The Love Story Of A Fraud

Anil was a handsome young man of 25. He had curly, close cropped hair with bushy eyebrows and light brown eyes, a pointed nose with a prominent cheekbone and a square jaw bone, giving his face a rectangular shape. He had a great physique and an attractive personality. He was a gold medallist in MFA painting. Besides, he had completed graphic designing and animation from a reputed computer institute. He worked for an advertising company and lived with his widowed mother Vidya in Nagpur. Life seemed to be very kind to him except that he had no luck in love. Girls seemed to enter into his life and then abruptly exit like retreating waves from the sea. Though he was disheartened by his love failures, he was not averse to a romantic relationship with a girl. Whenever he was ditched by a girl, he consoled himself saying, “ Perhaps, this girl was not meant to be your partner.” 

His mother was not at all pleased with his Casanova image. She advised him, “ Fooling around with girls is like playing with fire. Be careful or you may get burnt.” Anil pinched his mother’s cheeks affectionately and said, “ My dearest mom, relax! I have decided to lie low for a while. I assure you I won’t go looking out for trouble. It’s just that I worry about you. You need a daughter in law, who will do the household chores and take care of us. You can’t blame me for my eagerness to get married. Most of my cousins are not only married, but also have children. Why should I lag behind?” His mother giggled but said nothing.

Days passed by, both mother and son were vigorous in their bride hunting but didn’t get any suitable alliance. Anil posted his profile on the matrimonial site. He was disappointed to get lukewarm response from the girls. He wondered what was wrong with him? He was quite handsome, earned a decent salary and a house of his own. When he browsed through their profiles, he was taken aback by their sky high expectations. He kept on scrolling down the webpage to view profiles that could match his status. It was then, that a girl called Monica sent him a message. Anil was thrilled and he responded immediately. He was pleased to note that she didn’t have any great demand. They shared similar views on subjects like education, politics, sports, marriage etc. They chatted for an hour and then Anil carried on with his daily routine.

The website chat resulted in friendship and gradually turned into love. Anil was ecstatic as he felt that he had found his true soulmate. He had already told her about his previous love failures and she had been a great sport to digest that information without any complaint. Their family background was quite different. He was a Maharashtrian and She was a Bengali. Yet their hearts were united. He introduced Monica to his mother who immediately gave her approval for their marriage. After a couple of days, he went to Kolkata where she lived, to seek her parents' consent. They also agreed to their match. Anil returned to his hometown feeling Victorious. His mother was very happy for him. Now, only the engagement and wedding date had to be finalized. 

The twist in the tale was unavoidable, as Anil lost his job because of the company's closure. He called Monica and informed her that he was out of job. He asked her, “Now that I have told you about my unemployment, I want to know if you have any second thoughts about continuing our relationship. I won’t mind if you prefer to opt out.”

She replied, " How can you even think about it? I have been in love with you and not your job. I will wait for you till eternity. You will get a better job, sooner or later." His joy knew no bounds on hearing these soothing words from her. 

He was determined to get a good job within a short period. He kept on applying for job and attending the interviews but without any success. He was a fighter and wouldn't give in so easily to failure.

He was so busy searching for a job that he didn't bother to call Monica. Anil was still jobless.

He thought of çalling Monica and dialled her number. It was ringing but no one responded. He thought that she might be busy and would call back after seeing his missed call. 

He waited for a week but she didn't respond. He called her again from his bedroom. She picked up his call this time and said, " Hello. I couldn't attend your call last week. I forgot to tell you that I am getting married next week to a boy from our own community. Since you didn't have any job, my parents opposed our marriage. I can't go against their wishes. I hope you understand the situation. Please don't call me anymore." 

Anil had such a shock that he almost fainted. He had a complete blank look on his face. His mother happened to pass by his room. She called him to have tea but he didn't budge from his place. She entered his room and shook him thoroughly. He came out of his reverie.

She was scared to see his face which turned white due to the huge setback given by Monica. She asked him," What happened to you? I am your mother. Don't hide anything from me." Anil told her about Monica' s betrayal. She was so enraged that she felt like strangling Monica in person. She thought “ How dare she give false hopes to my son and then dump him?” She controlled her emotions and consoled him saying, “ Forget that girl. She is not fit to be my daughter in law. I will find a better match for you.” 

To her enormous surprise, he broke into tears. She had never seen him so upset, though heartbreak was not new for him. This time he was genuinely in love and his beloved had betrayed his trust. Anil wiped off his tears and asked his mother to prepare coffee for him. No sooner did she enter the kitchen, than the doorbell rang which was opened by Anil. It was his best friend, Pramod who was grinning at him. Anil welcomed him with a bear hug. Both the friends exchanged pleasantries, sipping hot cups of coffee. Anil updated Pramod about his misfortune. He listened with rapt attention and appeared to be in a deep thought. He finally said, “ If you have a portfolio of your work, just give it to me, I will ask Dad to help because he has a lot of business connections. I am sure he will be willing to help you.” Anil cheered up considerably and fetched his portfolio. Pramod was very impressed with his work. He remarked, “ Hey, You are an excellent artist and a great graphic designer. I am taking this with me. I will let you know by tomorrow.”

