The Listener

Chapter-1



Putting or having a target is very easy, but what I find as a real challenge is reaching the target and catching up to it. Being the person in the department, who can get a hold on to any target is my goal. But it is not always an easy job to do what you want. There are rules, boundaries which you can not cross, the walls through which you can't peep and all those things which will make you want to forget about your goal. And something like tha has happened with me and this is my story of how fell inside of a deep pit with The Listener.

I am Richa Jaykar, ACP of Mumbai Police. When I walked into this I knew what was at stake, or what I might have to come across. What I faced for the last two years, should be heard and read by as many of you as possible. As I completed my six months of first joining, I felt quite contempt and I thought my life will sail off to the shore just the way it. But being in this field one thing you have to learn is that you just can not relax your back. January 2016 was the month when I realized that keeping my city safe should be the most important job of my life.

I received a call in the middle of the night on 5th January 2016 and it was from the Commissioner's office. Apparently, I was called in immediately. "Sir, can't it wait till morning?" I asked him while I checked the time. "No sir, I will be there in half an hour, starting off in another five minutes." Putting the phone down made me feel that the phone was a lot heavier than it looked like. I knew something was not right while jumped out of my night pants and I pulled up a shirt and trousers.

On my way driving to the Commissioner's office, I was trying to list out a thousand reasons, why did he call me up in the middle of the night and asked me to meet him up? Is something wrong with him, or maybe he wants to transfer me off. Because let us be frank that being a woman in the Police Headquarters was not that easy. I reached the place and parked my car at the usual spot. Having a hard stone in my throat, I entered his office. "Sir." The regular salute and I walked in. "Come Richa, hope you are wide awake for this." I looked at him straight, "I don't know what you have for me sir, but yes, I am all awake". He simply smiled and said, "Great then, let us go to the Auditorium. I have something to show you." He grabbed his file and I walked right behind him. As we settled in the auditorium, I saw a silhouette right at the last corner, probably a technician but I had one eye on it.

I sat there looking at R.G. Deshmukh uploading a few slides. "I am going to show you something which I haven't shown to anyone yet. And I would like you to be very cautious about what I am will be showing you." I sat there and looked right at the screen and as the picture came up I really thought that I would be barfing off. "Oh, God!" Somehow I managed to put my gag reflexes away and spoke these words. "What the hell is this? Who did that?" Comm. Deshmukh stood beside the projector and said, "These are the images of the murders, rather pieces of the people who were slaughtered by someone whom we are calling as 'The Listener.' And until now 6 of such murders have been reported. And I want you to find this murderer and put him behind the bars."

I saw that and couldn't believe that someone could do something such a heinous thing. "How did you know that it was, 'The Listener'. Where did that name come from?" Commissioner looked at me and said, "There is only one survivor, who has apparently a lot both ears and one eye to this man. And she was very lucky to escape and remain alive. She says, that this person never talks, only listens." I was simply shocked, "She? Are these all female body pieces? if they are then where are the remaining pieces of all of them?"

"Richa, I think our criminal is a male and has something against these girls or any girl. But to know all that you have to make sure that you are definitely prepared than this guy. You might have to take this up on your own with a few trusted men of our department and someone else with a will of working with you." I couldn't rip my eyes off from the screen. "Richa, this is the file of the guy who has created this mess and I want you to follow it up look into every detail. You will have all my support to continue this investigation. This cannot be given out to media at any cost. I hope you understand what I am trying to say."

I had no more strength to sit there and watch it. I took the file and walked out without looking back at the screen.

to be continued.....