Restored Innocence

ETF Office - Mumbai

“Bye Guys!” Sakshi smiled and hugged her team. “Really Sakshi you can come with us, yeh Liza beech main aa jayegi, main tujhe scooty se drop kardunga!” Shree smiled. “Oh No way, please tum sab chale jao… main Arjun ke saath chali javungi!” Sakshi gave a cheeky grin to her fellow mates who shook their heads at her ‘Arjun’ craze.

Truth be told, she was too thrilled on the fact that Shree and Liza were going home together, so were Ayesha and Sameer, ab kabaab main haddi kyun bane Sakshi madam? Thus entrusted of being the mini Cupid she bid them off with teasing smiles, while Sameer and Ayesha scratched their heads - posing to be indifferent to her smiles, Liza and Shree were oblivious to those.

Chotu was out at Pune and would return tomorrow, so unfortunately the only person that Sakshi could now turn to, was Arjun. “Bappa… thou saveth me…” she whispered and knocked on the glass door, to find Arjun Rawte smiling…

Wait.. smiling! Breaking news!

“Arjun tum smile kar rahe ho!” His mental peace was broken by the lady bestowed with loud speakers instead of vocal cords. He grunted and replaced the smile on his face with a smug look. “So?” he snapped at her. Sakshi shrugged her shoulders and stood near him, her fingers tapping on the wooden desk. “Sakshi agar kuch usual nonsensical general knowledge baatna hai - then the door is right behind you.” he muttered.

“Akdu khadoos… piye sirf karele ka juice!” She blew her hair upwards. “Listen, mujhe ghar jaana hai…” she said. “Toh jao? Maine kab kaha mere cabin main haziri do?” he stared at her. “Woh chorne ke liye koi nahi hai…” she said. “Woh Ayesha Sameer ke saath aur Shree Liza ke saath, aur mujhe kisi ke bhi kabaab ka haddi nahi banna manzoor!” She chirped and he shook his head.

“Chalo, waise aaj drive thora lamba rahega, I have a job to do…” Arjun muttered. “No issues!!” Sakshi smiled and walked beside him. Something was special in this man, from his no nonsense behaviour to the little touches of humanity. Well it was a laughable fact that he never spared a second glance at her side. But then, he had a very valid reason to do so.

As she settled in his car, her gaze went towards the little lines of his forehead, his face appeared more calmer. Maybe it was the fact that his arch enemy had been dead for the past three years, in fact he suffered a fate much terrible than that of Roshni’s…

Sakshi sighed, he hadn’t moved an inch from where he was though. But it seemed to have brought his temper down. Does avenging your loved ones bring in such peace? A knot formed in the heart of Sakshi’s. She checked the date - 10th December 2014, 11.53 pm. A deep sigh reverberated from her chest. It had been five years, one month, twenty one days and one hour thirteen minutes since Sakshi had done the biggest mistake of life. And till now it hadn’t been rectified.

Arjun’s attention turned towards the lady on his left when he noticed an unusual longing in her face and a pain so severe that it frightened him for a second. His gut instincts told him that the lady who had fallen for him was carrying her own baggage of troubles, masked pretty well with her infectious smiles. She affected him, he knew that. The exact reason why he chose to be away from her, before the dormant feelings in their hearts culminated into something that neither would be able to stay away from.

“All okay Sakshi?” he couldn’t help but voice out his concern. He saw her freeze for a minute, then she pouted “Kab se drive kar rahe ho aur ek baat bhi nahi! Kitne bore ho tum Arjun!” she chuckled. Arjun shook his head at her antics when his SUV stopped before a particular slum. “Ruko.” Arjun said and hopped out of his car, and this dame would listen to him, that is impossible, very soon he found her trotting behind him.

This girl would bring the end of him someday!

“Jhumpi” Arjun called out, Sakshi was staring at man before her “Yeh Jhumpi kaun hai bhai?” her mind started to think of various possibilities when she heard a squeaky voice “Arjun Baba?” Sakshi was highly amused.. “Baba?” when a frail eight year old girl ran out of her house, wearing a pink colored floral dress, her hair seemed messy, clutching a worn out teddy in her tanned arms.

Sakshi was thrown into an abyss of memories.

A twenty one year old Sakshi grinned through the corridor of her apartment… “Kishmish…” she peered here and there… she heard the chuckle of her sixteen year old sister at some corner and before Sakshi knew her little sister came running into her arms and hugged her tight… “Didu…”

Tears formed in her eyes which she hastily wiped off… “Baba!” the little girl shrieked and ran into Arjun’s arms, hugging him tightly. Arjun fondled with the little strands of hair and hugged the girl as if his life was to depend on it. “Baba… tu kaisa hai?” she smiled at him. Arjun settled her on his lap and spoke about various things. Sakshi just smiled at them. “Baba, yeh ladki kaun hai?” Jhumpi asked. “Hi, main Sakshi hoon!” Sakshi extended her palm as Jhumpi alternated looks between Arjun and the extended palm. “Meri dost hai… toh teri bhi dost…” he smiled and enclasped the tiny palm in Sakshi’s.

