Lord Hanuman Helps DC - Part I

The questions before the Crime Inspector Dharam Chakra(DC) are to find -

1. Who killed MK?

 2. Where did GR go?

3. What happened to the Treasure?

4. Who is the other person?

DC sent one of the SIs to collect the post-mortem report.

*

Narayanpur (NP) is the bus depot headquarters, serving the surrounding villages. Night halt buses ply to the surrounding villages to collect vegetables, maize, and paddy from villagers for sale in NP. The buses depart from the villages at 5.00 am, pick up passengers en route, and reach NP by 7.00 am.

The villagers sell their products at the market in NP, buy groceries and other necessities, and board the bus for their return journey at noon. Some people stay until evening and take the 7.00 pm night-halt bus.

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 MK  meets GR

Mridula Kumari (MK) is a graduate. She learnt about the Treasure at Hanumamtuni Gutta (HG) and wanted to uncover the truth. She was highly enthusiastic about finding the Treasure and handing it over to the government.

She left the city, telling her parents she was going to a friend and would return by evening. She didn't disclose her adventurous trip. She packed two dresses into her backpack. She wore an orange T-shirt tucked into blue jeans.

*

 Brief History of HG.

  HG is a hamlet on the other side of the stream, attached to the village of Raghavapur (RP). RP is 15 km from NP and has a population of four hundred people. RP and HG elect a single Sarpanch. Both are agriculture-based, and residents live in huts. There is a Hanuman Deity on a small hillock; hence, the hamlet is known as Hanumantuni Gutta (HG).

It is rumoured that the Shatavahana kings built a temple here. After the Shatavahana dynasty, no one cared for the temple; it lost its lustre, suffered wear and tear, and was left in a dilapidated condition, with its roof and pillars missing. In its current state, two pillars flank the Deity. It is also rumoured that one army chief hid a large hoard of gold coins in the temple's underground.

*

MK meets GR

 MK arrived in NP by train and then boarded a bus to RP. The passengers gazed at her beauty, figure and modern dress in amusement, as such attire was unusual in RP.

 A fellow passenger, Gangaram (GR), noticed she was new to the village and began a conversation with her. He learned that she was going to HG. He told her he was from the same village and would guide her. MK found GR reliable and helpful and considered seeking his help.

GR took MK to his hut, which is outside the village and the Deity. He was about forty-five years old, his wife died about ten years ago, he had no children,  and he lives alone. MK enquired about the Hanuman Deity.

GR was familiar with the entire history of the HG and the Treasure. MK became confident in GR and confided in him about her visit to the village, seeking his help in exploring the Treasure. GR was happy to help.

*

MK and GR find the Treasure.

MK and GR went with all the required tools, like a crowbar, pickaxe, shovel, and a basket. MK brought two large torches in her backpack.

They reached HG at about 11.00 pm. It was pitch dark. Many mature trees surrounded the Deity. Serpents were moving around the area. They wore shoes and covered their legs up to the knees with gunny bags, so that a snake bite couldn't reach their leg nerves. 

GR tested the ground around the Deity with the crowbar and heard a different sound to the right of the Deity. MK suggested they try there. GR started digging at that spot. About 4 ft below the ground, the sound changed, and they removed the soil with a pickaxe and spade. They found a bronze vessel, closed with a lid, covered with a red silk cloth, and tied with a copper wire. 

The vessel was heavy. GR and MK bent into the pit, forcibly removed the vessel, then opened it. To their surprise, it was full of Shatavahana-era gold coins.

They congratulated each other on finding the Treasure.

*

MK was Killed

MK knelt, opened her backpack, and asked GR to place the gold coins into her bag. GR was pouring the gold coins into the backpack.

As GR was about to empty the vessel, a young person appeared with a dry, fallen branch, struck MK on the head, and struck the medulla oblongata from behind. She fell on the ground with blood bleeding from the head, and died instantly. The young person then disappeared into the woods. GR was dumbfounded by this sudden event within seconds. By the time he recovered from the shock, the person had left.

GR thought for a moment, put all the gold coins into the backpack, removed the gold ornaments from MK's body, including a chain, earrings, and a finger ring, dug a pit behind the Deity, and buried MK. GR paid his last respects to MK.

*

MK's Parents File FIR

 MK's parents were worried that MK hadn't returned by that night. The following day, they contacted her friends. All the friends said, "She didn't come to them." They grew suspicious and filed a complaint at the nearest police station regarding the missing girl, MK. The police shared the information with all police stations in the state.

 The police learned that MK boarded a bus to NP in the evening. They contacted the SI at the NP police station. He went to the bus stand and contacted the Manager. He sent the photo to all bus conductors starting from NP. A conductor of the night-halt bus informed the Manager that she travelled by his bus to its last stop, RP. He said she was special because of her orange-coloured T-shirt tucked into blue jeans.

*

DC visits HG

As it had been three days since MK went missing, the higher-ups appointed Crime Inspector Dharam Chakra (DC) to investigate.

 DC went to RP with his team of two SIs, eight constables, photographers, fingerprint collectors, a sniffer dog, and an ambulance.

The sarpanch arranged a drum beater to see if anyone noticed the missing girl, MK.

 One person from the village came forward and said, "I was returning that night after drinking toddy. I saw this girl getting off the night halt bus on Saturday and walking towards HG." 

The same day, DC, along with his team of police officers and the sarpanch, went to HG for further investigation.

 Another drum beater went around the Hamlet HG with a photo of MK, asking whether anyone had noticed her.  

 No one identified the girl.

*

DC prays to Lord Hanuman.

 DC wanted to pray and went to the Hanuman Deity. Others followed him. He prayed to Lord Hanuman for direction in this case.

When he turned after praying to Lord Hanuman, he noticed a change in the ground surface.

Around the Deity, there were shoe prints. When they cleared the leaves around the Deity, they found a pit covered with dry leaves to the Deity's right.

While clearing leaves, one of the SIs found a gold coin from the Shatavahana era among the leaves to the left of the Deity. He handed it to the DC.

They removed the leaves and the soil and found a bronze vessel filled with soil.

*

MK's Body Found

They continued their search for more coins around the Deity but found bloodstains on the leaves and the ground. As they continued, they found another pit behind the Deity, covered with leaves. The constables removed the soil covering it and found the dead body of MK.

DC and his staff were surprised and searched for more evidence. They took the sniffer dog to MK's body. It led them a short distance to a dry tree branch covered with leaves. The SI packed it in a plastic bag to collect fingerprints. The sniffer dog took them to the GR's hut. No one was there, but there were the crowbar, pickaxe, spade and the basket. They collected them.

DC thanked Lord Hanuman for showing MK's body.

Sarpanch said, "GR was a lonely man. His wife died 10 years ago, and he has no children. He works as an agricultural labourer."

Contd. in Part II.