A day later, the detective called up Abhita for an interesting scoop he had just got.
A man who was keeping a watch on the both men, had called up to inform that a big hawala deal was getting through Verma and associates office and its was sure that Rohit will be keeping five lakh rupees cash at his house for the next 2-3 days. She quickly swung into action, called up Anik and they went to the detective’s office to make up a scheme to use this opportunity to the fullest.
Ram Prasad was one of the rotten employees of the income tax office
Station house officer of the kotwali police station, Hira lal, was from a poor background. He always felt jealous of people who found shortcut to success. His father was an idealistic man, taught him that service to the nation will bring in benefits and honors both. Hira Lal no doubt had won many state awards, and gained lot of respect in his department. When a friend, an informer who had worked with him on several cases, informed him of a hawala racket functioning in his areas, his blood boiled, for another man who had chosen shortcut to become Rich. The first thing in the morning would be to teach him a lesson.
Hira lal was late by about an hour. The income tax authorities had got an anonymous packet containing some papers of transactions of cash by one Rohit verma. Then Ram Prasad a trustable employee had provided a lead which they couldn’t ignore at all. Tax evasion was a serious issue these days. When the policemen came in, there was lot of confusion and Hira lal had to go away, because the income tax authorities were conducting an investigation. This pissed him off badly; he cursed Rohit verma, and went away, promising him that one day he will get him. This was more due to the embarrassment he had faced then to any crime he had committed.
The man standing opposite Rohit’s house was giving live details to Abhita, Anik and the detective who were listening satisfactorily to the details as they poured in. Time was to start another chapter to the drama.
A case of hawala was registered against both Rohit and Rajesh, but they got bail and were immediately released. It was 12 a.m. when Rajesh’s phone rang, “You raped a girl, your girl is just 6 years old, imagine one day, if she is raped, how will you feel, I heard Rohit already has eyes on your wife. Ofcourse they will do it with consent, but your daughter is minor, beware.” A heavy man’s voice told Rajesh, to whom all sleep evaded at the moment. Anik made a similar call to Rohit. Next day, a woman called them up, “Hello Mr. Rapist, please don’t rape your mother, she is old and frail,
And don’t rape your sister, you may fail.
Your wife maybe raped by another,
But why do you need to bother.”
Alternately, for the next few days, the phone calls were repeated. Then the phones of the two men were switched off. This was anticipitated by Abhita and Anik before, but the desired effect was casted on both the men.
She dialed their office number the next day, “How is it going?” she asked, once the man identified himself as Rohit. “Who’s this?” Abhita was pleased to hear irritation in that voice. “You don’t recognize the voice that was pleading and shouting you to stop it?” Rohit stirred. “What do you want?” sparks of frustration. Abhita was more pleased. “I wanted you in jail for the crime you committed, but then I sent you to jail with a different excuse, you still got out.” This time Rohit was shocked badly, he hadn’t expected this girl or any woman for that matter to take such a big initiative.
“So what, I am out, I had told you before also, you can’t do anything to us.” He spoke after a long pause.
“Who wants to see you in jail? The plans I have made for you can’t be executed in jail.” Rajesh who was listening to the conversation took the phone from Rohit, “What do you want tell us clearly, we are ready for compromise.” There was reluctance in his voice, which indicated that Rohit had not agreed to this. There was a long pause as phone was kept on hold. Rohit continued the conversation this time, “Come over, and let’s talk.” She knew they would fall for it, and she was ready with a reply. “My representative would meet you at Hindustan coffee shop,
She wanted to say that her friend, would come by but Anik had specifically asked her to use this word.
He wanted a business like feel to the whole affair. She was glad that both the men had agreed to the venue and time, now it was up to Anik to create some magic. “And yes, I forgot to tell you, your wives know about their husband’s brave efforts. Thought should inform you, if they haven’t yet appreciated your efforts.” She said, before hanging up the phone. Now they would reach exactly on time.
Anik had been pleased when Abhita accepted his suggestion that she shouldn’t have a face to face meeting again with those men. She wouldn’t say anything but he realized that it will be very tough for her; already she was suffering silently so much. Now, waiting for those men, in the coffee shop he felt nervous. He had to talk tough to these men, as his father had explained but he wasn’t very experienced in all this. As both men came towards him, he noticed their faces, there wasn’t any regret on Rohit’s face but Rajesh looked bit scared. They ordered coffee, Anik made no effort to start a conversation, So Rajesh spoke, “Tell us, what you want?” Anik stirred the coffee in front of him. No sorries, no apologies, if their mothers would have seen this, they would have killed themselves for producing such sons. “Six lakhs.cash.no negotiations.” Rohit smiled, this was easy, he thought. “Two lakhs. Let’s get over it.”
Anik stared at him. “You switch off you phone at nights, but your wife doesn’t.” Rajesh choked up. The coffee he was drinking seemed to have stuck somewhere. “I will meet you here after three days, same place same time.” Rajesh tried to speak, but was interrupted by Anik, “Thanks for the coffee. I would hate to come home and ask for money in front of your children. They may ask the reason.” He smiled sympathetically, and left the place.
That night, at dinner Anik’s father was outraged. “You want to make this girl look like a whore, and you yourself a pimp.” He shouted at his son. Anik was suddenly terrified; he had never seen his father in such anguish. It was Abhita who finally saved him. “Uncle, those people were bleeding financially, we just lightened them up further.” The man still looked unconvinced, so she explained further, “According to what records we have, Rohit has some investments in shares but Rajesh has only his wife’s jewellery left. The court cases and failed deals are taking their toll on their savings.”