“Arjun… yeh tumhe Baba kyun bulaati hai?” Sakshi pulled the girl’s cheeks slightly. “Pata nahi, case ke dauran isse mulaakat ho gayi, bohot dari hui thi… And after that woh mujhe Baba bulaati hai, acha lagta hai. Toh bas, tabse yeh meri gudiya aur main iska baba.” Arjun ruffled Jhumpi’s hair who was busy examining the bangles in Sakshi’s wrist. She picked up the little child and swung her in air. Very soon she and Sakshi developed a little friendship. Sakshi started to comb Jhumpi’s hair when she noticed Arjun looking at the duo. “Kya hua?” Sakshi asked, annoyed. “Nahi, aakhir main tumhari umar ke koi mil gaya tumhe..” he chuckled. “Acha Sakshi, tum meri gudiya ke saath khelo, tab tak main kuch laata hoon…” he smiled and left…

Sakshi nodded and played with the child when flashes of her past haunted her. Had she not left her, had she… a fear gripped around Sakshi and she hugged Jhumpi tighter. “Kyun ro rahe ho?” Jhumpi asked and pulled Sakshi’s face to a smile. “Kuch nahi! Pata nahi yeh Arjun kaha reh gaya?” she muttered… “Tum baba ki best friend ho kya?” she asked. “Pata nahi.” Sakshi muttered. “Acha…” Jhumpi said and started fiddling with Sakshi’s scarf. “Yeh tujhe pasand aaya?” Sakshi smiled, Jhumpi returned a sheepish one. Sakshi removed her scarf and placed it on a happy Jhumpi when Arjun returned with a box.

“Kya hai Baba?” she asked. “Aaj tera birthday hai, toh tere liye kuch laaya hai. Yeh kuch kapde aur kitaab. Aur sun, kuch biscuits ka packet bhi aur medicines bhi. Aur haan, ek cake tere liye aur ek teddy bear!” Arjun smiled while an excited Jhumpi jumped and kissed his cheeks, when he noticed that she is wearing Sakshi’s dupatta like a saree.

“Yeh kya? Saree?” Arjun raised his eyebrows while Jhumpi’s mouth turned ‘o’ and she hid her face in her palms. Sakshi took the little girl next to her and taunted Arjun “Kya Arjun! Apni bachi ko shy bana diya… chi chi!” Sakshi sneered. They spent a few more minutes with Jhumpi and ushered her to go back to her house.

A content Arjun sat in the SUV along with a happier Sakshi. “Kitna bak bak karti hai na Jhumpi! Par kitna pyaari bhi hai! Woh school jaati hai kya? What about food?” Sakshi started off with a volley of questions.

“Aur tum kehti ho ki Jhumpi zyaada baat karti hai?” Arjun smirked and Sakshi scowled. “Yep, have been supporting her family for some time now, aur Jhumpi ek achi school main padhai bhi kar rahi hai…” Arjun smiled and started the car. When he noticed that the respect in Sakshi’s eyes for him glittered… “Aisa kya dekh rahe ho?” he asked, uncomfortable by her gaze. “Kuch nahi Arjun… bas… yehi… ki… zindagi main aage badna mushkil hota hai na?” she almost whispered. Arjun remained quiet. He didn’t want to answer that question. For…

He left the words unfinished. He dropped her to her house and smiled looking at her waving at him. Sometimes by looking at Sakshi he had an urge to speak and confide in her, but he left those emotions aside…

Next Day

CID - Mumbai

“Kal ka khaana acha tha…” Tarika smiled the minute Abhijeet came into view. “Arrey yeh to kuch bhi nahi, bas aise kuch seekha tha, aur bas pesh kiya.” he replied.

“Haan, maan na padega, Mughal Darbar main kya khaana milta hai, ha Abhijeet? Woh paneer pasanda, naan aur boondi…” Daya started off…

“Raita?” Tarika looked at Abhijeet in shock… “Phirse bahar ka hi khaana apna banake pesh kiya?” she muttered and walked into the forensic lab.

Daya chuckled seeing Abhijeet’s embarrassed face when the smile was wiped off his face the minute Abhijeet started glaring at him. “Daya!” Abhijeet snarled while Daya burst into peals of laughter. “Arrey, kya hua? Mujhe bhi batau, kalse ghar pe itna tension ho raha hai! Mujhe pata nahi meri wife ko kya pasand hai?” Freddy whined and sat on the chair.

“Isliye bol raha hoon, Tarika se baat karne se pehle soch le.” Daya whispered to an angrier Abhijeet and patted Freddy’s back. “Chalo Freddy, chinta mat karo, bhabi ji ko kaise manate hai, yeh Abhijeet Sir sikha denge!” Daya smiled.

“Kya baat hai! Aaj aap toh bada khush hai!” Freddy asked.

“Haan bhai, suna hai Shreya ki engagement nahi ho rahi hai, aur voh kal kisi ke saath dinner karne gayi thi.” Abhijeet quipped back and gave a “sweet revenge” look to a red Daya. Shreya fumbled with her files and continued working, her gaze stuck to those files.

“Bas karo! Office main sabko kaam karna chahiye! Warna Sir kahenge, kuch toh baat hai Daya!” Daya grimaced.

“Haan Daya, zara humain bhi bata ki main kaunsi baat ki ke baare main soch raha hoon!” A man said from behind.

“Sir!” Daya gulped looking at an amused ACP Pradyuman.

“Sir, woh Abhijeet ne shart lagayi thi ki agar main aapke jaise acting karunga toh woh mujhe bas dus hazaar dega.” Daya smiled and Abhijeet gave a “what the hell!” look.

“Daya, sharam karo, bechare Abhijeet ko aur kitna tang karoge?” ACP Pradyuman laughed out. ‘Waise bhi uske Mughal Darbar ka khaane pe pani fer diya…” Pradyuman chuckled.

Abhijeet gave an embarrassed smile and swore to kill Daya whenever time would permit. “Pradyuman, dusre pe hasna toh achi baat hai, par zyaada mat hasso, pata nahi khud kab aise mauko pe gir javo!” a snide remark came in through the door.

