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  I was a little surprised. ‘Who is she? Did she want anything?’

  ‘Sir, she must be a local girl. She said that she was a huge fan of yours,’ said the telephone operator.

  ‘Okay, let me talk to her the next time she calls,’ I said with a straight face, trying my best to hide my excitement. After all, who does not like some adulation, that too, from the opposite sex?

  Just minutes later, the telephone buzzed.

  ‘Sir, woh hi ladki hai (Sir, it is the same girl),’ said the telephone operator.

  ‘Okay, transfer the call,’ I said.

  ‘Hello, sir, main aapki bahut badi fan hoon (Hello, sir, I’m a huge fan of yours). I like you so much,’ gushed a young girl, her voice a little shrill.

  I ignored the shrillness of her voice, flattered by the compliments.

  ‘What is your name?’

  ‘Oh, sir, my name is Beauty Kumari. Could I come and meet you? It will be a dream come true.’

  ‘Sure. I am a bit busy nowadays, but you can see me in my office on Friday.’

  ‘Oh, thank you so much, sir!’

  ‘I have fans even in Shekhpura,’ I mused.

  Years of growing up as an extremely shy and gawky boy and studying in a boys’ school meant that I never got any female attention. During those days, people were quite conservative. Any girl older to me was a ‘didi’, an elder sister. For anyone younger to me, I was a ‘bhaiyya’, an elder brother. With girls my own age, I really did not know how to react. So the best course was to avoid them by turning the other way or looking through them, as if they did not exist. I employed the same attitude in the initial years at IIT. I simply did not know how to have the most basic conversation with a girl. Even if a girl asked me for a pen, I would either be very shy or overexcited, thinking, ‘Oh, she has talked to me!’ Or else I would be rude, inadvertently. There were only thirty girls in IIT Delhi in 1995. And for some reason, the girls’ hostel was situated at the opposite end of the campus. For a person like me, who did not attend classes at all, seeing a girl was as rare as sighting an alien.

  It was only in the last year at IIT that I became friends with some of my classmates. However, I had not matured enough to understand that a girl could just be friendly, without being your girlfriend.

  Later, I started getting some attention from girls. Soon, I had an inflated sense of self. I cultivated a fake accent and memorized some really cheesy one-liners. It all worked. At least, that is what I thought. By the time I reached the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy, Mussoorie, I had developed an entirely different idea about myself. I started believing that I was some kind of a stud. I tried to make up for all my lost jawani ke din.

  After marrying Tanu, I somehow matured a little bit, but still had those juvenile ideas about myself. It probably was a defence mechanism to overcome the complex I had developed over the years.

  I entered my house in a very happy mood. My staff could clearly see the joy I was radiating. ‘Tanu, why did you marry me? You got so many proposals,’ I asked, beaming.

  Tanu was putting Aish to sleep, rocking her slowly in her lap. Without even looking at me, she replied, ‘Simple. Because you are an IPS officer.’

  My balloon burst instantly. I had expected her to say that she found me very handsome, smart, witty and so on.

  Fuming, I marched out of the room. At least Beauty Kumari found me impressive.

  23

  ‘Aloo Le Lo’

  Satsang Nagar Colony was a colony typical of any small town in India. The houses were close to each other, often encroaching on government land and into each other’s spaces. A number of houses had put tokas or wires on electric poles to illegally draw power. The drains were clogged and overflowing. The roads were narrow and full of potholes, with hundreds of pedestrians trying to survive against a barrage of autos, rickshaws and cattle.

  The small subzi mandi was chock-a-block with vegetable and fruit sellers. There was an almost equal number of cows trying to eat from the thelas and the garbage. The cows even tried to put their mouths into the customers’ bags. Their efforts were sometimes successful. Some startled customers would drop their bags on being chased by the cattle and the bovines would have a field day.

  Ranjan looked at Raju and Krishna. He just could not help himself––he burst out laughing. They were all looking the part, dressed as vegetable sellers standing next to a thela. After a momentary pause, Raju and Krishna joined in, laughing hysterically, their bellies moving up and down in a rhythmic motion.

