Strange Murder Of Rakesh Sharma

Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was one of the greatest Air Force pilots the Indian Air Force has ever produced. He was one of the best combat pilots and had participated in the 1971 War. Here he was shot down over enemy lines but courageously managed to escape back into Indian territory, evading capture many times. He was awarded the “Param Veer Chakra” for his bravery and courage. During the “Kargil War”, it was his strategies and decisions that were crucial in gaining victory for the soldiers in capturing a most strategic position. For this also, he was awarded the “Ati Vishisht Sewa Medal”. Though now, retired, Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma was still admired by his fellow officers and many of his juniors wanted to be just like him. He was also a member of the “Indian Airforce Recruitment Board”, and a consultant on various committees that decided the choice of armaments for the ‘Indian Airforce’ and other weapon systems that one wouldn’t read or hear in the newspapers and television channels. Naturally, he had top-secret clearance and was privy to many kinds of sensitive information. Moreover, people respect his decisions and recommendations even now. He lived in a modest bungalow near the Airforce base in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, which he had moved into after retirement. Though, only a year had passed after his retirement people still liked and loved him. However, he was a lonely man. His wife of forty years had recently passed away due to cancer. They had no children. He was looked after by Shyam Singh, his orderly, Montu, his driver and Lali, his maid. All of them worshipped him and loved him like he was their family member. He also had a soft corner for all of them and helped them sometimes or other lives. That was the kind of affection and bonding which was evident to everyone at all times. Though at times, they would say that he would get moody and temperamental and fly into rages. At times like these people would generally tend to give him a wide berth.

Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma was also known as a man of taste. He still liked listening to old Western & Indian classical music and his choice of beverage made him distinct from others in the Officer’s Mess. He was also very aggressive at times; therefore, his call sign was also “Rocky The Ravisher” during his halcyon days.

Anyways, it was a Saturday and he had just arrived from a meeting and a party in the evening at the Officers Club. He had changed into his night dress and was having a drink listening to his favourite “Vivaldi” performance. All of his servants had also retired for the night as it was known that Rakesh Sharma used to be awake very late till night either working on something or reading as he had a habit of reading since his younger days and he could read anything and remember every single word, line and page of whatever he had been reading. This was one of the special talents for which he was still much in demand. As he was getting into the tempo of the music; he did not hear the soft footfalls approach behind him. He had one of those Nordic Crime Novels by his favourite author half opened on his lap, and his eyes were feeling a little heavy because of the booze and all the excitement throughout the day. One thing I almost forgot, he was also a man who was much into social work and was an honorary member of ‘The Rotary Club’. He also likes playing golf and the next day he had a match against one of his closest opponents and fast friends, Commissioner of Police of Jaisalmer, Duleep Singh. The weather that evening was warm and heavy. Although, Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma’s bungalow was right at the centre of the city; but, like all small cities, people tend to retire early to their homes. So, here also, it was only 8: 30 p.m. but the streets started emptying and shops had started winding down. Therefore, there was little traffic and people on the street at the time of the night.

Anyway, by the time he realized that someone was behind him, it was too late. “You……………...?” was the only thing he could say.

The next day, Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary was playing host to some of his family friends and relatives who had come to visit from Kolkata, West Bengal, when he got the message that he had to report to a crime scene. He was taken aback when he heard the name of the murdered victim. Rakesh Sharma was well-known in social and political circles. One thing I completely forgot to mention was that Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma had a sister with whom he had strained relations and who was also deceased by this time. So, it was a couple of his nephews and nieces who could be called his immediate family.

Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary noticed that a huge crowd of curious onlookers had gathered outside Rakesh Sharma’s house. He was also surprised when he saw the Commissioner’s car and entourage and a couple of politicians’ cars as well parked outside. The media was also there in full swing, just like flies to a rotten carcass, waiting for something juicy reporting. “Showtime.” He murmured and went inside. When the press noticed him, they immediately flocked to him shoving the mikes in front of his face and asking, “Does the police know who killed our National Hero?”

“Why and how was he killed?”

“Do the police have any suspects?”

Inspector Shamsher was just amazed at the tenacity of the media people and their insane quest to get the first scoop.