Pradyuman gritted, there was always this one man who would always bring in snide remarks before a Good Morning “Good Morning Salunkhe sahab…”

“Arrey wah, itni izzat! Good Morning! Waise … arrey Good Morning Commissioner Sir!” Salunkhe said and Pradyuman turned back, to find no one.

“This man surely knows how to get on his nerves” Pradyuman thought.

“Good Morning Sir!” A young voice came into the room, “Inspector Kavin, aao. Kaafi jaldi aa gaye!” ACP Pradyuman said.

Inspector Kavin coloured a bit. “Hmm… woh Sir, actually Purvi ko pick up karne gaya tha…” he started.

ACP Pradyuman chuckled. “Pata nahi yeh hawa pe kya aagaya hai… Daya aur uska dinner, Abhijeet aur Tarika, ab Kavin bhi line main lag gaya… ” his thoughts were disturbed by a phone call… “Haan… kya? Hum abhi aa rahe hai!”

“Kya hua sir?” Freddy asked.

“Andheri area main ek lash mili hai!” Pradyuman said.

***

ETF

“Good Morning Guys!” Sakshi walked in waving at her team mates. Arjun was sitting in his usual position and briefly looked at her, while the rest wished her.

“Kal ka drive kaisa tha?” Sakshi teased them. Sameer started coughing and choked on his coffee for a second while Shree kept his gaze away from everyone. “Wow… bada reactions mil raha hai!” Sakshi chuckled.

“Miss Sakshi Anand?” Arjun looked at her...

Sakshi raised an eyebrow and smiled at him “Aapko toh amnesia hai na… baar baar bhool jaate hai ki yeh Emergency Task Force hai aur tumhara koi Bharat Matrimonials nahi… right?” Arjun snapped at Sakshi while Shree burst into laughter…

“Toh ACP Sahab, aapke hisaab se, ETF ke ander koi pyaar aur shadi nahi karta right?” Sakshi answered back.

“Karte toh hai, par kuch log ya toh coffee pilaake romance chalu rakhte hai aur kuch log jhagda karke, oh wait, now I see your point ki tumhe Cupidgiri karna itna accha kyun lagta hai!” Arjun smirked at Sakshi… however Rathore and Shree were like how did Rawte know!!!

“See I knew it! Mere nazariye se dekho toh point dikh hi jayega!” Sakshi gave a triumph smile when Arjun spoke “Of course, iss kaam main toh Brains ki zarurat hi nahi padti!” Arjun’s words poured like cold ice over Sakshi. She pouted and sat on the desk, mumbling a few profanities at him…

“Agar gaali maarne ka shauq hai toh zor se maaro.” Arjun freaked out Sakshi.

“Meh! Acha suno, woh…” her voice was interrupted with a call… “Kavin!!!!” Sakshi cheered through the phone sending everyone to a heart attack…

“Haan yaar main theek toh hoon hi… yeah, waise how is my chocolate Hero?” she spoke as if no one else existed in the room, for a momentary second the glass in Arjun’s hand stilled…

Chocolate Hero?

My chocolate Hero, Arjun’s glared at the woman in front while Ayesha passed a “see, I told you” look to Sameer. But the smile on Sakshi’s face disappeared immediately.

“What, par achanak mujhe aur Arjun kyun?” Sakshi asked. “Wait, Kav, tell me… poora bata kya hua… laash? Kiski? Wait, main team ke saath aati hoon…” Sakshi cut the call…

“Guys, Andheri main ek laash mili hai, CID has called us, specifically Arjun and I…” Sakshi said, her face sombre.

“Theek hai, tum dono jao, hum aate hai.” Sameer instructed.

***

“Yeh Kavin hai kaun?” Arjun asked suddenly, out of the blue.

Someone’s jealous… Sakshi half smiled “Kav was my ex…” she found Arjun gaping at her for a millisecond.

“Ex batchmate ACP sir… not that waala ex.” Sakshi smirked while Arjun smacked himself.

“Pata hai hum dono ko kyun bulaaya hai?” Sakshi asked, Arjun replied with a smug look on his face “Main antaryami dikhta hoon? Waha pohochke pata chalega!” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Arjun, main soch rahi thi, why not we adopt Jhumpi and let her stay with us!” Sakshi smiled, Arjun looked at her “We? Us?” he asked.

Sakshi bit her tongue, control! “I mean, you obviously, and yep better she stays with you, I am pretty incapable and irresponsible of handling kids…” Sakshi said “Chalo you accepted a universal fact!” Arjun said but found her face to be sunken and grave.

“Yeah, never been lucky for people… jo saath hote hai, woh jaan kho beithte hai…” her voice had turned throaty. Arjun looked at her for half a second. “That line applies for me Sakshi… nothing worse can there be from witnessing…” he kept the words within himself and drew in a breath. “Oh yes ACP… there are… you just don’t know it…” she said and walked out of the car, leaving Arjun in a trail of thoughts.

***

CID

“Pata nahi iss duniya main rehem bolke kuch baaki hai ya nahi…” Shreya grimaced at the sight in front… “Hmm…” the rest answered… “Sir, maine abhi Sakshi se baat ki hai and asked her to bring along ACP Arjun, according to my sources…” Inspector Kavin started…

“Theek hai, ek baar un dono ko aane do, phir hum unse baat karenge iske baare main. Waise poora ETF aa raha hai kya?” ACP Pradyuman asked. “Haan… shayad…” Inspector Kavin said.

“Lo, woh log aa gaye…” Kavin smiled and went to Sakshi.

