Where Did The Thief Go?

26th June 2020, 10:32 AM: Harry is watching TV in his house. He is a magician and lives alone in a cooperative housing society. He is sitting on his couch and playing with his mobile. On TV, the news appears that a thief has escaped from the jail and is on the run from the police. Suddenly, someone knocks on his door. Harry opens it. He sees the same thief.

At 10:40 AM, The police who were chasing the thief reached the housing society. Inspector Ramesh talks to the secretary of the housing society who informs them that the watchman is on a leave and there are no security cameras in the building. However, police find a CCTV camera in the street outside the housing society. The footage shows the thief entering the housing society. The police check the whole place. They go inside every house and search for the thief. No one opens Harry's house when the police knock. The police get suspicious and break open the door. 

At 10:50 AM, they enter the house and see Harry tied and gagged in a chair. The wardrobe in his bedroom is open. Harry tells Inspector Ramesh that the thief threatened him with a knife, tied him and stole 1.5 lakhs money that was in his wardrobe and left the house. Police then search outside in the streets but couldn't find the thief. The media mocks the police brutally.

 At 2:00 PM, Inspector Ramesh is suspended as the thief escaped the jail while he was on duty and he failed in catching him. Later that day, Ramesh goes home and is very depressed. He locks himself in his room and keeps thinking about the case. He is very desperate to solve this crime. He remembers that the CCTV footage in the street showed the thief entering the housing society but not leaving it. He suspects that the thief is still in the housing society and most probably in Harry's house. He tries to know more about Harry through the internet. He finds out that Harry is an expert in Escapology. He is convinced that Harry is lying because he could have easily freed himself when the thief tied him. He also finds out that many of Harry's shows have been cancelled and he is not a very successful magician. He believes that Harry cannot possess 1.5 lakhs and he is lying.

27th June 2020, 10:00 AM: Ramesh reports to his senior's office the next morning. He tries to convince him that Harry is lying. However, his senior Aakash rubbishes Ramesh's claims. Aakash tells him that Harry was tied by ropes instead of chains. He is only trained to free himself from chains with the help of a hook. Further, Harry was threatened by a knife. So it's possible he was nervous and couldn't free himself. Also, Harry has given a statement that he took a loan from a Government Bank for his next show and this has been confirmed by the Bank. This is how he had 1.5 lakhs in his wardrobe. Ramesh is told to leave the police office as he doesn't have any solid proof. He returns to his home as he had failed again. 

The case has been handed over to many officials. It has been shifted to many different departments. Many elaborate Inquiries and meetings to solve the crime have occurred. The thief's associates were caught and interrogated. His bank accounts and cash withdrawal were traced. 'Wanted' posters for the thief have been circulated within the country and later to overseas countries too. Spies have been set on Harry. But all of that was a dead end. 

It's been a year. The search for the thief and money is still continuing and this has become one of the most discussed cases among the police, public and media and yet it is not solved. However, the secretary of the housing society is happy that the government installed CCTV cameras inside the building for free.

It turns out Harry got addicted to online gambling games during the lockdown and he lost a lot of money. He had taken a loan of 1.5 lakhs from the government bank but was unable to settle it as many of his shows were cancelled due to fear of the spread of the virus. Harry killed the thief the day he saw him and hid him behind a mirror in his bedroom. The mirror was one of his artefacts that he regularly uses in his magic shows. He then opened the wardrobe door, tied and gagged himself and feigned a crime scene. The corpse of the thief still lies behind the mirror.

The case has made Harry very popular. Media had hailed him as a hero since according to them, he remained calm when the thief broke in. His debt is cleared because the government spared his loan as his money was stolen and couldn't be found by the police. He is now a successful magician, married and has two kids. 

Meanwhile, Ramesh became addicted to alcohol. He was arrested for beating his wife and daughter. In the jail, his mental health began to deteriorate. He was soon shifted to a mental asylum where he committed suicide.