nodded.
"Yeah."
"I remember you. We met on Sanjana's birthday party."
"Do you know where she is?"
"I have been told by her team lead, Shweta that she has gone out of town as she has left her job."
"Did you try to contact her?"
"Yeah, but I am unable to connect to her. Is there any problem?"
Megha sat on her bed. Akshat showed her the selfie image of Suhas and Sanjana.
"Sanjana!"
"Do you know the guy? He is Suhas, our manager."
"We should call the police. He must be behind her kidnapping."
"No, not now. That would be early. First we have to confirm that Suhas is actually behind it or not and who else is involved. "
Akshat opened the door and walked out of a camera store carrying two binoculars in his hand. He gave one to Megha who stood beside her scooty.
"Wear this."
She wore the binoculars' band around her neck. He too wore the other one around his neck. He sat on his bike. They started their scooty and bike and rode away.
Suhas hurriedly locked the door of his house from outside. He went to his car. He opened the door and sat in. Megha and Akshat kept an eye on him through their binoculars.
He said, "He's leaving."
Suhas started his car and began to drive. Akshat and Megha followed him on their two wheelers. Suhas pulled over the car near a tree behind a park. Akshat and Megha stopped away from the park. They placed binoculars before their eyes.
She said, "Why he has stopped there?"
"He must be waiting on someone."
Suhas went anxious. He glanced at his wrist watch. A man arrived near the tree on his bike. Suhas opened the door and stepped off the car.
She said, "Who is this guy?"
Akshat adjusted his lenses and zoomed in. He looked at the guy as the face was familiar to him. He remembered that he had seen the face in the last day's newspaper.
"Arif."
"What?"
"Arif Zaidi. His photo was published in yesterday's newspaper. He is wanted by police."
"My god!"
Arif handed over Suhas a brown packet. The latter glanced inside.
Arif said, "It's just three lakhs, will give you the rest next Sunday."
Suhas nodded and went to his car. Arif went to his bike.
Akshat said, "Megha, follow the manager. I'll follow Arif."
"Are you sure? He is a criminal."
"I know but if we have to figure out what happened to Sanjana I have to do so."
She nodded.
"Be careful."
Megha followed Suhas through the city. Akshat followed Arif. He took out his phone and dialled '100'.
"Police control room."
"Sir, my name is Akshat. I am currently travelling through Lajpat road."
"Okay, go ahead."
"Sir I have spotted Arif Zaidi. I am currently following him."
"Keep your phone on. We are tracking you."
"Yes sir."
Suhas stood at the reception desk of the hospital. He took out a bundle of cash and gave it to the receptionist. Sushas's wife, Shrija was being treated in the ICU. Suhas stood outside the room, looking at her through the window. Megha sat on the chair at the end of the corridor, keeping an eye on him.
Arif drove his bike into a construction site. A dozen of multistorey buildings were under construction. Three tower cranes were also installed in the site. Arif stopped his bike near one of the buildings. He heard a low rumble. He looked in the side mirror. A police SUV was approaching towards him. He started his bike. He geared up and rode. He had hardly rode ten metres when Akshat showed up on his bike and stopped his way. Two cops stepped off the SUV. Akshat held Arif's bike key, he turned off his bike and threw away the key. Arif quickly got off the bike and run away but was nabbed by the cops. Akshat too got off the bike. He stepped towards him.
"Where is Sanjana?"
An handcuffed Arif climbed upstairs followed by the cops and Akshat. They arrived at the third floor. Sanjana sat with two other girls at the corner. They seemed to be exhausted and injured. Arif ran towards the edge of the building. One of the cops quickly took out his gun and shot him on his leg. Arif fell on the ground. The cop stepped towards him. He knelt down.
"Where are your other gang members?"
Sanjana stood up and hugged Akshat. She cried. He caressed his hand over her head.
He said, "Sanjana, I know who is behind this. And you know him too. Tell them everything."
Suhas sat in the interrogation room, facing the camera, confessing.
"It's true. I used to ask for favours from Sanjana in exchange of her increment. I clicked her pictures and blackmailed her for more favours. When I came to know about Shrija's lung cancer I needed money for her treatment. I posted online in order to raise funds for the treatment. I got a private message. He offered me to pay 10 lakhs. I fixed a meeting with him. It was Arif who had sent me the message. He told me that he works for a gang who send young girls abroad via sea route where they are forced to work as sex slaves. I thought if I convince Sanjana to go them I would be able to raise money for my wife's treatment. I took Sanjana with me to a pre decided location where Arif and his gangmen kidnapped her and took her away. They gave me three lakhs rupees on the spot and assured to give rest of the amount in two installments later."
Shrija's body was placed on a pyre. Suhas stood before the pyre. The other family members stood there to attend the funeral. The cops stood outside the graveyard. After the pyre was fully burnt Suhas walked out of the graveyard. The cops handcuffed. He sat in their car. The cops left in their car.
Akshat opened the door of his flat. He picked up the newspaper. He unfolded the paper and read the headline, FOUR HELD FOR RUNNING A SEX TRAFFICKING RING. NINETEEN GIRLS RESCUED. HIGH COURT SEEKS PROBE.'
His phone rang. He picked up the call.
"Hello."
Sanjana sat on the bench of the railway station.
"Akshat, where are you?"
"I am at home. Are you coming to office?"
"No, I don't think I will be able to join that office after what happened. I am leaving the city. I am going to my hometown to spend some time with my parents."
"Oh, that's a good idea."
"Akshat, I have a request."
"Okay, tell."
"Please don't share this incident with anyone in the office."
"I won't, I promise you. I won't."
"Thank you for what you did for me."
He huffed.
"Take care."
She smiled and hung up the call. She stood up as she heard the honking sound of the train. She picked up her handbag and trolley bag.
Akshat's tea was still boiling on the burner stove.
