read part 1 , part 2
“What a pleasant surprise! Where were you? I have been
trying to contact you for the past six months, Sanjog…”
“Hush…don’t call out my name,” Sanjog cut him short, “ I’ll
tell you the details later, but let me tell you something important before time
runs out” he was almost whispering.
“What’s the matter Sanjog? You are scaring me.”
“I need your help. I am investigating a case. Some months
ago, some inmates disappeared from Baba Gurudebji’s charitable home in Panchkula. No one took it seriously because, on the
outlook it seemed like they had left on their own. But then it started
happening on a frequent basis. More people started leaving. Just like that.
Today they were here, tomorrow there were not.
It seemed like suddenly long lost relatives were finding
their kin or companies had suddenly started hiring these guys! No one thought
anything was amiss. But my friend Sonia who is a volunteer at the home felt
something amiss. All investigations drew a blank and that is when I planted my bait
at the home.”
“A Bait?”
“Yes, do you
remember Alok?”
“Alok? Our classmate from school? He’s here?”
“He dropped out of school after 9th class and
came here looking for a job. I helped him get a placement with a newspaper
distribution office. Well, he agreed to act as an inmate and keep a watch for
me.”
“What did you find out?” Sanjog was curious to know.
“After a couple of weeks he told me how some men had
approached him with a job offer and the trustees had encouraged him to join. He
agreed to the offer. They refused to divulge the details of employment and said
they will come for him. A couple of days later they came to take him. It was
weird, because who has ever heard of an employee being escorted to work? So I
followed them from a distance. It brought me to Life Biotech…” he paused.
“You mean to the organization I work for?”
“Yes.”
“So what’s the catch?”
“He never returned.
I tried meeting him casually as a friend, but there was no one by that name on
the payroll. I waited three entire days outside the building, hoping he’d come
out but he never did. I wondered what trouble I had put him into.”
“Then?”
“I was sure all other inmates had disappeared likewise so I
tipped off the police. They promptly raided the place. But even a thorough
search of the place did not yield any results. There was no one inside, not one inmate, not even my bait. They had just
vanished overnight! I took a beating from the cops and my boss alike for what
they thought was false alarm.
I realized that this kind of bait would lead me nowhere. I
needed concrete proof. I needed to enter the place. I befriended a new recruit
from Life Biotech, a certain Mr. Debashis Roy. He agreed to find out the inside
story for me. What he told me was shocking.
I was right that
the inmates were indeed being lured to Life Biotech.
Why the police did not find anything was because the eight
floor tower was completely clean. The actually activities were being carried
over in the two basement floors! But the existence of the two basement floors
is not known to the outside world. In fact only the top and middle management
knows about the existence and had entry to the two floors.
The lifts do not go beyond the ground floor and there are
no staircases to lead down. Those who have permission to enter have a special
access card that has to be swiped in the lift and that takes you down.
Between 10pm and 10.30, everyone including the security are
out of the building, only three people from the disinfection and sanitization
company are let in to sanitize the research labs in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor and two
persons are allowed into the basements. Debashis had managed to find out this and steal an access
card He had tried to sneak in. But his bosses were in the basement that
fateful day, and unfortunately they saw him before he could even step out of
the lift or any evidence could be collected. He managed to get out and drop the
access card with a detailed note in my post box. But I have never been able to
locate him thereafter. God knows what they have done with him. Wonder if they
have kidnapped him or maybe even bumped
him off."
He paused for breath.
“You are meeting me to warn me off this supposedly
dangerous place?” asked Abhijeet cautiously.
“Not exactly….I need you to help me find what goes on there.
A lot of lives including Alok’s are at stake. Will you help me get to the root
of the matter?”
“Why don’t you go to the cops?”
“Neither the cops nor my boss will believe me again. I have
enlisted their help twice and they were convinced I was on a wild goose chase.
I cannot approach them again, atleast not till I have concrete evidence. Will you help
me Abhijeet?”
“And be killed like Debashis?”
“No this time we’ll be more careful, and not repeat
mistakes. I was publicly in touch with him, and knowing my interest in the
case, Debu got identified. I have gone underground since he disappeared, trying to piece the puzzle together, trying to work out a plan. I had to fake a serious accident and go off work for almost 5 months now. That is why the secret meeting with you. I have the
access card to the basement floors, I have the plan; you need to help me
execute it.”
“I have to think about it” said Abhijeet, not sure whether to get involved with such a dangerous mission.
“I understand," said Sanjog, placing an understanding hand over his friend's shoulder. "But please do not discuss this with anyone. I think you
should leave now. You have been here too long. I hope Sahana doesn’t raise an
alarm, not finding you on the other side. I’ll contact you again. I am usually
at Hotel Blue moon around 8 every Saturday.. ”
Moving along quite nicely! Waiting for the next!
ReplyDeletethe next two parts are up sir...
ReplyDeleteenjoying your narration and the story-line :)
ReplyDeletethank you...
DeleteQuite racy and intriguing too!
ReplyDeletewell I am happy I came late- now I can read the whole thing at once :)-- I am now up to part 3 and dashing off to read part 4...I don't think I would have been able to stand the suspense if I had read them one at a time...waiting for the next one :)
ReplyDelete