Darkest Deadly Secret

Pragya turned off the gas stove after she finished preparing the dinner. Her best friend Uma Ramdas called her on her mobile. She sounded pretty excited. She said, "Pragya dear, I am very happy to inform you that I have won Rupees One lakh in a lucky draw sweepstake held by a local website. I have organised a party to celebrate my good fortune on Saturday at 5.30 PM. You have to come with your husband." Pragya was a sensible woman.

She did not believe in such kind of sweepstakes. She said, " I think you are in deep trouble. What's the name of this website that you visited? I will have to check its authenticity." Uma mistook her concern for jealousy. She said, " I thought you were my best friend. I am shocked to find that you are unable to digest my newfound wealth. I have received a phone call from them. They are going to send their representative with the prize check by tomorrow morning. I am not going to compel you to attend my party. Thank you so much for spoiling my good mood. Henceforth, don't bother to call me."

Uma disconnected the call without waiting for Pragya's reply. Pragya was bewildered at Uma's attitude. Pragya had meant no harm. She wanted to make sure that no one swindled her money. She felt frustrated after she tried calling her several times.

Uma's greed for money disabled her capacity to think practically and logically. Pragya resumed her household chores. Her husband Inspector Gopal Sharma came home after solving a complicated murder case. Gopal noticed her unusual silence and glum face.

He asked her with concern, " What's the matter, sweetheart? Is something bothering you?"

Pragya told him everything about Uma's phone call. Gopal replied, " You did your duty as a friend to warn her against possible fraud. It's her mistake that she did not take it positively. Don't worry, my dear. You can't change her destiny. " Pragya smiled at him and set the table for dinner.

She sent her children Vidyut and Ayushman to school on the following day. She tried calling Uma to apologize, but she didn't attend her call. She knew that her best friend Uma melted at the sight of chocolates. She finished her household chores by 10.30 AM and went to buy chocolates for Uma.

She reached Uma's house by 11.00 AM. She was shocked to find that the gate was wide open. When she entered the premises, another shock awaited her. The door was ajar, and things were scattered. Pragya had her heart in her mouth after seeing her best friend lying dead in a pool of blood. She rushed out without touching anything and immediately called her husband. Gopal arrived with the constables. Uma's nosy neighbor Rutuja Joshi happened to peek out of her window. She summoned all her immediate neighbors and gathered outside Uma's house. Inspector Gopal was busy searching for clues.

He saw Rutuja and six more ladies standing outside Uma's house. He approached them to probe further. He told them about Uma's murder. He asked Rutuja, " How long have you known the deceased? What kind of woman was she? Did you see anyone coming to or going out of her house today?" She replied with an air of importance, " Well, Sir! I have known Uma for the past three years. Though she was friendly with us, I would not say that she was a good woman. She was a perfect snob. She had such a high opinion of herself. I pity her poor husband who danced to her tune almost every day. We could hear her screaming at them for hours together on a daily basis. I should not speak ill of the dead, but she deserved it. I did see someone coming to her house at around 9 AM. I thought it must be her relative. So I didn't bother to find out about his identity. I think it must be either her husband Pramod or her seventeen-year-old son Ankush who killed her." Gopal asked her, "Did she invite you all to her party on Saturday?"

Rutuja looked at her friends who were as confused as her. She replied, " She never invited us to any of her parties. We didn't even know that she was planning to throw a party on Saturday until you told us now." Gopal was puzzled. He further questioned her, " Didn't she tell you that she had won prize money of One lakh rupees in a lucky draw?" All the ladies shook their head. Rutuja said, " She was a compulsive liar. She boasted to us about her enormous wealth and elegant lifestyle. You can't hide the truth forever. Some of her creditors knocked at my door asking about Uma. They said that she owed a lot of money and had failed to make her payments on time.

Uma had absconded for fifteen days. All of us stopped speaking to her after discovering that she was a fraud." Gopal thanked her and asked the crowd to leave the crime scene.

Pragya had listened to every word of the conversation between her husband and Rutuja. Uma had created a favourable impression on her. Pragya had met Uma outside a shopping mall around a couple of years ago. Pragya had seen her generously giving alms to an old tramp. She was so impressed that she introduced herself to Uma. They exchanged numbers and became best friends.

Gopal snapped her out of her reverie. He said, " I am sorry, dear. Your deceased friend turned out to be quite a different character. I hope you have learned your lesson now. Don't judge anyone by their physical appearance."

Gopal asked her to wait until the arrival of the ambulance. He searched every nook and corner of the house for clues. When he entered the bedroom, the cupboard was wide open with clothes scattered all over the floor.

The murderer had fled away with all the valuables after killing Uma. Gopal wanted to notify her husband and son.

He saw a telephone diary lying on the coffee table. He picked it up and called Uma's husband to inform him about the tragedy.

Pramod came rushing home within an hour. He was devastated upon seeing his dead wife. He broke into sobs as he couldn't control his emotions. "My life is ruined. My Uma has left me alone in this world, " he added between his sobs.