“Whoa! I have just arrived here. I am not a magician who is going to move a magic wand and get you all the answers.” With that, he went inside. Here also, he found a different kind of circus going on. There were a lot of people in police uniforms, aides, secretaries, a couple of ministers, the police commissioner, and forensics people milling around on the crime scene. He knew that he would be summoned anytime now by the commissioner and he braced himself for it. His deputy, Ashok Rajput was also with him and tried to warn him but the commissioner was too quick for that and jumped right in front of Inspector Shamsher Singh. “It’s a pleasure to have you with us Inspector.” He started sarcastically. Inspector Shamsher just saluted and looked on straight ahead. “Isn’t it a bit early for you to grace us with your presence?” the commissioner continued derisively. But Shamsher kept on looking straight ahead. When the Commissioner saw that he was not getting the desired result, he changed his tactic and demanded to know “Where were you, Inspector? Now Shamsher looked at him and replied “I am sorry sir, actually some friends and relatives have come from Kolkata, so I was helping them to look around.”

“Oh!....... So, you were playing the tour guide while one of the respected members of society lies here dead! Well done, Inspector……” The commissioner growled. Inspector Shamsher said, “I am sorry sir, won’t happen again.” The Commissioner glowered at him and said “It better not and now get working. I want fast results. Do you know the importance of this case for the government?” Shamsher just looked on and said nothing. The Commissioner repeated, “You are one of my best officers, so I want fast results, understood?” “Yes, Sir” was all Shamsher could say. The commissioner went to talk to the two politicians. Inside the house, Shamsher was accosted by the opulence and grandeur of Rakesh Sharma. He did not let that distract him and went straight to where the body lay. Here he found the recently deceased Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma slouched forward onto the centre table with two gunshot wounds to his head. Blood had congealed around the table and dripped down to the expensive Mahogany floor. One thing that Shamsher noticed was that there was a half-opened book that had fallen right beside the sofa and a half-finished glass of Sherry which had broken, and the wine had spilt onto the ground. The broken glass lay shattered on the floor. The body was bent forward which gave the impression that the killer might have powerfully pushed and held Rakesh Sharma onto the table while he had fired the two shots execution style.

“I want the autopsy results first thing in the morning. Also, find out if he has any family members and where are they at the moment?” He barked out instructions to his deputy Ashok Rajput. Now, let me tell you about Inspector Shamsher Singh. He was a tall handsome fellow. He was one of the best investigators in the Rajasthan Police Cadre with the highest number of successful investigations under his belt. He also was known to be very serious and fastidious in his investigations and this was one of the reasons he had a high success rate in all his investigations. This led to envy and rivalry, as happens with everyone in every profession, but that did not deter Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary from diligently doing his duty. He was also a bit of a poet and a philosopher and was quite respected for his talents in both police circles and in his private life. Some colleagues and friends also jokingly called him “The Ghalib of Rajasthan Police.” On the contrary, his junior, Ashok Rajput was a short bespectacled man who knew how to follow orders. However, this did not make him any less efficient or sincere than his boss. It was often jokingly remarked that this duo was ‘Hercule Poirot and Detective Lestrade’ of the police force. So, Ashok Rajput dutifully found out about the nephew and niece of the late Rakesh Sharma and informed them about the unfortunate tragedy that had befallen their late uncle. Both were aghast and shaken to the core. The nephew was flying in from Mumbai, while the niece came by car from Jaipur.

Meanwhile, Inspector Shamsher started interviewing the people around him. Among those questioned were Shyam Singh, Lali and Montu.

“Where were you yesterday night? Shamsher asked Montu.

“I was at my home sir,” Montu replied.

“Did you see or know anyone who might attack your boss?”

“No Sir. He was such a nice boss.” Montu replied.

“Okay, you can go for now but you cannot leave the city and have to report to the station when asked to, understood?” Shamsher Singh asked. Montu nodded.

He then went through the same set of questions with Lali and Shyam Singh.

“Were you the one who called the police?” He asked Lali because he knew that it was Lali who had first witnessed the body and then informed Shyam Singh, who then called the police.

“No Sir, I called Shyam Singh, who called you Sahab,” Lali replied.

Inspector Shamsher Singh noticed a slight hesitation in her tone throughout the questioning, it seemed as if she was hiding something. He thought of calling and asking her later on. Then he questioned Shyam Singh. He seemed to be the calmest and most composed of the three people working for Rakesh Sharma. The other two seemed to be nervous and fidgety.

“Did you call the police?” He asked.

“Yes Sir.” Shyam Singh replied.

“What time was it?”

“It was around 8:15 a.m. today sir.”

“What time do you generally report for work?” Shamsher asked.

