Story: CID International Connections (Post 3 and 4)

PM LIST

Here's presenting a new case with international connections. It's time to take CID to the world. 😉

And I have quite a few appearances. Please don't mind if I give you last names of my choice. 😉And the appearances are as follows:

1. Ravi
2. Visrom - sorry di but I don't know your real name so I just made your UN your name
3. Soni
4. Shreya - I'm tired of being nice and not including myself. So this time I'm going to include myself for sure. 😉
5. Bhavana
6. Shagnika
7. Snehal
8. Neha
9. Mano

So look out for our wonderful CIDians and also the awesome team! Enjoy this story as I bring a new story.

Once again please don't say sorry if it takes you a few weeks or a month to get to the story. Don't say "nice update" or "continue soon" because it gives me the feeling that you aren't actually reading the story. Though "nice story" or other such things are allowed. Just don't give me the feeling that you are thinking this is a section of some FF or what not.

Oh and finally, please do read the very important notes at the end of the story, but please read them after you read the story else they won't make sense to you.

Thanks!

International Connections

Disclaimer: Over the past couple of stories I've been exploring bolder concepts that you would normally not see in CID. These ideas are all thanks to American TV show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which is always exploring such bold topics. Anyways, I'm warning you in advance that this is a bold concept as well.

CID bureau, 10PM

"Yeh bhi yunhi gayab huyi hai," Abhijeet said, bringing out another missing report.

"Ab yeh 5 ladkiyan hain jo Sonal ki taran gayab huyi hain," Daya counted.

"5 nahi 6 sir," Freddy replied. "Yeh ek aur hai."

"Matlab pichle ek saal main ab tak 6 ladkiyan aise gayab huye hain. Aur dekho. Dhoondo! Yeh toh sirf Mumbai hai. Pura desh dhoond maro! Yeh sahi nahi ho raha hai. Aur agar Sonal ki maa aaj nahi aati toh hume kabhi pata bhi nahi chalta," ACP Pradyuman said.

*****

CID bureau, earlier, 4PM

A lady came running into the bureau, "Sir meri madat ki jiye! Please meri madat ki jiye."

Daya pulled out a chair and motioned for the lady to sit down. Freddy gave her a glass of water, which she quickly gulped down calming her nerves. ACP Pradyuman asked, "Kya huya? Aap yun bhaag kar kyun aayi hain?"

"Sir meri beti pichle do hafton se gayab hai. Ek interview ke liye gayi thi tab se wapas ki nahi aayi. Ab main kya karoon?" the lady asked.

Abhijeet asked, "Aapne police main report kiya?"

"Haan kiya tha. Lekin pichle hafte unhone kaha ke woh investigation band kar rahe hain kyun ki unhe saboot mil gaya hai ke Sonal aapne marzi se ghar chor kar gayi hai. Meri beti aisa nahi kar sakti," she wailed.

"Shuru se bataya. Huya kya hai?" ACP Pradyuman asked.

The lady swallowed and began, "Ji main Naina Chopra hoon aur meri beti Sonal Chopra hai. Woh ek architect bana chahti hai lekin jis school main woh jaana chahti hai wahan pe ek saal ka experience chahiye. Isli Sonal ek naukri dhoond rahi thi. Do hafte pehle usse ek interview ka call aaya Morphogenesis se. Yeh ek bahut badi architecture company hai. Lekin phir woh gayab ho gayi. Jab woh sham tak ghar nahi aayi maine police station jaa kar ek FIR likhwai aur unhone investigation ki lekin pata nahi kyun unhone phir investigation pichle hafte rok di yeh keh kar ke unh eke paas bahut saboot the ke Sonal aapni marzi se ghar se gayi hai."

"Aapke paas FIR ki copy hai?" Daya asked.

Mrs. Chopra gave it to Daya. ACP Pradyuman said, "Aap chinta maat ki jiye. Hum dekhte hain ke kya kar sakte hain."

Mrs. Chopra nodded and left the bureau. ACP Pradyuman said, "Iss case main job hi investigating officers hain unhe sab ko laayo! Laayo yahan pe aura chi taran se pooch tach karo."

*****

CID bureau, Present

Abhijeet said, "Sir kisse pata tha ke ek missing persons case itna bada ho sakta hai. Ek hi taran se yeh 20 ladkiyan gayab huyi hain iss saal main. Aur abhi toh humne Uttar Pradesh aur Punjab dekha hi nahi hai."

"Aur upar se yeh toh humne sirf ek saal dekha hai. Abhi toh aur ek do saal peeche jayenge toh pata nahi aur kitne milenge," Daya added.

