Sub-inspector Rajat
Sub-inspector Rajat


The Monday morning forsook the sunlight allowing the ominous clouds to stretch its wings. The tremendous force of the wind rattled the leaves of the trees, thereby subduing them with its mighty power. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning infused fear in the minds of people. Slowly heavens opened up. Helpless street dogs yelped for cover. Window doors started to dance to the tunes of the wind before it was silenced to stay immobile. Sub-inspector Rajat and his constables cum brothers Kishan and Shishir had a conversation together about the sandalwood smuggling that was taking place on the outskirts of Maharashtra. The onus was on their shoulders to keep them at bay. Rajat's wife, Minali, Kishan's wife, Minakshi and Shishir's partner, Veena, also stayed in the same house. They happened to share a good rapport.
The day transformed into the night, and the police team was now spotted at the roadside. They had put on a roadblock anticipating the arrival of smugglers. One of the glowing bulbs on the top of the pole illuminated the road to increase visibility. It was on the outskirts of Maharashtra. Even the roads were not in a good shape. Barely vehicles navigated through the road since it was a deserted area and was also perilous. Rajat stared at a distance but could not find any sign of a vehicle or a human being. They had materialized at this spot following a tip-off from a known person. After waiting for long hours, finally, a truck was seen from the distance. The silhouette of the truck kept on moving on the road as the vehicle propelled forward. Then it immediately came to a halt as the driver saw the presence of the cops. The smugglers inside the truck who were transporting sandalwood to their desired destination were taken aback. They couldn't afford to get locked in their grim hold. They cued the driver to stomp on the accelerator and zoom through the road no matter who came in between. Despite the police personnel waving their hands to stop the vehicle, the truck went straight with a bullet speed. Even the roadblock couldn't withstand the speed as it gave up. Rajat and his team climbed into the jeep and followed the truck in an intense chase sequence. They couldn't afford to let them escape. Bullets flew in all directions. Even the smugglers were armed with guns and they showed no remorse in attacking the police force. In this mayhem, a tragic befell on Shishir whose heart ate the bullet and coughed up blood. Eventually, the truck got stuck in the swamp. Rajat ordered some of his cops to take Shishir to the hospital since he was on the verge of dying. The smugglers jumped out of the truck but their luck seemed to have run out of gas. Some of them are bullets on their legs and some others were caught unscathed. The police team confiscated the sandalwood trees and pushed the smugglers behind the bars.
The torrents of tears streamed through the eyes of Veena who couldn't come to terms with her husband's unfortunate death. She looked inconsolable unable to grapple with the bitter reality. Rajat stood motionless looking at the dead body of his brother wreathed with flowers. It was indeed a painful moment for the family. They mourned looking at the mortal remains of their loved one.
"Why couldn't you save my husband?" she yelled at Rajat. "I never expected to see him in this state."
Rajat fell silent as he made an effort to reconcile with her emotions. The family cremated the dead body performing the final rite to the departed soul.
"I also want to burn myself in his flames," Veena took a few paces forward, but quickly, people at the back restrained her from taking the extreme step.
Rajat's family tried to console her and also promised to be with her forever, providing much-needed comfort and support. Rajat's eyes welled up as he saw the smoke going up the sky, bidding farewell to his brother.
The next day Rajat donned the police uniform and appeared to the duty. He asked his wife to attend to the needs of Veena who seemed to be depressed. Cops had apprehended the smugglers the previous night in an intense chase sequence which saw few casualties as well. Rajat punished the culprits with the intention of deducing the mastermind behind their smuggling work. Unable to bear the punishment, they revealed the mastermind who pursued the smuggling of sandalwood trees to make a ransom. He was not only active in Maharastra but was also doing smuggling business all over the country. Rajat and his team made a meticulous plan to catch hold of their leader who now seemed to be perturbed owing to the arrest of his henchmen. He booked a flight ticket to Dubai so that he could escape from the eagle eyes of the police. Rajat's team was quick and efficient as they traced his whereabouts. The smuggling don, Nadda, dressed like a Dubai Sheik as he drove to the Maharashtra airport. Rajat's team deciphered the happenings very soon and rushed to the airport to catch hold of the culprit. Nadda tried to flee away but couldn't. The dreaded smuggler cum gangster was dragged to the police station and was pushed behind bars. He lunged at the grills of the cell and vowed that he would murder Rajat's wife and children. Minali was now two months into her pregnancy and her life seemed to be in danger.