  By sheer chance, Havaldar Shiv Narayan had a relative who sold potatoes in the subzi mandi of Satsang Nagar. He had requested his relative to let Raju and Krishna assist in selling the vegetables.

  ‘Thoda kaam seekh lenge yeh dono (These two guys will learn some work from you),’ said Shiv Narayan.

  ‘Chalo, theek hai (Well, all right). But I won’t pay them anything,’ said the potato seller reluctantly.

  Both of them sat near the thela with sacks full of potatoes. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined they would be selling potatoes one day.

  ‘Aloo le lo, aloo le lo,’ shouted Raju and Krishna in unison. The thela owner looked at them with disdain.

  Ranjan sat at the tea stall close by. He hoped to see Shanti soon. The initial jokes and buffoonery had quickly grown old, and Ranjan and company wanted this charade to end soon. Standing in the sun for a full day and selling potatoes was a demanding job.

  But two days soon passed. Raju and Krishna managed to sell almost all the potatoes but there was no sign of Shanti.

  Ranjan called me that night.

  ‘Sir, we have been waiting for the past two days, but have not seen Shanti.’ There was exasperation in his voice.

  ‘I know you must be tired. Policing is not as glamorous as people think. Have patience. She has to come to buy vegetables sooner or later. Tomorrow is going to be our day,’ I said confidently. I had a good feeling about this. For the first time in many days, I slept soundly.

  The next morning, I was relaxing in bed. Avi sat in my lap, moving his toy truck all over my body.

  My phone rang.

  ‘Sir, I can see Shanti. She has just come to buy some stuff for her house,’ Ranjan spoke in a hushed tone. The trained policeman in him managed to control his excitement.

  I put Avi on the floor and moved towards the garden, my heart beating really fast. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

  ‘Keep a safe distance from her. She should not see you or get suspicious.’

  ‘Sir, Krishna and Raju are with me. What is your order?’

  ‘Just follow her from a distance. Find out where she lives.’

  I waited for Ranjan to call again. Every second felt like an eternity.

  ‘Sir, sir, we lost her. She just vanished.’

  ‘What? What the hell are you saying? How could you lose her?’

  I tried my best to keep my cool.

  ‘Sir, we were right behind her. Give us some time, we’ll try to find her.’

  I looked towards the sky and closed my eyes. I was still hopeful of a miracle.

  ‘Sir, we tried our best. We could not find her,’ Ranjan said when he called again, his voice trembling with disappointment.

  ‘Relax,’ I said, feeling strangely calm. The gods were just testing me a little; I had to be patient.

  ‘Tell me where exactly you lost her. Describe the area, the locality.’

  ‘Sir, it’s a residential area with houses on both sides of the street. The residents seem to be largely middle- or low-income people. The street ends after 300 metres.’

  It was a cul-de-sac, a street with a dead end. My brain started working in hyperactive mode. The closed street meant that Shanti was definitely living in that small locality. She must have entered her house just before Ranjan and Raju could see her again.

  ‘Ranjan, immediately find the local newspaper vendor. Find out from him if any family has shifted in recently. Also ask the vendor if that family has two kids. If th
e new residents have subscribed to an English newspaper, then they must be Shanti Devi and her kids. Not many people in that locality are going to read English newspapers.’

  Luckily for us, there were only two newspaper-wallahs in that locality.

  I waited and waited. After around two hours, Ranjan called again. This time, he sounded gleeful.

  ‘Sir, you were right. A family of three did shift to this colony just about a month ago. The paper-wallah regularly delivers newspapers to their house. The lady of the house creates a huge ruckus if the vendor forgets to deliver the English newspaper for even one day. In fact, that is the only household that takes an English newspaper in that locality.’

  ‘Which newspaper have they subscribed to?’

  ‘Sir, the paper-wallah is saying it’s the Times of India.’

  I had a big smile on my face. Horlicks’s obsession with making his son read the English newspaper had given away the location of his family’s new hideout. I was almost certain that it was Shanti who was the new resident of Satsang Nagar Colony.

  ‘Sir, what to do now?’

  ‘Just take the exact address of the house from the vendor. Then station yourself near it to keep watch. The moment you see Shanti Devi again, call me.’