“Generally, I report very early sir, around 7:00 a.m. but today I overslept.” Shyam Singh calmly replied.

Shamsher somehow felt that this guy had no regret or grief that his boss had been killed so brutally. Another thing which seemed odd to Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary was that a tall dark man wearing a dark suit and dark glasses was seen hovering near the crime scene. When Shamsher wanted to question the man, he was distracted by his junior informing him about the arrival of Rakesh Sharma’s niece and nephew. By the time he looked for the mysterious stranger, he was gone. This seemed a bit unusual to Shamsher Singh as the man was a suit and dark glasses in this heat.

In the meantime, Nisha Singh, Rakesh Sharma’s niece and Vidyut Singh, his nephew had also arrived. As Inspector Shamsher Singh was about to question them, he got the abrupt news that a person named Vishal had surrendered to the police. He claimed that he had killed Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma.

Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary was surprised. He immediately rushed to the station. By the time he had arrived, there was already a huge media presence outside the station and they were clamouring to get his response. This news had even reached the Commissioner’s office and he was on his way personally to the station.

Inside, Shamsher Singh saw a tall, gangly fellow, maybe late thirties, haggard-looking standing surrounded by cops in handcuffs. He seemed to be wearing a rock group T-shirt and was leaning on a chair with his head downcast. The first thing Shamsher noticed was that Vishal’s eyes looked as if they were lost somewhere deep in the horizon beyond everyone’s vision. He had that zonked-out vision. At first, Shamsher thought he was high but immediately changed his opinion when Vishal looked at him. It looked as if saying let’s get it over with. When asked why did he kill Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma. He immediately looked straight at Shamsher and said “I wanted my revenge and was waiting for the opportune moment for the last 15 years. At last, I have got it.” He looked triumphant now.

Inspector Shamsher Singh asked, “What kind of revenge are you talking about and why after these many years?”

Vishal gave a rue smile and looked up to him. “You know something Inspector, you have to work a little bit harder for all the answers you are looking for.” One more thing, the pistol had also been recovered from him through which the fatal bullets had been fired at Rakesh Sharma. 

“What made you take your revenge after all these years? Inspector Shamsher repeated unfazed at Vishal’s response. By this time the Commissioner had also arrived and was keenly observing the whole situation. Vishal got enraged and said “Do you know what it feels to be a failure? You wouldn’t have any clue. None of you would.” He looked around.

“But I had to live the shame of failure, of rejection all these years. Do you know how it feels being ridiculed, made fun of by everybody.?” He looked at everyone.

“Can you think what my family had to go through? All because of this man. One simple mistake, he could have overlooked but he made it a point and failed me and destroyed my dream of being an Air Force pilot.” “So, I was on the lookout to exact my vengeance. All these years he had lived a secure, safe life. Now, I knew that he would be not surrounded by so many people all the time, so I kept watch on him for the past 1 year and took my revenge at the opportune time.” He concluded. Everyone was stunned but they had to do their duties and after a few more rounds of questioning, was led away to be presented before a judge on the orders of the commissioner. The commissioner then instructed Inspector Shamsher Singh to issue a press release confirming that the killer had been caught. However, Inspector Shamsher Singh was somehow not convinced that Vishal was the killer. There was truth in his eyes but something else was nagging Shamsher. His deputy asked him what was it “Itni jaldi aur itni aasani se yeh case solve nahi hone waala. Kahin kuch garbad hai.” Shamsher Singh replied. He had checked out Vishal’s claims and found them to be completely true. Some fifteen years ago, Vishal was an Air Force recruit who had failed deliberately in a crucial test during the selection process. The entire thing was suspicious and controversial but the authorities at the time had managed to hush it up. Poor Vishal was disgraced and thrown out of the group of cadres and had to face a lot of humiliation and ridicule.

His suspicions proved correct when according to the autopsy report and forensic report it was found that the cause of Rakesh Sharma’s death was not due to the shooting. It was found that there were strangulation marks on his neck. The most surprising part was there was a fair amount of poison found in his bloodstream. In fact, according to the doctor’s report, it was the actual reason for his death and he had died long before the shooting had taken place. Now, this was both shocking and surprising for Shamsher Singh. He immediately took the report to the commissioner, who was as shocked as Shamsher. Still, he said “Go with the news that we have got the killer. Otherwise, people will laugh at us and it will create a scandal which the government doesn’t want.”