"Inspector Ravi ne sahi kaha tha sir. Yeh ek lauti aisi ladki nahi hai. Lekin jisne bhi gayab kiya hai usne koi saboot nahi chora hai," Freddy said.

"Haan isli toh usne bhi yeh Sonal ka case band kar diya," ACP Pradyuman said.

*****

CID bureau, earlier, 6PM

ACP Pradyuman asked, "Sonal Chopra ka case itni jaldi band kyun kar diya?"

Inspector Ravi replied, "Kyun ki aur koi saboot nahi hai jo kisi aur taraf ishara kare."

"Kya matlab?" Abhijeet asked.

"Sir jab humne case shuru kiya tha toh hume bahut jaldi pata chala ke Sonal ko kabhi kisi interview ke liye bulaya nahi gaya tha. Balki Morphogenesis ne toh koi job bhi nahi post kit hi jisme Sonal apply kar sakhe."

"Matlab kisi ne usse galat baat bataya thi. Yeh sab ek plan tha usse uthane ke liye," Daya said, skeptically.

"Hume toh laga key eh sonal ne kiya taki woh ghar se bhag sakhe. Kyun ki jab hum uske ghar gaye the toh wahan pe koi kapde yeh saaman nahi mila tha."

"Lekin yeh toh koi bhi lekar jaa sakta hai. Iska yeh matlab toh nahi ke woh ghar se bhag gayi thi," Freddy said.

"Jab yeh note mile toh tab hum yeh conclusion pe paunch sakte hain naa?"

"Inspector Ravi gave a note to ACP Pradyuman who read it:

Maa main thak gayi hoon aap ke isharon pe naachte naachte. Mujhe aapni zindagi chahiye. Main jaa rahi hoon. Mujhe dhoondne ki koshish maat karna. Sonal

"Yeh Sonal ki likhayi hai?" Daya asked.

"Humne uski maa se bhi poocha aur phir ek writing expert se check karwaya. Yeh 100% Sonal ki likhayi hai."

"Toh matlab Sonal ne shayad yeh interview ka bahana banaya taki woh araam se bhag jaaye aur usse koi dhoonde naa," Abhijeet said, skeptically.

"Abhijeet yeh sab kuch toh zada hi asaan tha," Daya said.

"Haan yaar. Koi itne saare saboot chor sakta hai ke do din main case solve ho jaaye?" Abhijeet said.

Inspector Ravi put in, "Sir agar humpe pressure nahi hota case band karne ka toh main aur aage investigate karta kyun ki mujhe bhi yehi lagta hai ke yeh sab kuch zada asaan tha. Lekin sir main aap se itna zaroor keh sakta hoon ke Sonal ek akeli nahi hai jo yunh gayab huyi hai. Kum se kum do au raise log hain. Aur gayab karne ka tareka ek hi hai. Pehle interview, phir gayab ho gayi, aur ghar pe koi saaman nahi aur aisa hi ek note. Note ki wording bhi ek hi tha."

"Tumpe pressure tha kis ka?" Daya asked.

"Yeh toh nahi pata. Bas upar se order aaya tha ke case ko jaldi se solve kar ke band karna hoga," he replied.

*****

CID bureau, Present

"Lekin kaun chahega ke ek missing ladki ka case itni jaldi band ho jaaye?" Freddy asked.

"Freddy yeh case jitna sidha hai utna hai nahi. Itni saari ladkiyan ek hi taran se gayab huyi hain. Yeh puri 30 ladkiyan ho gayi hain jo ek hi saal main ek hi tareke se gayab huyi hain. Aur abhi Abhijeet aur Daya ek do saal aur peeche jaa rahe hain. Kuch toh gadbad hai. Kuch toh huya hai inhe ladkiyon ke saath," ACP Pradyuman replied.

"Sir hum inhe ladkiyon ke phone records niklawate hain. Zaroor kuch naa kuch pata chalega wahan se," Daya said.

Abhijeet brought over a few files. "Sir pichle ek saal main yeh 20 ladkiyan aur bhi gayab huyi thi. Ab yeh 50 ho gaye hain."

"Yeh ho kya raha hai?!! 50 ladkiyan do saalon main ek hi taran se," ACP Pradyuman said.

"50 nahi 70. Yeh do saal pehle ke log hain. Yeh 20 ladkiyan aur hain jo yunhi gayab huye the," Daya said, coming over with the files.

"Aur yeh toh sirf reported cases hain. Pata nahi aur kitne honge," Freddy added.

"Kal subah inhe sab ladkiyon ke phone records mangwo. Inke gayab hone se ek mahine pehle se lekar jab tak inke phones band nahi huyi hai," ACP Pradyuman said.