He greeted her with a hug, causing Purvi and Arjun to stiffen a little. “Hey Kav, baat kya hai? Aur achanak humain? By the way Arjun, Kavin, Kavin, Arjun.” Sakshi said.

“Actually sutro se pata chala hai you two…” his words were stopped as a beastly roar erupted from Arjun… shocking the team out of their wits…

A blood curdling cry left his throat “NO!” he yelled with an intensity that could shake the heavens and  ran towards the body of

Jhumpi…

***

“Arjun!” Sakshi ran behind him and stopped short on the body in front… the little girl whom she met yesterday was lying still on the muddy floor… Arjun was just staring at his baby girl… Sakshi slumped beside him… when a gasp left her mouth. Arjun turned to see the horrified expression on Sakshi’s face.

Sakshi removed the left hand from the side to see it chopped off. Shreya and Purvi covered their mouths in shock. Arjun picked the frail body in his arms and hugged her tight… not a tear left his face. He just hugged her tightly. Sakshi was looking at nothingness.

Arjun murmured nothing, he said nothing, he lost his daughter… the only person who called him as Baba… he closed the glassy eyes of his child and pecked her forehead. Pradyuman crouched near Arjun “Arjun, sambhalo apne aap ko..” he said.

He looked at Pradyuman. “Meri beti jaisi thi..” his raspy voice croaked. The team looked on shocked. Arjun held the still cold body in his arms, caressing the loose tendrils of her face aside. Pradyuman swallowed a gulp, losing a child, he knew what it felt like but then for him the situation had been entirely different.

“Tarika, hum kuch der main aa rahe hai lab main, ek choti bacchi hai… expect the ETF team.” Abhijeet informed, meanwhile Kavin, Shreya and Purvi collected evidences and samples around.

Kavin ushered a still Sakshi to put Jhumpi on the stretcher. Sakshi nodded. “Arjun…” she shook him slightly. Arjun stayed glued to his place. “Arjun…” she touched his shoulder. As if snapping from something Arjun looked at Sakshi. She wiped off his tears, even though he jerked back. “Let’s keep her on the stretcher, please.” Sakshi whispered, her voice faltered to keep the strength. Seeing Arjun not react Sakshi gently lifted Jhumpi from his arms, tears rolled down her cheeks to find her wrapped in Sakshi’s dupatta. The CID team looked on sadly as Sakshi placed Jhumpi on the stretcher. When a thought filled her with dread… what happened to her.. five years before?

Sakshi wiped off her tears and pecked Jhumpi’s cheeks. Sakshi half smiled, stroking Jhumpi’s hair a little. Sakshi got up and turned aside for a little moment. She faced the CID team. “Sir, aapke sawaal ka jawaab hum kuch der main denge, we would join in your office soon enough.” she told Pradyuman. They nodded and left.

Sakshi walked towards Arjun who was staring at the dried blood on the ground. He startled on feeling a soft touch. He tried to say anything but found himself at a loss of words. Sakshi pulled him up and took him towards the SUV, keeping him on the passenger’s seat she slipped into the driver’s seat. “Arjun… kuch bolo… please…” Sakshi shook him..

Arjun looked at her.. as if trying to recollect what he just saw… Sikandar is dead… yet how is he still losing his precious one? “She can’t die…” Arjun voiced out… Sakshi took in a breath and cupped his cheeks, pushing aside her shock and pain, she bit back her tears and said “Jhumpi has died, and accept it…” he looked at her face and threw her palms aside..

“No.. yeh nahi ho sakta hai Sakshi! Sikandar marr chuka hai! I can’t lose people I love anymore!” He barked at her…

“Arjun duniya main ek nahi, sau Sikandar hote hai! She is dead and accept it!” Sakshi yelled back with equal intensity!

“NO!” Arjun shouted at her and got out of the car, Sakshi ran behind him. “Arjun!” she yelled… she ran to keep pace with him and held his hand “Arjun meri baat suno!” he yanked his grip off hers. “Leave me alone Sakshi!” he screamed at her, making her deaf for a second. “Tumhe nahi pata kaisa lag raha hai… just go!” Arjun tried to yank his hand off hers. “Mujhe bhi dard ho raha hai Arjun! But first you need to believe that she is no more… SHE IS DEA” Sakshi voice was cut off with a slap…

“I won’t believe that! I…” his voice faltered on seeing her on the ground, holding her cheek. He gulped looking at her still face. She staggered a little while standing, holding on to her cheek. Silence filled the air. He realized the gravity of his actions when little blood trickled near the torn part of her lips. “I..” he fumbled when Sakshi turned around. “Arjun?” a gasp of disbelief left her mouth. He looked at her face and opened his mouth to say something.“Let’s go to ETF, then CID bureau.” she spoke robotically and Arjun followed her, laden with guilt.

***

Forensic Lab - CID

Tarika and Salunkhe grimaced looking at dead body of the tiny girl. Nothing was harder than seeing dead bodies of children, Tarika wiped the little tear of her eyes claiming it to be a speck of dust.

Daya and Kavin were researching her background, ACP Pradyuman waited for Sakshi and Arjun to come as they would help to throw light on this matter, and Abhijeet and Freddy looked at the little body. Seeing an ACP break down wasn’t an usual thing, and seeing a child’s dead body had been one of the worst thing, the glitches of being an officer.

“Pata nahi kismat Arjun pe itni bereham kaise ho sakta hai…” Abhijeet sighed, Daya nodded in agreement.

Roshni Rawte’s brutal murder was no secret to the police teams, for it had been purposely spread as Sikandar’s message for anyone trying to mess with him…

And they knew that revenge can just satiate the anger in one, not the feeling of loss…

“Salunkhe? Mauth ka kaaran?” Pradyman asked.

