Jealous killing

A passerby informed the police of a body lying in a pool of blood in the lane. Crime Inspector Dharma Chakra (DC) was tasked with investigating the murder.

*

Satya Teerthi (ST) is a graduate in arts. Her father runs a grocery shop. People from surrounding apartment complexes purchase their daily necessities from this shop.

ST was of above-average Indian height, with fair skin, a long, straight, narrow nose, bright, wide eyes, and a short forehead. She had thick, curly black hair in a bob cut, with bell-shaped gold earrings. Her red bindu added to her beauty. Her body was well-structured for her height. The boys and girls of the college considered her the most beautiful.

*

Ranga (R) was ST's classmate in UG. R's parents moved from another state to this city in search of a better livelihood. They were working in a roadside tented shop selling Sofas, Almirahs, Chairs, etc. 

R obtains his family's daily requirement of groceries from ST's father's shop. R's father opened an account with the shop and pays at the beginning of every month. ST helps her father with grocery sales in the mornings and evenings. ST knew R as both a customer and a classmate.

*

R's parents approached ST's parents regarding ST's marriage to R.

R's mother said, "R and ST are classmates, and they have known each other for several years. If they are married, they will lead a happy life. They are both educated, hence, need not depend on us, and they will be financially well off."

ST's parents were not interested because of their different socio-economic backgrounds.

ST's father said, "Just being classmates and knowing each other can't be the criterion for deciding marriage. There are several other factors to be considered in marriage. I know R as a sincere, hardworking person who will prosper in life. But we are not thinking of our daughter's marriage now. You'd better search for another girl in your relations."

With these words, R's parents understood their opinion. R's mother was furious.

*

 Sri Kumar (SK) graduated and earned a PG with honours in computer science and engineering. He got a campus placement at an MNC in India. 

SK's parents lived in an apartment complex, and his father purchased groceries from the shop. Both SK's and ST's fathers became friends.

SK's parents were searching for a bride and approached ST's parents, who agreed. The wedding was celebrated on a grand scale. SK set up the family in a 2BHK apartment near their parental homes.

*

Kanaka Raj's (KR's) parents were also in the same business as R's parents. R and KR were childhood friends. They both opened another shop in a different area. Their business was flourishing.

*

SK and ST wanted to enjoy snacks on an evening and went to a posh restaurant. R and KR were at the restaurant. They came by R's bike. R introduced KR as his business partner. ST& SK exchanged pleasantries with them. They all had snacks and tea. SK paid the bill for all of them. SK and ST  went to the apartment in their car. KR booked an auto and went to the shop. R went into the nearby side lane to pick up his bike.

*

When R entered the lane, two people approached R. One of them folded R's hands, and the second one sealed R's mouth with tape. Then the first one, without a word, stabbed R in the chest and abdomen. R fell on the ground, bleeding. They kept the knife in R's hands and left the place. They removed the tape from R's mouth, their gloves, masks, and other gear, and stuffed them into a plastic bag. 

Then they left in two different directions. A passerby informed the police of a body lying in a pool of blood in the lane.

SK, ST, and KR were surprised to read of R's death in the newspapers the following day.

*

Crime Inspector Dharma Chakra (DC) was tasked with investigating the murder.

DC went to the murder site with his team, including their sniffer dog. The dog went around the site, led to the main road, and stopped in front of the lane-side shop. It was two shops away from the hotel.

DC to the shop owner:  I am investigating the murder in the lane. Provide me with the list of people who visited your shop on that day.

Shop owner, "Sir, we sell household electrical fixtures like bulbs, wires, switches. Some people enquire and leave. We don't have a list of the people visited. Still, I can provide you with the names and mobile numbers of the people from our bill book."

DC: Please provide the list for Tuesday from 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm.

Shop owner searches the bill book and says he can give the names and mobile numbers of people who purchased in the afternoon, as he looked after the shop from 3.00 pm onwards, while his brother was out for lunch.