Shamsher Singh Chaudhary was a man of integrity and he could not afford to see an innocent man be accused of a crime he did not commit. So, although he listened to the commissioner he decided to investigate the case by himself. Although the Commissioner had specifically asked him not to follow on, Inspector Shamsher Singh was a man of ethics and this was one thing he could not let go. Moreover, he was now more curious to find the real killer after he had seen the autopsy report. So, he again decided to interview the domestic staff of Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma. Here he found a strange thing, he found that now Lali, Shyam Singh and Montu all were working elsewhere and were living quite extravagant lives. Shamsher Singh was surprised that could these people get other jobs so quickly and from where they get so much money. He decided to interview Lali, who seemed to be the easiest person to crack, so he asked her to come to the station.

“Hello Lali, how are you? He asked her amiably.

Lali seemed a bit tense and replied nervously “I am doing okay sahib.”

“You seem to be happy now since you have got another job.” He asked.

“Yes, sahib. I wanted the job badly.” She replied.

“You seem to also have got a lot of money to spend.” He added.

Lali’s expression changed, her face paled, and she looked scared. When Shamsher Singh prodded her, she replied “Sahib, I wanted to say something that time also, but I was scared.” She replied nervously.

“You don’t have to worry about anything Lali, we will protect you.” Inspector Shamsher assured her.

“Sahib, Montu couple of days ago bragged that he had killed Rakesh Sahib with his scarf and then propped his body in a way that looked like he was still alive.” Shamsher was aghast hearing this.

“Why?” was all he could ask at the moment.

Lali sighed and asked, “Sahib, you promise that I will not be involved anywhere and nor will be my family?” Shamsher Singh nodded.

“Sahib, on the outside Rakesh sahib seemed to be very nice but he was a very rude, arrogant and cruel man. Montu has been working for the last 15 years and he had a grudge against Rakesh Sahib.” She spoke.

Inspector Shamsher Singh was surprised to hear all this but kept quiet to let Lali continue.

Lali continued “Montu’s father had also worked for Rakesh Sharma sahib’s family for some years. However, something had happened, and his father had been thrown out of his job, insulted, ridiculed and disgraced in front of everyone. Montu’s father could not take the insult and committed suicide. Since then, Montu had been planning for his vengeance, and for that, he had changed his name also. His actual name is Sukhdev Singh.” Lali disclosed. Now, Shamsher Singh was completely stunned. However, he had to report this to the commissioner. The commissioner hearing this ordered Montu’s immediate arrest and also ordered that Lali be protected at all costs.

You know sometimes in this life things don’t turn out to be the way you want them to be. That is called ‘Murphy’s Law’. This is exactly what happened when Shamsher Singh went to question Montu. He was found hanging in his house. It seemed like suicide because there was a suicide note. However, his family said that Montu never could read or write. This was now perplexing for Shamsher Singh. “Who could have killed Montu and for what purpose?” he wondered. The media also now grew suspicious of the police department’s claims about the killer being caught. So, it started raising questions. Inspector Shamsher Singh also questioned Rakesh Sharma’s niece and nephew. It was interesting to note that during their questioning Nisha seemed not to be much upset about her uncle being killed. And Vidyut seemed to overtly grieving. This seemed to be a bit odd for Inspector Shamsher. During the questioning, he found out that Nisha and Vidyut Singh had a long legal battle going on against the now-late Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma regarding some property.

One more important character in this investigation was ex-major Brij Kishore Sharma, who claimed to have been Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma’s close friend. He was also present at the crime scene and later on, at the party to honour Rakesh Sharma. It was he who would periodically pester Inspector Shamsher Singh about the progress of the investigation.

The more Inspector Shamsher dug deep into Rakesh Sharma’s life, the more disgusted he became. He found out that Rakesh Sharma was a proud, gruff and megalomaniac kind of a person. He was also a kind of a lascivious person and a womanizer. That’s why the nickname ‘The Ravisher’ was given to him. Another interesting aspect is that Inspector Shamsher Singh found out that Rakesh Sharma was also a downright corrupt and dishonest man. Despite all this, the government had put up with him because of his position and fame, and also, he knew a lot about the dirty secrets of the government. This made Inspector Shamsher think of a wider conspiracy relating to his death. The case of poison being found in Rakesh Sharma’s body further alluded to this.

“Yeh aadmi jitna zameen ke upar tha utna hi neecha tha.” He confided to his deputy Ashok Rajput. He had also instructed Rakesh Sharma’s relatives and his house to be put under round-the-clock surveillance to see who was going in or out of the house. Then one day he got an invitation to visit Rakesh Sharma’s house. His nephew and niece had thrown a small discreet party to honour their uncle.