“Kuch aur der isse examine karna hoga, aur iska haath normally nahi kata gaya, mujhe shak hai ek baat pe, test karke saare sawaal ka jawaab hum denge…” the usual sardonic Salunkhe too was quiet today.

“Kavin, pata lagao yeh Sakshi aur Arjun kab ayenge… sadma toh laga hi hoga, par hum jitni jaldi yeh case solve kar sakte hai, utni behtar hogi iss bacchi ki insaaf ke liye.” Pradyuman said.

***

Arjun’s SUV

Arjun was sitting quietly as Sakshi drove. The blood near the cut had dried up, the red marks lay impressioned on her soft cheek. “Sorry.” he whispered to Sakshi. “No need.” she said, she wanted him to vent out his anger, so as to he accepts the situation, though the slap was shocking… she just kept quiet for now. For the person next to her lost someone equivalent to a daughter. “Main tumhara dard samaj sakti hoon Arjun, cry out… it would make you feel better…” She said. She stopped the car aside for a few minutes and let him pour out.

Arjun was silent… but tears filled his eyes soon enough. Within the next few minutes a cry escaped his mouth. He buried his face in his palms and his body shook violently. Sakshi just watched him cry, for a second she wanted to hug him, but then let him be with himself. She wiped away the little tear as it stung the wound near her lips.

After a few minutes he composed himself, while Sakshi resumed driving. His gaze was now stuck to the dried blood and her red cheek. He shouldn’t have raised a hand on her, irrespective of the situation. He knew she was deeply hurt… her silence showed it.

“ETF.” Sakshi said and walked out of the car, passing the keys to him. Arjun wanted to say something but hesitated.

Conference Hall

“Guys..” Sakshi’s voice wafted in and the team were shocked to see her. “Sakshi! Yeh thappad kisne maara? Rawte kaha hai?” Rathore bombarded her with questions.

“Listen, he was close to this baby girl named Jhumpi, aaj subah uski laash mili CID ko, she is…” Sakshi paused and composed herself “was an eight year old girl living in XYZ address… kal uska birthday tha. At the moment Arjun is disturbed, if possible we could go and meet the CID team, they are waiting for us.” Sakshi said as if it was a rehearsed speech. Her voice was devoid emotions,

“Sure… par yeh thappa..” Rathore was quiet as Sakshi left within a second. “Come on team.”

***

CID Office

“Sorry for being late.” Sakshi came in, the team frowned at the marks on her cheek, cause they were pretty sure to have seeing none, but she dismissed it. She went closer to Kavin “Kav, uske baare main koi khabar mila?” she asked, the same one she has been asking for the past five years… “Sorry Sak… nahi…” he answered, his head hung low.

“Main ACP Rathore hoon, yeh meri team hai, Senior Inspector Ayesha - Ammunitions Expert, IT Expert Shreekant Sen, Commando Chandrakant Patil, Forensic Expert Liza D’Souza, aur in dono ko aap already jaante hai, ACP Arjun Rawte and Crime Investigator Sakshi Anand.” Rathore shook his hands with Pradyuman.

“Aapse aur aapke team se milke acha laga, yeh Senior Inspectors Daya, Abhijeet, Freddy aur Kavin, yeh Inspectors Purvi and Shreya. Aur haan, ander Forensic experts Dr. Salunkhe aur Tarika hai.” Pradyuman answered.

Liza spoke with Salunkhe and Tarika regarding the body while Shree and Kavin started deciding the places to look out with. The rest walked into the lab.

“Iske haath was not amputated surgically, amputation ki samay ek artery bhi buri tarha se injured ho gayi hai, aur iske body se kidneys missing hai. Body struggle ke signs bhi hai.” Tarika informed, though her stoic face revealed the difficulty in revealing the gruesome details.

“She was not violated.” Tarika added… which brought a little relief to the team.

“But sir, agar yeh haste main kiya gaya operation hai, then obiously there could be criminal intentions.” Liza pointed out.

“Exactly, if you ask me this is..." Purvi started… “Child Trafficking…” Sakshi completed.

Arjun crossed his arms across his chest and clenched his jaws. The thought that his gudiya might have been a victim of this burned his heart. But he stayed still. Rathore just gave a small squeeze on his shoulders which surprised Arjun. Rathore may not have been informed but he exactly knows where his once best friend might have meant to the little girl and she to him…

“Arjun, mujhe pata hai ki iss waqt tumhare liye bohot kathin hoga, apne bacche ko khona ka dard, main samajta hoon, bas kuch chand sawaalon ke jawaab chahiye.” Pradyuman held Arjun’s shoulders. Arjun nodded.

“Tarika, first aid milegi,  I would just clean up that little wound near Sakshi’s lips.” Liza said and took the kit. Arjun looked on guiltily as Sakshi hissed when the wound was cleaned. Sakshi kept her face aside, bearing the continuous stinging pain as the Dettol burned on the skin.

After having given details of her family as well as her address them, the teams left for her house while Kavin, Shree, Tarika, Liza, Salunkhe and Purvi stayed back to cover background details.

***

Jhumpi’s House

“Daya darwaza todo” “Chotu darwaza kholo” Both Pradyuman and Rathore said at one shot. Daya and Chotu looked at each other and scratched their heads, amidst them Freddy went and opened the door to find their parents scurrying away.

“Oye! Hilna mat warna yeh bandook chal jayega!” Rathore barked.