DC hands the list to his subordinate to find out which calls were made from those numbers and from that location between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm.

As no calls were made, the investigation became complicated.

DC enquired of the shop owner if they have CC cameras?

The shop owner said, "No, but the jewellery shop on the opposite side of the road has CC cameras."

*

DC went to the Jewellery shop(JS) and introduced himself.

DC: I would like to review the CC camera recordings on Tuesday. JS owner opened the CC camera recordings of Tuesday on the Desktop computer.

The CC camera footage covered the two shops and the hotel entrance on the opposite side.

Several people parked their vehicles in front of the shop adjoining the lane. He saw two hefty personalities parking the bikes and waiting for some time before the shop, and followed R into the lane. DC noticed that the two motorbikes parked earlier were no longer there after 6 pm.

The CC camera footage showed SK, ST, R, and KR leaving the hotel and dispersing.

DC took copies of those recordings and instructed his subordinates to find out who these two people are.

*

The police identified them as B&K, criminals, jailed, and were presently on bail.  

DC formed two teams, 1 and 2, to search for B&K. Team 1 found out their residence. When they visited their flat, it had already been vacated. The flat owner stays in a villa in a different location.

The crime sub-inspector-1 (CSI-1) asked the flat owner, " Provide the ID cards of those tenants?"

The owner, "No, Sir. They took it on rent for a month; hence, I did not collect the details. They paid the advance rent. They vacated early without informing me. They did not stay for a fortnight."

 He took CC camera footage of the villas on the day they came to his villa. They were B&K.

*

CSI-2  split his team into two groups. They went in the direction of B and K after the murder. The groups could locate one motorbike in Vijayawada and another on the Nagpur highway using recordings from petrol bunks.

The police contacted the transport department, which confirmed that the number plates were fake.

* 

Bhairav (B) met Kalki (K) in jail. B was once caught in a murder by the police and later released on bail.

K was part of a mediation group that resolved land disputes and later started killing people for money. K was jailed in connection with one such case and was released on bail.

While in jail, they planned to work together after release.

*

 B&K's hirer gave them a photo of R and his details. B&K began their work the next day. They rented a flat in an apartment complex across the street from R's house to monitor his movements. They tracked R's activities with binoculars at the house and the office.

They saw R come out of the office, ride his motorbike on Tuesday evening, pick up KR from their shop, and go into the hotel.

 B&K followed R and parked their bikes near a shop, adjoining the lane. They saw R come out of the hotel and head into the lane.

B&K followed R into the lane and finished their assigned job.

  *

 B&K  considered going to places where it would be easy to hide and difficult for the police to trace them.

 CSI-2 informed the police stations en route along these two highways to trace and apprehend them and bring them to the city.

As per the CSI-2 instructions, they were caught at the intermediate stations and produced before the DC.

*

DC went to R's parents to enquire.

DC: "Do you doubt any person involved in this murder?"

R's mother, "We doubt ST and her father. We were interested in having ST's marriage with our son R, but they refused."

 ST's father to DC. "They approached us, but we were not interested because they were from a different socio-economic background. We have no grudge against them." 

ST said, "I considered R as a classmate, friend, and never thought of marriage with him. I am happy with SK."

We also met him at the hotel on the day of the murder, and he introduced KR to us. All four had snacks, and SK paid the bill.

The police found that no calls were made from these numbers.

*

DC detained B&K and questioned them in police methods. B&K eventually admitted they were hired by KR to kill R. DC arrested KR and presented him before the judge. The judge ordered his detention in police custody for 14 days for further investigation.

DC used police methods, and KR admitted that he engaged B&K to kill R.

 KR said, "R and I have been childhood friends. We started a combined business. But R wanted to open another shop of his own. That made me angry and jealous of R, and I planned to kill him so that all his investments would be mine."

KR and B&K were brought before the court with all the evidence, and the judge found them guilty and sentenced them to jail terms.

******The End*****