  I just could not eat. I was in no mood for anything, not even playing with my kids. I was too anxious.

  It was in the evening that I got the next call from Ranjan.

  Now Ranjan was unable to control his excitement. I could sense the energy in his voice. How our emotions kept changing!

  ‘Sir, I have seen her. She just came out to hang out her laundry.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Sir, I couldn’t be surer. What do I do now?’

  ‘Go back to your hotel and rest. You should be absolutely fresh to catch Horlicks.’ Somehow, I was sure that he would be visiting Deoghar to meet his family soon.

  24

  ‘Suttal Hai’

  It was Friday. I was sitting in the office taking care of some routine matters.

  ‘Sir, a girl has come to see you,’ said the orderly.

  ‘Send her in,’ I said, signing some files.

  A girl walked in with a middle-aged man. ‘Hi, sir, I am Beauty Kumari. Remember, we spoke on the phone?’

  I looked up in horror. The girl was the exact opposite of her name!

  Before I could say a word, Beauty commanded her father, ‘Papa, can you step outside? I have to speak to Amit Sir in private.’

  Much to my surprise, the man walked out without any protest. I did not know what Beauty planned to do. She suddenly jumped across the table and held me by my arms, shaking me. Her grip was quite strong.

  ‘Sir, aap mujhe bahut achche lagte ho (Sir, I like you very much). I want to marry you. I have no problem becoming your second wife. I will adjust with Didi.’

  I was in absolute shock. I somehow gathered my senses before Beauty Kumari could manhandle me further.

  ‘Guard, guard, Ajit, Ajit, come quickly,’ I shouted at the top of my voice. My bodyguard, Ajit, and the orderly came running in to see me sweating in my seat, and a girl sprawled on the table. Ajit and the constable did not know how to react. They were not trained for this kind of a situation.

  ‘Ajit, take this girl out of my office chamber immediately. Ensure that she never comes within even 500 metres of me. Ever. In fact, why only her? I don’t want any girl close to myself again,’ I said hysterically.

  ‘Sir, shaant ho jaiye (Sir, relax),’ he said, offering me a glass of water.

  I gulped it down, still breathing heavily.

  ‘Sir, the nature of your job is such that you have to meet everyone. You can’t say that you will not see a girl or a woman. From now, for your safety, we will also depute a mahila constable in the office.’

  I stayed silent. Ajit saluted and left me alone. I could hear the laughter outside. It was Ajit. The other staff joined him.

  It was a lesson for me. No more beauties for me. So what if my wife did not give me the time of day? Till today, a lady constable or officer is always deputed to my office to escort any female visitors. You never know when a seemingly innocuous encounter may be disastrous for your life––professional and personal.

  Horlicks had been chatting with his bhabhi for an hour. I really didn’t understand how someone could derive so much pleasure from talking on the phone. Maybe it was the freedom with which Horlicks could converse with his girlfriend or maybe he just needed an outlet for his suppressed feelings. Whatever it was, Horlicks seemed to experience a new high each time he talked to her.

  As was his ritual, Horlicks immediately called Shanti Devi after finishing his lovey-dovey conversations. It had been a long time since he had seen his children. He did not show any affection for Shanti Devi, but he seemed to be really fond of them.

  ‘Haan, sab theek (Is everything all right)?’ asked Horlicks.

  ‘Sab theek hi hoga (Everything should be fine). How does it matter to you if we are alive or dead?’ replied Shanti harshly.

  ‘Okay, enough. Give the phone to Babua,’ pleaded Horlicks.

  ‘Kab aa rahe ho, Baba (When are you coming, Dad)? We have been waiting for you for so long,’ said Chintoo.

  ‘Aa rahein hain na, jaldi hi. Ek do din mein (Soon. I’ll be with you in a day or two). I miss you a lot.’

  Till the going is good, life is all glamour, guns and girls for a criminal. But when the police make things tough, life is hell. One is always on the run. Horlicks sounded like a tired man now. No wonder he did not want the same life for his children. Chintoo and Rani deserved a better future. He was desperate to see them.