The parents stared at them. “Kaun hai aap log?” they asked. “CID and ETF… ab batao itne jaldi kya hai jaane main?” Abhijeet glared at them. “Nahi, hum nahi bhaag rahe the, arrey, Arjun saheb aap, yeh humain jaante hai…” the father started to be silenced by Arjun.

“Main sirf Jhumpi, meri gudiya ko jaanta tha, aap logo ko nahi, ab agar paanch minute main sach nahi ugalwaaya, tum dono ki kya haalat hogi, yeh baat samjhe ya… samjhaaun?” Arjun barked at them.

The parents were gulping a little. “Shreya, Ayesha - ghar ki talaashi lo… tab tak main dekhte hai yeh kaise jawaab nahi deta!” Daya growled and held the neck of Jhumpi’s father.

“Sir!  Idhar toh kareeb ek lakh ki rakam hai!” Shreya said, shocked by the amount of cash, the teams bore an expression of “WHAT”.

“Yeh aaye kaha se?” Daya barked at the two. Ayesha held the mother’s hand “Ab aapke alag se permission likhwaaun muh kholne ke liye?” she barked at the mother.

“Woh.. woh… ek aadmi aaya tha, kal raat, ek do baje ke kareeb, aur kaha ki agar hum unhe Jhumpi de de toh woh humain ek lakh rupiya denge.” The father’s words were cut short as he received a blow from Arjun.

Before matters got out of hand Chotu and Rathore held on to Arjun. “What the f*** is wrong with you people! Tumhari bachi marr gayi hai! Uska haath kaat di un logo ne! Gurde bech di hai! Aaj subah laash mila! Arrey paise chahiye the toh mujhe bol dete! Mujhe toh tum dono jante the na!” Arjun hollered at them… the parents were silent…

Chotu arrested the parents and put them into the van, it was not long enough before they met the dealer and put him behind bars to.

But that barely satiated the teams’ anger.

ETF and CID were sitting in CID office… when a call to Rathore broke their little peace. “Yes sir, haan Jhumpi ka kriya karam karenge, uske baad… hmm… ok…”

“Sir ne kaha hai ki jab case solve ho chuka hai iss bacchi ki kriya karna chahiye…” Rathore looked at Arjun who nodded.

“But case kaha khatam hua? Dealer ko pakarne se case khatam nahi hota hai, haan dealer ne usse maara aur uska haath kaata aur gurde nikaala, but this doesn’t solve everything! Hume iss baat ki jad tak jaana chahiye!” Sakshi said

“Mujhe lagta hai Sakshi sahi keh rahi hai. We are the best teams in Mumbai, we can definitely find out the kingpin behind this and destroy them, and Sir hum over emotional hoke baat nahi kar rahe hai.” Kavin put in.

“Dekho, jo tum log keh rahe ho, woh sahi hai, bilkul sahi. Yeh koi aam baat nahi hai, aaj Jhumpi kal koi aur, iss ghinona chakkar ko band karna hi padega, but for now…” Pradyuman signaled about the last rites.

***

Arjun lit the pyre and stood aside, he couldn’t watch it burn… painful memories of Roshni absolved his mind. He closed his eyes and sat on the ground when he felt a touch on the shoulder.

To find Pradyuman there. “Sir?” Arjun started but Pradyuman joined him on the ground.

“I know Arjun ki tum kis daur se guzar rahe ho… mera bhi ek beta tha, woh marr gaya tha…” Pradyuman sighed.. Arjun just looked at him… “Sorry.. sir…” “Oh no, I had killed him, as a cop I might have succeeded Arjun,  but as a father and husband, I had failed. Zindagi ne mujhe kaye mauke diye the, par main woh kabhi samaj nahi paaya. Jo rishte ahmiat rehte the, mera ego, rob, yeh sab beech main aa gaya aur woh saare choot gaye… meri biwi ne mujhe baar baar kosa apne bete ki jaan lene ke liye, jaise ki uske sharir main bandook khali karne main mujhe dard nahi aaye… par agar woh nahi karta, toh woh kai hazaaron ke jaan le lete…” Pradyuman sighed and closed his eyes.

“Aaj yeh Daya, Abhijeet… yeh sab mere parivaar rahe hai… tumhe lagta hoga you are the unluckiest man in the planet, hai na Arjun? You are not… here’s a father who killed his son, there’s a man who lost his sister, hum sab ke peeche koi na koi aisa dard hai jiske sahare agar hum jeena shuru kar de… toh phir maut se behtar kuch nahi hoga… instead of making Jhumpi a memory you would mourn for, tum main woh kabiliyat hai duniya ke sekro aur Jhumpi ko bachane ke liye, aur yeh baat yaad rakhna, harr baar tum ek bachi ko bachaogi, toh tab tum Jhumpi ko moksh doge… yaad rakhna…” Pradyuman smiled with the tenderness of a father and left…

It was strange, ACP Pradyuman never really shared his personal life with anyone… but this time it had been an exception.

The Commissioner had stepped in, complementing the teams on tabbing the dealers immediately and providing justice… “Par Sir hum toh…” Chotu was silenced by a squeeze from Sakshi.

“Haan Sir aap kuch keh rahe the…” Sakshi fixed her gaze on the Commissioner, with hatred spewing from her eyes.

“Haan ab main keh raha hoon, ki there are a few murder cases to handle, ab dono woh sab handle karo, yeh Child Trafficking, main dekh lunga… aap logo ko inn sab main jhanjhat nahi lenii.” the team was about to protest but Kavin and Sakshi nodded and answered a yes, surprising the teams.

***

“Chalo, hum yaha pe rok ke kuch kha lete hai, and as for what Kav and I said, we would explain that in ETF office…” Sakshi said and hopped off the SUV, near a dhaba…

It was long that Arjun noticed Sakshi to be missing… he took a few steps and found voices of a woman… crying… Sakshi!

