The Baffling Case

NOTE: This story is based on Author’s fiction. It does not apply to any historical references and real-life incidents.

KARUMATTAMPATTI, COIMBATORE DISTRICT

26 DECEMBER 2018

On 26th December 2019, around 5:30 AM in Karumattampatti, a letter is found by Sandhiya. After looking at the letter, she lodged a complaint with the Annur police Inspector that, “Her fifteen-year-old daughter Anjali is missing.” The time was 5:52 AM. At that time, Sandhiya, her 38-year-old husband Arun(Sandhiya’s father) and her 17-year-old son Krishna were there inside the house. Anjali’s dead body is found by the police within eight hours.

The shocking fact is, “The girl’s dead body is found in their own basement.” The girl’s father had seen her dead body. Her mouth had been covered with plaster. Apart from this, the killer used rope to strangle her neck. Since Anjali’s family is rich. Her father owns a chain of restaurants, hotels and sports clubs all over South Indian states.

She has further won numerous Beauty pageant awards. Her body is sent for post-mortem. The doctor, who examined Anjali’s dead body stood shocked for a while. His hands shivered in fear. His eyes were filled with tears.

Coming outside the room, he said to Anjali’s father and police officer Ram: “Sir. As a doctor, it’s my duty to tell this to you.” “The killer has attacked your daughter’s head and then, he strangled her neck using a rope. She died due to suffocation.” As his mask fell down, the doctor took it and re-wears. Pausing for a while, he continued to say: “Not only this sir. In your daughter’s dress, a man’s DNA was found. It doesn’t even have any link.”

Arun is heartbroken. He can’t express his emotions and pain as a father. While his wife Sandhiya cried aloud. As a mother, she couldn’t afford to bear the tortures and cruelty, that her 15-year-old daughter faced at the hands of a killer. While Krishna looked at her photo. It was the first photo, that he and Anjali took when they were very young. Tears filled his eyes. The CB-CID department of Coimbatore checked, “Whether the DNA samples are matching with the criminals and culprits of Coimbatore and Karumattampatti.” In 15,000 samples, even a single DNA doesn’t match up with the criminals. Apart from this, two person’s footprints were found at the crime scene. In the girl’s room, a rope, that doesn’t have any connection with the family was found.

Despite this, there is hardly any clue about the entry of outside persons. No traces and evidence regarding the broken glasses, doors and windows were found.

The police inspector first got the letter, that was taken from the crime scene. To test the innocence of the family, Ram asked Anjali’s mother to read the letter.

She read the letter written by Anjali before she died: “Arun. Listen to me very carefully. I respect you and your business so much. But, not this country. Behind your daughter, there are two people, who don’t like you. If you try to complain to the police about your daughter’s death, her head will be decapitated. If you try to do something brilliant, then 99% it’s certain you can’t see your girl alive. But, if you do as we instruct. If you give us Rs. 1,50,000, we will safely return your daughter to you.”

“Why should they demand Rs. 1,50,000 from him?” asked the constable to which the police inspector replied: “Yes. It’s the highlight of this letter. Did you notice? They have correctly mentioned this particular amount!”

“That only, why?” Anjali’s mother and elder brother questioned him to which the inspector goes near to Anjali’s tearful father.

Looking at his sad face, he replied: “One month before the death of Anjali, Anjali’s father got a bonus of Rs. 1,50,000 from his company. There’s a strange thing with this letter!” The Police Inspector smoked a cigar for a while standing behind the window.

Inspector Ram searched the house followed by a confused Sandhiya, Krishna and Arun.

Finally, he takes the pen and paper, that he finds near to a table. With the two papers in his hands, he said: “Look into these papers. The same pen and paper have been used to write this letter.” Thinking for some time he concludes that: “Somehow the killer should have entered inside the house. For some reason, he could have changed his mind and killed her.”

The most cruel thing is that, “This murder should have occurred in presence of Anjali’s family members.” When walking inside their room of Anjali, Ram finds out some piece of paper. Seeing the written words in between, he deduces that: “The killer have written some drafts for three to four times in few papers before he proceeded to write up a new letter.”