Anil looked grateful. True to his word, Pramod called back, next morning stating that his dad was quite impressed with his work and wanted to talk to him in person. That was the turning point of his life. Pramod’s father was a reputed businessman and had many business connections. Anil was asked to design a logo for a financial institution. He had come up with such a unique design, that it was immediately approved by the client. Gradually, more orders started pouring in for Anil. As a result, he set up his own advertising agency and started earning a lot through graphic design, animation and making portraits for art galleries.

He became a sort of celebrity, attracting international clients. He received the outstanding entrepreneur of the year award. He was on cloud nine, as his advertising agency raked in huge profits. He frequently travelled abroad. He made Pramod as his business partner and opened branches of his agency all over India, recruiting young talents. Vidya was proud of her son. Pramod' s younger sister, Niharika was attracted to him. She was a slim brunette of 20 having an oval face with doe shaped blue eyes, aquiline nose and rosy lips. She was absolutely gorgeous. Anil tried to avoid her because of his bad experience but finally gave in when Pramod and his father approved their marriage. The marriage was celebrated with much fanfare and many socialites graced the occasion. Anil had everything he had longed for, a beautiful wife, his own company, a mansion and several cars. His most prized possession was his best friend and brother in law Pramod, to whom he always remained grateful.

A fortnight after the marriage, he received a call from Monica. He disconnected and switched off his mobile. When he opened his email, he noticed several messages from Monica. They were full of apologies. She had mentioned that her wedding was called off by the groom. She stated that she had always regretted her decision and now that she is single, she wanted to marry him. He ignored and deleted all her messages. He was vexed with her relentless pursuit. He heard a rap at the door and looked up at Inspector Ravi, one of his college mate. 

“Hello, My dearest friend! First of all let me congratulate you for your marriage. And secondly, I need your help with a case , that is if you are not too busy.” “ I am never too busy for my friends,” Anil replied, “ What can I do for you?” His friend answered, “ There is an interesting case of online swindling by a girl. She hooks guys through website, promises to marry them and siphons off their bank balance. The unsuspecting guys fall for her charm and splurge all their money on her, only to be deserted in the end. I want you to draw her sketch because one of our artist is on leave and the complainant is coming tomorrow to our police station at 9.30 A.M. Will you come tomorrow?” Anil was intrigued. He agreed to come and then two friends parted ways. 

Next morning, Anil reached Civil Lines Police Station by 9.15 A.M, where Ravi was posted as an inspector. The complainant Kishore was a friend of Ravi's brother Ajit.

Ravi asked him to narrate his ordeal once more before proceeding with the sketch. Anil asked him, “ Have you personally met her?” Kishore said, “We had dated for a couple of months, before she broke up with me.” Anil queried, “Don’t you have any photos, that you may have taken together? 

He answered, “ This may sound weird but she never allowed me to take pictures together. I should have smelt something fishy about her behaviour.” 

Anil felt sorry for him. Without further questions, he took his drawing pad and pencil and started sketching based on the facial description given Kishore. It took more than an hour to complete the picture. When he finished the sketch, Anil glanced at it. The face seemed vaguely familiar. He showed the sketch to Kishore who confirmed that this was the same girl who had cheated him.

Anil tried to recall where he had seen her and then suddenly it all came to him in a flash. His face flushed with excitement. He added this photo on the computer and using his expertise in graphics and animation, made some alterations to her face and voila ! He grinned at Ravi and said, “ Go and get your handcuffs ready, I know this bitch.”

“ How do you know her?” Ravi asked, unable to contain his excitement. Anil looked at both Kishore and Ravi. Then he told them all about her. They watched him with open mouth. 

Anil returned home. He was in a jubilant mood. His wife Niharika and mother Vidya were amused to see him dancing like an overexcited kid. He explained them every thing. He put forth his plan to capture the online date fraud before them. They approved it. “ Get ready, sweetheart! We will be going to our honeymoon to Darjeeling after our work in Kolkata is over.”

He made a phone call and chatted on for a while. After disconnecting the call, he gave a thumbs up sign to his wife. She smiled and went away for packing their clothes for the trip. As per the plan, Ravi and a couple of police officers were supposed to hide at a safe place till Anil signalled them.

Two days later, Anil was dressed in a tuxedo and carried a bouquet. He had arrived at ' The Paradise café'. He was so handsome that some girls seated near the entrance found him irresistible and made a pass at him, much to Niharika' s annoyance. He slowly approached a girl with shiny, black hair that she had let open and which reached her slim waist. She was pretty, though not as beautiful as Niharika. He gave her the bouquet and she beamed at him. She began twirling the strands of her hair and gave him a seductive glance. She came near him and was about to kiss him but he stopped her and remarked, “ Hold your horses, young lady. I would like you to meet some one special.” Niharika came out of hiding. He introduced her to the girl, “ Well, meet my wife Niharika ,” he said and turned to his wife saying , “ Niharika, meet Monica, the former love of my life. She is not only pretty but also wily enough to lure wealthy young men into her trap and once she robs them, she pretends fake marriage and proceeds to her next victim. By the way, I would like to know your real name. Is it Monica, Rushali , Jennifer or Fatima?”

Monica was stunned. Beads of perspiration formed in her forehead. She took a step back and tried to flee but unfortunately, the police came out of their hiding place and arrested her. “ Your game is up." Ravi said and thanked Anil for his help. Anil shook hands with Ravi and then left with his wife for the honeymoon.