Arjun paced towards there to find her huddled in Kavin’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably while Kavin had tightened his grip around her waist, moving his fingers through her hair, planting a kiss on her head.

A tight knot formed in his heart and he found it hard to gulp watching the intimate embrace of Sakshi and Kavin, he hadn’t minded that they were friends, but this certainly seemed to be something beyond that. Arjun felt as if he missed out on something precious…

He knew she had loved him for the past… but he always pushed her aside, yet surprisingly seeing her in the arms of another man fueled something in his mind. His thoughts were interrupted as a woman’s voice reached him.

“Sir aapne Kavin ko dekha hai?” Purvi asked… and then her voice faltered watching the duo hugging under the tree… Purvi’s jaws stiffened… Arjun and Purvi shuffled their feet awkwardly, even though they were as good as strangers, they exactly could understand the jealousy and pain stinging their hearts at that moment.

They left, waiting for Sa-Vin to come back and report.

***

“So teams, it is official ki Commissioner has asked us to back out from the case. Not a very unnatural thing.” Kavin started off.

“Kyunki Child Trafficking ek aise crime hai jaha pe lawbreakers are with the lawmakers, just for a petty amount of cash…” Sakshi said.

“This sad business fetches a hefty amount of 20 million pounds a year in India, jo hai roughly…” Kavin continued…

“192,77,13,400 rupees, kareeban two hundred crores, aur yeh according to my information is only a fifth of the amount actually earned… also added to that are the other forms of cash, arrey this almost makes a good percentage of a nation’s total economy!” Shree informed.

“Aur jitna mujhe yaad hai, during my undercover stints I had revealed a few names, but they never came behind the bars, my sir said they would be ‘handled’” Ayesha scratched her head.

“Now Ayesha, it’s not much a surprise right ki tumhe ek undercover se achanak ek police force main convert kaise aur kyun kiya gaya…” Sakshi pointed out.

“Agar jo hum soch rahe hai, iska matlab hai ki Commissioner sahab iss sab main involved hai?” Abhijeet asked to which the duo nodded.

“Matlab iss case ko crack karne ke liye we have to work without anyone getting a hint of it, aur iske liye we can’t use any of the governmental tools…” Daya said.

“Exactly Sir! Child Trafficking kabhi band nahi hoga, kyunki jo kam log isske khilaaf kaam karte hai, unse case le liye jaata hai, if we have to root out this sir, we have to work away from the government, isliye the murder cases, we have to work those, as a front, taaki kisiko bhanak bhi na lage…” Sakshi said.

“And how are we going to do this?” Arjun asked.

“By joining the two best teams of Mumbai… aur yeh planning hum sab ko milke karna hoga, kya pata kitni aur masoomo ki jaan bach jaye..” Sakshi took in a deep breath while Kavin passed her a soft look…

Which neither Arjun nor Purvi missed…  

“Sakshi aur Kavin, tum dono sahi ho… but then… iske liye we need a week’s time to start the operation. Yeh baat maine bhi notice ki hai that after we have caught dealers, be it for sex racket or child trafficking, cases humare haathon se liye jaatein the. Par koi shaq nahi karega on seeing CID and ETF meeting up frequently?” Rathore asked.

“Not exactly… kyunki hum zyaada der meet up toh karne nahi waale hai and bahana toh kabhi bhi ki jaa sakti ho. Toh jo bhi karna hai aur sochna hai, aaj aur kal main karna padega, I know it’s very fast… par ya toh ab… ya phir kabhi nahi.” Kavin said.

“Hmm… okay team, let’s get to work.” Rathore said.

“Aap sab yaha, Conference room main aaye… I will get a few chairs arranged.” Ayesha smiled.

***

Arjun’s Cabin

“Rawte?” Rathore walked into the cabin to find Arjun wiping the little moisture of his eyes. “Yes, main kuch minute main aa raha hoon.” Arjun cleared his throat and got up. Even though Sikandar had been away from their lives, Rathore could ever mend his relation with Arjun due to guilt and now Arjun found it too hard to forgive Rathore.

So it stayed - as Rathore and Rawte… though there were moments of slight emotions… but it never went more than that.

Rathore cleared his throat and looked at Arjun. “Don’t worry, hum jald hi iss business ko burst kar denge, and give her justice.” Rathore looked at Arjun who nodded.

Rathore noticed Arjun looking at Sakshi walking around the cabin, the red marks were still bright on her cheeks…

“You slapped her?” Rathore blurted out to find Arjun look aside in guilt. “Let me tell you Rawte, jis din tum tumhare gusse pe kaboo rakh pavoge, uss din tumhe sach main chain aur shanti milegi… and tumne acha nahi kiya…” Rathore sighed and walked out of the cabin, Arjun had, is and will always be unpredictable.

Arjun walked out of his cabin and decided to talk to Sakshi, but she plainly ignored him as if he didn’t exist. Then she stopped for a second and looked at Arjun “You are required at the CR.” she said and walked away before Arjun said anything.

***

“Iss operation ko sambhalne ke liye hame 3 important areas ko dhyaan main rakhna chahiye, and sabse zaroorat yeh hai ki humare seniors aur nahi koi political member iss baat ko samjhe ki hum actually iss trafficking ko burst karne waale hai.” Pradyuman walked around the room.

“Sir, main aur Kavin IT sambhalenge, iss se jo minute chips, USBs, office main cameras and hacking the devices humare under aasani se ho jayenge. So as to koi bhi bug ho, ya phir jab humme se koi “leave” pe hoga, we will handle that kisiko shak na ho.” Shree said.