After writing the original, he could have thrashed those drafts. He has practised several times and there are so many spelling mistakes in this letter.

The police inspector analyzes that: “The killer deliberately wrote this letter with so many spelling mistakes in order to distract the police officers.” With the permission of the higher officials, Ram posed a series of questions to the family members.

This case becomes a hot topic for the media and the public. A good deal of the public claimed that “Their own family could have murdered her.” The media created their own stories to seek the attention of the public. Police released Anjali’s family after hearing their advice of Ram. He strongly believes that: “Someone outside the city should have murdered Anjali.” The first suspect of Ram was Aravinth, a 75-year-old neighbour to Anjali.

Before two days of Anjali’s murder, he had met her. At times, he wore an amazing Santa Claus suit in order to surprise this girl. The surprising fact is that: “This old man’s daughter has been murdered in a similar state, just like Anjali.” Even Ram stated that: “He felt very sad after hearing the death of Anjali, who gave happiness to him in his life.” Even his wife said to Ram: “Before a few months, when heart surgery was done to Aravinth, Anjali gave him glitter as a gift. No one has given such a gift to her. He requested his wife to mix the glitter in his ashes after he died.”

The next suspect was 27-year-old Christopher. Since he had Anjali’s photo in his bag. He had been arrested twice by the police for a drug case and for an attempt rape case. He explained that: “He knew the girl well. Her death has deeply disturbed him and henceforth, he had her photo in his bag.”

One of Christopher’s friends Adithya said to Ram during the investigation that: “Christopher has slapped Anjali in Annur city.” He had indeed said this to him twice during their conversation. Adithya further said that: “Christopher tried to kill his own mother using telephone wire.” But at the last moment, his DNA doesn’t match Anjali’s dress. Ram becomes frustrated.

TWO YEARS LATER

12 JANUARY 2020

Two years later on January 12th 2020 Thilip Rajan, a young journalist from Madurai meets Ram. Since his failure to solve the murder case of Anjali, Ram becomes awkward. He got addicted to drinks. Because all those people, who praised him started to speak very different about him. Even the media ruined his image.

Thilip said that “He had found out Anjali’s real culprit. His name is Joseph Chris.” Ram asked him, “How did you find out the killer?” “I mailed him for the past two years and gained his trust. When I asked him about the murder, he said a good deal of shocking news. He said what he did to Anjali at the time of her murder.”

Thilip showcased the mail to Ram. After reading the mail, Ram becomes shocked and disturbed. The mail had some shocking truth about Anjali’s murder: “She of course was asleep from the time that she was, that I took her from her bed and took her to the basement. Her first reaction was, ‘Where am I?’ And I said, “You’re in your basement.”… She wasn’t in that little room to be disgraced. And I would never disgrace her or dishonour her. She was there temporarily. And what really hurts me is that she stayed there. And that’s where her father found her and it’.” Ram finally solved this case and the police inspector searched Chris for several days and arrested him finally. Once again, Ram regained the trust of the public, who praised him for solving a complex case once again. But, a shock comes for Ram after a few days. Police inspector Ram says, “We arrested the wrong person. Joseph went to his hometown even before Anjali’s murder.” Now comes Doctor Vinod Krishna, a DNA expert from Chennai. He examined and researched the dead body of Anjali for several months. Then, he reported to the police that: “There are chances for DNA to be present since the day of its manufacturing.” To prove this, he takes an unopened package of clothes and said, “There’s a DNA sample in this.” Now, Ram concluded that: “The DNA and Anjali’s death don’t have any connections.” “Then who’s the real culprit?” asked the police inspector, after he and Ram returned. Ram says: “Only the god knows who the real culprit is.” He writes in his daily work diary that: “My career’s first case, that remains unsolved.” The media once again makes this case sensational by insulting Ram’s intelligence and the police department. Unable to bear the insults of the media man, Ram breaks the TV in anger. He meets a police officer, who has come to meet him to solve another case, which is even more complex than Anjali’s case.