  I was equally desperate to catch him. The news that he was reaching Deoghar energized me tremendously.

  I immediately called Ranjan.

  ‘Our target is reaching Deoghar very soon, maybe in a day or two.’

  ‘Sir, this is great news!’ Ranjan sounded quite happy. He had shown remarkable patience so far.

  ‘Sir, what if Horlicks shoots at us? We cannot rule out a gunfight or a scuffle with him,’ Ranjan continued.

  I just listened.

  ‘The SHO of Satsang Nagar has to be informed about our plan, just in case we have a problem. We might need the support of the local police.’

  ‘Okay, but you don’t have to tell the local police much about Horlicks. Any leak of information could cost us.’

  ‘Sure, sir. Manoj, the SHO of Satsang Nagar, has trained with me. I have good relations with him,’ said Ranjan.

  When a criminal has to be arrested in the jurisdiction of another district, the local police have to be taken into confidence. They are informed of the arrest and entries are made in the station diary. If the transit period is twenty-four hours or more, the arrested person is produced before the local court too.

  Two days later, my mobile phone started vibrating under my pillow. It was Shanti Devi.

  ‘Haan, aa gaye hain. Suttal hai (Yes, he’s here. He is in deep sleep). He must be very tired after such a long journey.’

  I was thrilled beyond words. Shanti Devi had just told me the location of her husband. Horlicks Samrat was in the house!

  I immediately called Ranjan.

  Ranjan did not pick up the phone. I tried again. No answer. I was getting really restless, even shaking a bit. It was the same feeling one has when appearing for an important exam. This was one test I could not afford to fail.

  ‘Ranjan, Ranjan, pick up the damn phone,’ I muttered.

  I was engrossed with the thoughts of Horlicks. I had shifted back to my room by then as I could not get over my fear of lizards. I climbed over the children and got out of bed. I looked for my slippers in the dark and almost tumbled over a stool kept near the bed. Aish started crying in her sleep. Tanu took her in her lap and started consoling her.

  She realized immediately that I was in the middle of something really important.

  I went out into the open. Our house was very small. I just had to take a few steps and I was in t
he small garden we had. Still, I had the second largest house in Shekhpura. The DM had the biggest house. He had usurped the house of a senior engineer!

  It was nippy outside early in the morning.

  Ranjan was still not answering my call. I knew he must be sleeping after a tiring day. I thought of calling Raju and Krishna, but before I could act on it, my phone buzzed. It was Ranjan.

  I regained my composure again. Even if an officer is worried, he has to appear quite relaxed and confident in front of his subordinates.

  ‘Ranjan, Horlicks is in his house right now. Go and get him.’

  I did not elaborate, nor did Ranjan ask me any questions. Ranjan was a seasoned policeman. He knew exactly what to do. I was confident he would find Horlicks.

  Raju and Krishna rubbed their eyes and jumped out of bed. All three of them got ready quietly. Havaldar Shiv Narayan, an early riser, was already dressed. All of them checked their weapons. Shiv Narayan was the only one with a legal weapon. In fact, he was the only one lawfully entitled to arrest Horlicks. Raju and Krishna were ‘ordinary civilians’ and Ranjan was a suspended policeman.

  Ranjan called the SHO of Satsang Nagar.

  ‘Manoj Bhai, I have come here to arrest a man wanted in a case of cheating and forgery. Na, na, nobody important. I might require the help of your police force. Do–chaar aadmi de dena (Keep two to four constables ready). Just in case. Okay, thank you.’

  The seedy hotel in which they were staying was quite close to Horlicks’s house. It was, of course, a strategic choice. They quickly reached the colony. The sky was slowly changing hue as the sun rose. Ranjan and the other three men did a reconnaissance of the house again. The first floor house had windows with grills. One could jump from the balcony to escape, but at the peril of breaking one’s legs on the road below. Only Akshay Kumar could land on his feet from that height. Ranjan posted one constable under the balcony and made another constable stand near the staircase to block any escape attempts. Confident that Horlicks’s exit routes had been sealed, Ranjan silently moved upstairs. Shiv Narayan followed him at a distance, moving gracefully.