The old man wont budge very easily, “Think of the morality of all this, what picture of you is being painted by all this.” She stared straight into his eyes. “I don’t need their certificate to prove my moral standing.” He looked below on his plate and said, “Your plan is bigger then I see it.” She too looked down, softened her tone and said, “We take money and let them believe that it’s over, then we deliver a deadly punch. Just wait and watch.” Anik thought, he had made a mistake by looking into those eyes. Horror was shining bright into them.
Three days later Anik collected five lakhs from the two rapists. They had argued that they couldn’t pay the full amount, and on consultation with Abhita, he took the money home. While he was leaving, Rajesh called back, “Now, you people won’t bother us anymore that is a fair deal.”
He looked back, feeling confident that cash transaction was now over, “I think people like you, who force a women for sex, should never talk about fair deal.” He said, and went away. Rajesh looked surprised. He wasn’t sure what he meant.
He would have, if he had known what Abhita at that moment was telling his wife over the phone, “Your husband just gave away Rohit some three lakhs rupees. Heard he has been gambling too much these days.” The woman on the other end was stronger then Abhita had expected. “And what business is yours in this whole transaction?” She asked. Abhita couldn’t suppress her laughter, but she controlled it somehow and replied, “Well I just wanted to advice you that you could have got a better value on that gold set your mother gifted you.” She hung up the phone and dialed Rohit’s wife number. “Your husband lost five lakh rupees today in gambling. Teach him some good tricks other wise you will loose the money that you saved for your children’s marriage too. The other savings have already vanished.” She hung up the phone, not even allowing the lady to comment.
The mood was upbeat at the dinner table; Anik’s father was now more supportive of their earlier decision. “Money and family. You hit both with a single stone.” He said delightedly to Abhita.
Abhita was not in mood to merry said, “The detective hasn’t taken a single penny from us. I want your help in giving him one lakh rupees. I think you can persuade him better.” Anik’s father looked at her, the request hadn’t come from his son’s friend, it seemed to have come from his own daughter. In the past few weeks they had bonded really well, but more he drew closer to her, more suffering he could experience and that hurt him like anything. He replied, “I don’t think he will take it, but we will try nevertheless.” She smiled, acknowledging his help, and turned to Anik, “I want you to have half of the rest of the share, that is two lakhs.” He was suddenly very angry at her, “You think, I helping you for money? This is yours; we don’t even want a single rupee.” She remained calm; as his father got up to do some work in the kitchen. “Please try to understand, you have also incurred some expenditure, just think it as a cover up of all those expenses.” She looked at him pleadingly. He would have slapped her, he thought, instead he said, “My father handles all the finances of this house, and as long as he is alive he will only manage them.” He was in shock when he discovered that his father had taken the money with little persuasion.
That night, he went up to Abhita who was lying on the sofa, talking to her parents on the phone. He waited till she kept the phone and said, “I am sorry, I was a bit rude that time.” She looked at him, with child like innocence, and made him sit besides her. “Can I rest my head on your lap?” he was surprised, and embarrassed by her question, but had no alternative except a yes. She kept her head on his lap, looking at the ceiling said, “Anik, I am sick of all this, what I was, and look what I have become. I am sick of all this Anik.” She cried, as Anik watched on helplessly. “My parents think am so happy and satisfied here, my boss feels am so cheerful nowadays. I am all fake Anik. I don’t want to pretend anymore.” Anik, wanted to hug her tightly, kiss her and make her quite, but he knew that could be disastrous. He had to let the emotions inside her flow. He took her handkerchief lying on the side table and wiped off the tears, making it a point not to touch her directly. He didn’t speak anything, letting her continue, “Do you think what all we doing is right Anik, think about the kids, the wives that must be suffering too.” Anik waved his hands across her hair and said, “What they did, I can’t justify that.”
He had hoped that the topic would deviate, but she sticked to it when she replied, “Can we justify what we are doing? Some writer once wrote, an eye for an eye makes the world blind, just think about it, we are becoming, we are behaving as sinister as they were.” She turned her head up and looked straight into Anik’s face, like a child waiting desperately for an answer. “Anik was caught unawares and found it hard to reply. “That line was said by Gandhijie, and yes I agree that we may be doing something that is wrong, but think about this, God can’t do justice, by himself coming down from heaven. We all are his messengers, his servants, the mediums through which he will deliver his justice.” For a moment, he was startled at what all he had just said, whether it was true or not he didn’t know but it had a comforting effect on Abhita, “Anik, you are so sweet, without you, I would have died perhaps.” She said in a week tone. Anik’s heart ached, for he loved this girl, and would never admit it.
“Anik, make me feel sleep please.” She requested him. Anik was again surprised. Never before this had happened to him, the girl who he loved, was lying besides him, her head on his lap, and now he had to make her sleep. He wanted to run far away. Instead he waved his hand over her hair again, “Let me sing you a song. La la la la
Anik, spent his night, sitting on the sofa, looking at the sleeping girl, thinking about how much life had changed. She was such a bubbly cheerful girl once, with all her mood swings, she could cheer him up even when he was in the worst of his moods. Now she laid here, that happiness, cheerfulness all evaporated from her face. She looked so lifeless, as if the whole purpose of existence was now missing. The only comforting factor was that she won’t think of suicide. He had read about many girls who commit suicide after such incidents. Abhita was brave. And Anik trusted her courage.
Then he thought about the fact that thousands of girls are raped every day in various parts of the world. Perhaps an equal number of them are exploited and forced into different tasks, drug peddling, prostitution, slavery. So many wives are exploited by their husbands for their personal needs. He shivered at the thoughts of how they must be suffering. It was only at dawn that he got up silently pushing a cushion under her head, and went to sleep, only that his thoughts didn’t allow him to sleep.
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