“Excellent, undercover ke liye Ayesha toh rahegi, being an undercover specialist usse asani se pata chal jayega kaun kaha kab kaise jayenge, waise Ayesha, jab Commissioner sir ne tumhe ETF main transfer kiya, did he know who you were in the underworld?” Rathore looked at Ayesha.

“No sir, humare protocols main yeh allowed nahi hai, usually we don’t share our identities with anyone. So yeah, basically Commissioner sir doesn’t know any more than the fact that I was an undercover agent, which makes it easier for me to go back.” Ayesha smiled a little.

“Great, iska matlab jab Ayesha jayegi undercover stint ke liye, uss time pe Freddy aur main apne saare informer ko alert karke iss dhande ki hotspots nikal lenge; aur iss dhande main jitne saare naam involved hai, yeh chaar paanch ache mukke ke baad bol hi denge.” Daya spoke.

“Aur nahi toh kya, aur humare paas jo criminal record hai, we will use those apna information confirm karne ke liye, aur haan, Shree aur Kavin yeh sambhalenge ki koi yeh na notice kar paye that we are using specific criminal records.” Abhijeet instructed.

“Sir!” Shree nodded.

“Hmm… all this is fine, but we need someone who will penetrate into the business, aur jiske aane jaane se kisiko shaq nahi hona chahiye. Aur aisa insaan jo saare information nikal sakte hai…” Arjun tapped his finger on the desk.

“Main chali javungi!” Sakshi said.

“What? Tum?” Arjun stared at her disbelievingly.

“Investigative Journalism ke wajeh se I know every nook and corner of Mumbai aur main araam se adde pe jaa sakungi. Aur best hai ki koi mere chehre ko pehchaanta hi nahi, aur jaha tak mere articles hai… usse handle karna zyaada mushkil nahi hoga. And as far as joining you all in the cases, according to someone I ain’t that important on field.” Sakshi sat on her chair.

Arjun knew that was for him. He tried to say something but kept it to himself.

“Par Sakshi, kya tumne kabhi yeh sab kabhi kiya hai?” Shreya asked.

“Haan Shreya, bohot baar… isliye toh Investigative Journalist hoon, yeah though I know in ETF more than statistics and research zyaada role nahi hai mera… but then now I can make full use of my experience, aur jaha tak haat hapai ka darr hai, don’t worry… I am trained enough.” Sakshi smiled, she didn’t miss Arjun’s gaze at her, but decided to let go for the moment.  

“Great, that leaves Purvi and I for the moment… iska matlab hai ki jab Daya sir aur Abhijeet sir office pe rahenge, tab hum dono bahar investigate karne ke liye jayenge. That sorts it all!” Shreya smiled.

“Hmm… zaroor… so undercover ke liye we have Ayesha and of course Sakshi… and what about creating a safe house? Jaha pe the kids whom we save on our way, usse aise ek jaah pe rakhna hoga jaha pe kisiko shak na ho… I mean I don’t think we can just stare at the people mishandling the kids!” Purvi flared in anger…

Her anger seemed to real… Kavin frowned and noted to ask her about this issue.

She composed herself and looked at the other’s faces.

“Purvi, tum sahi aur ghalat bhi ho… you see it’s pretty dangerous… kyunki agar kisine uss adde ko dhund liya, then ek shot main saare bacche marr jayenge… thus in baccho ko bachane ke baad, we need to keep them at a suburban place, jaha tak zyaada tar log aya jaya na kare…” Rathore scratched his head.

“Sir, mera ek farmhouse hai, as in pushtaini farmhouse in Maharashtra itself. Agar mujhe waqt diya jai then I can make sure that the house is completely safe, secure and sound from any sort of danger, trust me on that!” Shree said.

“Okay, toh Shree tumhare paas aaj se viral fever hai so you are taking a few days off, over the phone chote mote case ke details pass kiye jayenge, what do you say sir?” Ayesha looked at Rathore and he nodded.

“Theek hai, aur aaj se I am going for undercover stint. Kisi se kuch contact nahi hoga except for Kavin. So bye guys…” Sakshi half smiled and Arjun shot a look to her.

“Miss Anand please come to my cabin.” Arjun said and Sakshi sighed.

****

Arjun’s Cabin

“ Do you know tum kaha jaa rahi ho?” Arjun folded his arms across his chest and she nodded “I know pretty well Arjun.” she answered.

“Tum marr sakti ho waha… ya phir tumhari haalat mauth se battar ho sakti hai…” Arjun threw his arms in the air. Sakshi quinted her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Ho gaya aapka, ab main javun, dekho I am an external source in ETF so neither the ETF nor you exercise any rights on me. I need time to prepare.” Sakshi said.

“Sakshi…” Arjun mumbled and she turned towards him “Hmm…” she said. He walked closer to her and ran his fingers over the reddened area “Am sorry…” he whispered.

Sakshi closed her eyes tightly and then looked at him “Arjun… I don’t know what to say, agar kisi din gusse se tumne mujhe maar hi daala toh? Tab toh maafi mangne ki liye main zinda hi nahi bachungi na…” Sakshi sighed.

“I am really very sorry Sakshi…” Arjun’s shoulders sagged and he looked aside. “Do you really mean it?” Sakshi looked at his face and he nodded. “Okay.” she whispered and was about to go when Arjun said “Agar madat ki zaroorat ho toh..” “Zaroorat nahi hai Arjun, bye…” she whispered and walked out.

Had she stepped out a second later she wouldn’t have caught the words “take care”.

***