Gopal felt sorry for him. He offered his condolence and continued to probe him about the missing valuables. Pramod answered all his questions and called Ankush on his mobile. The latter came rushing home to witness his mother's unfortunate death. The father and son duo hugged each other and cried. Gopal turned his attention towards Uma's face once again. He had a weird feeling that he had seen her somewhere.

He cast a casual glance around the house. He tried hard to remember where he had seen her. There was something wrong with this house. He couldn't find out the fault immediately. After sending the body for post mortem, Gopal left the grieving father and son alone. He dropped Pragya at home and proceeded towards the police station. He stopped at his favourite tea stall and ordered a strong cup of ginger tea. The hot tea stimulated his brain cells. He suddenly realised that there was no marriage photo of the couple. He was even more surprised to remember that there was nothing that could connect them as a family.

He finished his tea and paid the vendor. He resumed his duty at the police station. He had to wait for the post mortem report before proceeding ahead in this case. He had a vague feeling that the criminal was well aware of the forensic and police procedures.

He had clicked the picture of the murdered victim Uma in his mobile. He decided to check her past criminal record. He opened his laptop and entered her photo in the criminal records. He was shocked to learn that Uma was not an ordinary woman. She was a terrorist working for the militant outfit Jihad Zindabad. Her real name was Mariam KC. He also saw the photos of her accomplices. He identified them as Pramod and Ankush who pretended to be her husband and son. Pramod's real name was Bashir Ahmed, and Ankush was Sameer.

He suddenly realized that there was a sinister conspiracy lurking around the corner. There was no time to waste. His instinct told him that Bashir and Sameer must have fled from the crime scene. He wanted to stop them from leaving the country. He circulated their photos to all the bus stations, railway stations and airports. His guess proved to be right.

The suspected terrorists had fled away leaving the house wide open and deserted. Gopal did not lose hope. He was pretty sure of finding some clue to Uma's murder and their escape.

He searched the entire house again. He discovered a spring mechanism in the upper shelf of the cupboard. He pressed it, and it slid away leaving a gaping hole. He inserted his hand and found something. He used both his hands to take it out. He was very excited to discover a laptop. He was sure that the woman had hidden this laptop from her partners. He left the house after ten minutes leaving the door open.

Gopal called his friend Neeraj Kumar who was an expert in handling data recovery and software programming. Neeraj cracked the password to the laptop. There were two files named Plan A and plan B.

Mariam alias Uma Ramdas wanted to seek revenge for her twin sister Ruby's death. Inspector Gopal Sharma had killed her in an encounter for her alleged involvement in terrorism. Uma befriended Pragya to gain her confidence. She had planned to invite Pragya to her house and then murder her.

Gopal was furious after reading the first part of a greater conspiracy. The second part was even more dangerous. The trio had planned to escape to Delhi and plant a high-intensity bomb in the Republic Day parade. He immediately forwarded these files to the commissioner for immediate action.

He received a call from Dadar Railway Station. The railway police had detained two men for questioning after their heated argument with the Train Ticket Examiner. Gopal came to the station as quickly as possible with the constables. The Railway Police Chief informed him that the two men had acted pretty suspiciously. He said, "They were fighting with each other as they couldn't decide about the train they were supposed to board. Someone called The TTE, and he intervened between them. They stared at each other when he asked them to show their ticket. He called me to interrogate these two men. They gave a silly excuse of forgetting their train ticket at home.

This boy sneezed so hard that his fake beard came off in an instant. I have to thank you, Gopal Sir for circulating their pictures. That was quick thinking on your part. I will hand over these scoundrels to you for further interrogation." Gopal identified them as the wanted criminals. Gopal told the railway officer, " Thank you so much for your great help. They are not ordinary criminals but dreaded terrorists of The Jihadi militant group Jihad Zindabad. They have planned to carry out a bomb blast in the Republic Day parade. Unfortunately, they lost their lady boss before they could execute their plan. Anyhow, I would like to take your leave now. May I take over these gentlemen into my custody?" The Railway Police Chief shook hands with Gopal and handed over the terrorists to him. Gopal and his men arranged for a special van to take them away for interrogation.

Pramod alias Bashir admitted that he killed Mariam in a fit of rage. He ransacked the house to make it look like a murder for robbery. He hated her for her bossy attitude. She misused her position as their chief and treated them like dogs. Sameer also confessed to his role in destroying the evidence and about their plan to launch a series of bomb blasts in various parts of India. Gopal said, " I would like to strangle you both to death with my bare hands. I don't want to wash my hands with your filthy blood. How dare you think of hatching a conspiracy against my beloved motherland, India? Our armed forces and police force are too strong for you. They will not only foil your attempts to destroy our nation but also wipe out your existence on the earth. Jai Hind! Vande Mataram!"

The entire police station echoed with the chants of Jai Hind and Vande Mataram.

Gopal told Pragya everything about her so-called friend's true identity and her twin conspiracies. Pragya thanked God for saving her life from certain death.