Inspector Shamsher Singh was surprised. He thought “On the one hand, these people hated him and were fighting a legal battle against him while he was still alive; on the other hand, they are now honouring him now that he is dead, strange.”

Anyways, he went to the house and here he again saw the same man whom he had seen at the crime scene. Only this time he was wearing a T-Shirt and light blue jeans. His dark glasses were also gone now. Shamsher could see a tall man with clear eyes keenly observing him in the gathering. He also looked at the man and then saw that the man was approaching him. As Shamsher straightened up and got ready to ask a few questions, again the man was distracted by someone in the room and went there instead. Shamsher looked around in the room but again could not find him anywhere.

A few days later, Shamsher Singh was still trying to find out about the poison angle when this stranger whom he was desperately trying to talk to appeared all of a sudden at his police station. At first, Shamsher Singh was taken aback but then quickly gained his composure and asked “How can I help you?” The man looked him over and gave a smile. He introduced himself as Crime Branch Officer Aditya Saxena. “Glad to meet you Officer Saxena, can you please tell me what you were doing at the crime scene and later on, at the party?” Inspector Shamsher politely asked.

“You know the importance of this case inspector? Aditya asked.

“Do you know what will happen if the truth comes out? That’s why I have been instructed by my superiors to ask you to stop investigating this case immediately.” He said all of this with conviction and a lot of seriousness in his tone. Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary very well understood the undertones of this message, his deputy Ashok Rajput also could understand this. 

“What if I don’t? You haven’t answered my question yet? Inspector Sharma countered.

Officer Aditya realized that he was a tough nut to crack. So, he said, “ I am also investigating this case and am also here to ensure that nothing compromising comes out of this.”

“How do you propose to do that?” Inspector Shamsher asked.

Aditya looked at him and kept quiet for a moment and then said “Well, officer, I have said what I had to say. It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Have a Good Day.” With that, he went out of the station.

“What will you do now sir?” asked Ashok Rajput.

“For beginners, put this guy under surveillance and see where he goes and who all he meets,” Shamsher said after a long silence. Meanwhile, Nisha and Vidyut were getting impatient and asked Shamsher Singh how much longer they had to stay in Jaisalmer. Inspector Shamsher replied, “You cannot leave till the case is solved.”

On the other hand, the media was creating pressure on the police department and Inspector Shamsher Singh’s family also was growing frustrated by his constant focus on this case. So, he was also naturally facing the heat from both sides.

Then one day, Ashok Rajput, his deputy informed that ex-major Brij Kishore Sharma was seen talking to Nisha and Vidyut. They were seen having a heated discussion about something. Moreover, Brij Kishore Sharma was seen stomping out of their residence and going straight for a bar where he had given the people following the slip.

This was interesting information. Inspector Shamsher wondered what could have been the reason for their meeting and what could have transpired between them that enraged the ex-major so much. He ordered that surveillance be put on him also. A few days later, Ashok Rajput gave Inspector Shamsher a startling piece of information. He said that the ex-major was seen talking to the Crime Branch guy, office Aditya Saxena. This was indeed a revealing piece of information. He then decided to visit Rakesh Sharma’s house when nobody would be there. So, he waited for an opportune time when Nisha and Vidyut would be out of the house. Finally, one evening he got his chance. Here after entering through the back door entry, he carefully gave a thorough check of the entire premises. He was stunned to find a cache of important documents, USB drives and a list of important names. Furthermore, it was shocking to read the contents of the documents and also he was stunned to find a very important piece of information contained in the USB Drive. This prompted him to again order for a thorough examination of Rakesh Sharma’s body. This made the doctor surprised but he complied with his request. The doctor was stunned to find what he had missed in the initial examination. However, Inspector Shamsher Singh was not surprised at all.

 A couple of days later, Inspector Shamsher Singh was shocked to hear the news that someone had murdered Lali. That too, despite police protection. The Commissioner was furious and demanded an immediate explanation. It seemed Lali had surprised someone at the late Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma’s residence when no one was there. At the crime scene, Lali’s body was found hanging from the study room and all the things had been thrown aside, all the cabinets, drawers, and files had been strewn aside. It seemed that the killer was desperately looking for something. Meanwhile, the media now getting the news of this latest murder was howling for Inspector Shamsher Singh’s blood. The politicians were creating a ruckus in the assembly and the police brass was breathing down hard on Shamsher Singh’s neck.

However, Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary was unfazed by all of this. He knew that he was not far from catching the real killer. Nisha and Vidyut were shocked to hear about all of this and looked very scared and nervous but Shamsher Singh assured them that no harm would come to them. “Just like you promised poor Lali.” Scoffed Nisha. Inspector Shamsher decided to ignore this although he was also quite enraged and furious at her death.

A few days later, Ashok Rajput again came up with another startling information. The Rakesh Sharma residence was still under surveillance. “Someone’s at the house Sir, looking for something,” Ashok informed Shamsher Singh.

“Stay put and don’t do anything, I am reaching there in 5 minutes.” Ordered Inspector Shamsher Singh.

Once he reached the house with adequate backup, he saw someone desperately searching for something in the complete darkness of the house. “Looking for this?” He sneaked up quietly from behind and said while switching on the light. The intruder turned around and saw Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary standing there triumphantly with the USB Drive in his hand. Shamsher Singh was also surprised to see Officer Aditya Saxena standing there but he kept his surprise to himself.

“What do you mean Inspector? I told you to drop this investigation because this is way above your jurisdiction.” Aditya tried to bluster.

“That’s why you murdered Montu and Lali?” asked Inspector Shamsher. It was a chance that he took but he was glad that he took it because he could see that Aditya was surprised at hearing this.

“What…. Have you gone out of mind Inspector? Why would I kill them?” He blurted out.

“Because you knew that they knew that you and someone behind you were involved in the murder of late Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma.” Replied Shamsher Singh.

Aditya was stunned to hear this. He knew that the officer was right. He tried to flee from the place but was apprehended right outside the house by Ashok Rajput and a large police force. It was then that Aditya realized that there was no use trying to escape the inevitable and confessed to everything. He confessed he and ex-major Brij Kishore Sharma had surreptitiously mixed the poison in the Sherry, which the late Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma took when they had gone to meet him to discuss a deal which they were doing. Furthermore, he also said that Rakesh Sharma was not agreeing to their proposal because he wanted from them, otherwise he would report to the authorities. It was with great difficulty that they had somehow managed to convince him to agree and it was then under a subterfuge of celebration they had started drinking. He further confessed that they had convinced Montu to go and strangle him that very night because he was alone. They knew that Rakesh Sharma would not die immediately from the slow-acting poison, but it would rather slow down his reactions and everything while Montu sneaked up behind him and started strangling him. They had also asked him to look for the documents and the USB Drive, in return they had promised a lot of money. However, Montu had a conscience attack and wanted to surrender himself to the police, that’s why they had to kill him and make it look like suicide.

“Why Lali? What did she do?” Inspector Shamsher Singh asked.

“Lali had to be killed because she knew everything because Montu had disclosed everything to her.”

“So, when I again wanted to look for the documents, she surprised me. I had no other choice but to kill her.” He added.

Inspector Shamsher Singh was so enraged that he jumped on Aditya and started pummeling him, it was with the utmost difficulty that the other officers could restrain him. “Hahahah…… No use hitting me officer. Get the real culprit behind this, ex-major Brij Kishore Sharma, he is planning to escape right now.” Inspector Shamsher Singh immediately informed the commissioner about all of this and the Commissioner ordered that ex-major Brij Kishore Sharma be immediately arrested. In his further confession, Aditya also informed the police that Rakesh Sharma had also started blackmailing them for the past few months by threatening them to disclose their dirty little deeds. So, he had to be silenced.

Armed with all this written confession and the arrest warrant, Inspector Shamsher Singh Chaudhary, along with a large police contingent went straight to ex-major Brij Kishore Sharma’s residence to arrest him. Here Aditya was telling the truth and the ex-major was trying to escape. When confronted by the police and all the evidence and Aditya’s confessions, the ex-major had to surrender, and the police arrested him. “People like you should never be allowed to serve the country; rather, they should be exposed and dealt with for their selfishness and greed.” Inspector Shamsher Singh said and took him away.

Vishal in the light of new evidence and all the confessions of Aditya and the ex-major, was judged to be innocent and released immediately. He thanked Inspector Shamsher Singh. “ I know that you had to undergo a lot of injustice in your life but you still have time and now you have got a new opportunity. Start your life afresh Vishal and if you need any help just call me.” Inspector Shamsher told him and went away.