The Friday daylight dissipated, and the darkness stormed its way to the surface. One of the street dogs howled like a maniac as if to give a hint of death. In a shocking turn of events, Minali was found dead in her house with blood smeared over her body. What Rajat never wanted to happen in reality had indeed materialized. His wife had been murdered. Kishan, Minakshi, and Minali broke down with tears rolling down their cheeks. Looked like some evil eye had cast an evil spell on the family. Kishan also was injured. Upon getting the phone call, Rajat quickly drove his way to the house with his heart pounding hard. Zillions of thoughts clouded his mind as he took quick paces towards the entrance of the house. His heartbeats threatened to collapse as he glanced at his beloved wife being covered in a pool of blood. Someone had stabbed her multiple times in the tummy which also meant the death of the baby that never came out of her womb.
"Some goondas barged into the house and killed our sister-in-law. I tried my best to save her, but those well-built miscreants injured me, thereby making me helpless," Kishan exclaimed.
Rajat couldn't control tears that wanted to rip apart his eyes. A beautiful and modest woman lay motionless, eating a barbaric death. She never picked up a fight with anybody, nor did she wish harm to anyone. His eyes hovered at the sight of a sticker that had a sandalwood tree logo on it. He had seen the same sticker on the shirt of Nadda who seemed to have exacted the revenge. With blood boiling inside, he rushed out of the house and slipped into his jeep before disappearing into the horizon. He seemed to have lost control over his mind upon seeing the dead body of his wife. He unlocked the cell. With anger coursing through his veins, he kept on whipping
the smuggler until his anger subsided. Unfortunately, the smuggler succumbed to the injuries resulting in the lock-up death. Subsequently, the news knocked at the door of the commissioner. After careful consideration, Rajat was suspended indefinitely from the sub-inspector post as a consequence of the offence he committed. He was asked to hand over the police uniform, cap and other accessories. He was now hit by the double whammy of losing his wife and his job.
Rajat couldn't overcome his wife's thoughts since the sight of her dead body gripped his mind. His eyes smouldered with pain as he went to the deserted location to stay away from the noise of the city. He stumbled across a deserted house where he saw a dead body lying inside. He was taken aback the moment he saw the ring of his brother Kishan that lay ahead of him. What does this mean? Did his brother kill this man? Or is there any other secret concealed within the confines of the house? He couldn't find any other information. Peculiar thoughts sprouted in his mind creating multiple scenarios. He decided to install an audio recorder secretly in his house to see if he could find substantial evidence in his absence. After a couple of days, he decided to listen to the audio, and his heart fell into his tummy. The stunning revelation had startled him. He had never even imagined this in his wildest dreams. The concealed secret that had been brushed under the carpet rose to the surface courtesy of audio recorder.
Flashback:
Veena had changed after her husband's untimely death. She became envious of Rajat's wife, who was getting more respect than her. She vented her frustrations in front of Kishan and his wife.
"My husband worked as a constable under Rajat. He deeply regarded his elder brother by working day and night even going through sleepless nights. What did Rajat give in return? He rendered him a dog's death. Why couldn't he protect him? Always, Rajat and his wife are respected, whereas we are treated like their slaves. Who knows Kishan could be in line next. The baby growing in Minali's womb will next become the possessor of all these properties. If we keep silent then we shall indeed be taken for granted," she continued, "It's time for us to spring into action. Rajat should go through the same trauma that I went through. Let us team up together and kill Minali. I am sure Rajat will not remarry which means we can snatch all his properties. Then we can command respect from people."
Even Minakshi and Kishan got brainwashed by her words. Kishan had observed Nadda's shirt, which had a sticker with a sandalwood tree logo. He bought the same sticker from the shop. They orchestrated a plan to eliminate Minali and put the blame on Nadda. One evening, Minali was busy in the kitchen preparing some delicious meal that she had newly learnt. Rajat was out on his duty. Minakshi called her sister-in-law by her name. Minali strode into the hall.
"You are looking so beautiful today. I can see the pregnancy spark on your face," Minakshi praised her.
Before Minali could acknowledge the praise, suddenly a sharp knife from behind squeezed through her tummy menacingly. Her eyes widened as she looked back at Veena who had a smirk on her ugly face.
"I am sorry, my dear sister-in-law. You don't deserve a place in this house. How can you become the queen of this house?" Veena's words were laced with venom.
Again, another sharp knife spawned a hole in her tummy, making her legs buckle under the pressure as she fell. This time it was Minakshi.
"You too," her eyes smeared with tears couldn't fathom the betrayal from her own family. She winced in pain as the blood spewed out of her tummy at an alarming rate. Even Kishan joined the act by stabbing her, which was a testament to their ruthless attitude toward an innocent and helpless woman.
"Rajat..." she stammered her last words before breathing her last.
One of the strangers saw the act through the outside window, which sent shivers down his spine. Veena's glance scrolled towards him as shouted at Kishan to kill him. Kishan chased the guy who ran to the deserted home in a secluded area. Kishan had donned a mask so that he wouldn't get identified by people. He scanned around to ensure there was no trace of a human being before firing bullets at a helpless man to facilitate the smooth movement of his soul to another body. He then dragged the body inside the deserted house planning to dig a grave for him but heard some vehicle sound which deterred him from doing so. Kishan swiftly retreated from the spot and in the process fell his ring. Veena and Minakshi seemed to have assuaged their desire to get rid of Minali and cause mayhem in the life of Rajat.
Present:
Rajat had heard his brother and his sister in law's glorifying themselves for having made Rajat the scapegoat in the entire process. He also heard them talking about signing the properties to their name at the right moment. How can they stoop to such a diabolical level? His blood boiled with rage coaxing him to avenge his wife's murder. His own family had betrayed him by acting innocent. Without wasting even a minute, he sprang into his house to exact vengeance.
"What do you have to say about my wife, Minali?" he asked Kishan and the latter looked flabbergasted.
"My sister-in-law is like Goddess Lakshmi," Kishan responded.
"Will you pray Lakshmi or kill her?"
Kishan began to perspire. His camouflage was now being removed.
"I did not understand," he pretended.
"How dare you kill my wife? You ruthless bastards," he slapped Kishan.
They were now embroiled in a dispute that reached a dead end. Things started going out of control, Veena picked up a wooden box and targeted it on Rajat's head. Rajat kind of became unconscious as he fell thud on the floor.
"See if he is still breathing. Otherwise, we got to kill him, or else he will make our lives a living hell," Minakshi said.
Kishan crouched beside Rajat and brought his finger towards the holes of his nostrils to see if he was still breathing. He was caught off guard when Rajat clutched his neck with his fingers. He slowly got back on his feet and exerted more pressure grabbing him in his stranglehold. Minakshi picked up the wooden box and tried to hit on his head, but Rajat dodged the hit, which in turn went straight on her husband's head. He screamed in agony with blood seeping through the hole manufactured on his skull.
"You shrewish backbiters. I thought you guys were flowers, but you turned into pests. You don't deserve forgiveness," Rajat picked up the revolver and let loose a hail of bullets that tore through the two ladies, who wailed in horror. He also fired bullets at his brother as well to complete his revenge. Kishan was bleeding too. Subsequently, he marched to the police station to voluntarily surrender to the police. The harrowing murder of his wife had coerced him to take revenge against his own family. He was treated in the hospital before being taken to the jail.