The 3 nodded.

*****

CID bureau, Next day, 11AM

The printer in the bureau was going full force as pages after pages were churned out with phone records. So far they had records for the 30 girls who had disappeared this year so far. Now out of the remaining 40, Abhijeet had found 10 with one phone company and was currently on the phone with the second phone company again. ACP Pradyuman, Daya, Freddy, and even Dr. Salunkhe were going through the phone records.

Daya put aside Sonal's phone records and said, "Sir isme toh abhi tak kuch bhi nahi dikha hai sivaya uss interview number ke. Ab yeh agle kuch ladkiyon ke phone records dekhta hoon aur phir bataonga agar koi ek jaisa number dikha toh inhe sab main."

They were mainly looking for the number that had called these girls for interviews to see what the similarity was there. They were sure though that they would find no similarity. If this person was smart enough to stay under the radar for 3 years and had support from someone higher up then obviously they wouldn't make the mistake of using the same phone number. But they were still looking because there was a chance that numbers were repeated.

Daya's phone rang. He looked at the number. "Yeh toh Zhandu ka phone hai. Woh kyun phone kar raha hai? Usse toh koi kam nahi diya tha."

Zhandu was one of Daya's informers. Daya picked up, "Haan Zhandu bol."

"Sir khabar pahli hai ke aap kuch gayab ladkiyon ke cases dekh rahe hain. Isse pehle ke aap zada ghera jaayein main aapko bata doon ke iss case main aap sab ko bahut rukwate milengi. Isme upar ke log bhi hain."

"Zhandu tum iss case ke baare main kya jaante ho?"

Zhandu was completely quiet for a few moments. Then he said, "Flesh trade," and hung up.

Daya looked up. He said, "Zhandu ne kaha hai ke hume iss case main problem ho sakti hai aur phone rakhne se pehle usne flesh trade kaha hai."

"Problem kyun hai?" Abhijeet asked, as he brought over another set of phone records.

"Uska kehna hai ke isme upar tak log shamal hain."

"Hone do. Hum phir bhi yeh ladkiyon ko dhoond ke rahenge."

"Lekin iski baat se ek baat toh pata chali," Daya said, looking at his phone.

"Main ek ladki ko jaanta hoon jo hume iss flesh trade ke baare main bata sakti hai," Dr. Salunkhe said.

"Toh bula lo Salunkhe," ACP Pradyuman said.

*****

CID bureau, 1PM

The lady walked in and smiled on seeing Dr. Salunkhe. Dr. Salunkhe smiled back. "Ah Visrom. Kaisi ho?"

"Main bhadiya hoon. Aap kaise ho?" Visrom asked.

"Bahut acha. Ache waqt pe milna nahi ho raha hai."

"Baat kya thi aisi jo aapne itni jaldi bulaya?"

"Pehle tumhe main baki sab se milwa doon," Dr. Salunkhe said, leading Visrom over to the rest of the team. "Yeh hai Fredericks, Daya, Abhijeet, aur ACP Pradyuman. Yeh Visrom hai. Visrom CBI ke International Division main kam karti hai. Iss case main isse achi source aur guide nahi mil sakti hai."

ACP Pradyuman said, "Hamare paas yeh shaath ladkiyan hain jo pichle teen saalon main ek hi taran gayab huyi hain. Daya ke ek informer ne sirf itna kaha ke yeh sab flesh trade ke bare main."

Visrom nodded understandingly. She started, "Aap log inhe do words ka matlab samjhte honge?" When everyone nodded, she continued, "Yeh ek widely spread illegal kam hai. Internationally ladkiyon ka sauda kiya jata hai. Aap jinhe shaath ladkiyon ko dhoond rahe hain woh kahin bhi ho sakti hain. China, India, London, Greece, Egypt, Canada, US. Aap jo jagah soch sakte hain wahan yeh ladkiyan milengi."

"Kya isse roka nahi jaa sakta hai?" Abhijeet asked.

"Kaash hai tareka hota. Lekin hum ek gang ko pakdte hain aur kuch logon ko chudate hain toh koi aur gang isme shamal ho jati. Aur sab se badi baat hai ke har country ke politicians isme shamal zaroor hote hain. Koi na koi ek politician shamal hota hai jo inhe sab ko bachta rehta hai."

"Inhe ladkiyon ko bachane ka koi tareka?" Daya asked.

"Pehle toh yeh kahan hain yeh dhoondna parega. Phir wahan ke police se aap ko connect kar doongi aur jab unhe ladkiyon ke locations mil jayenge toh har jagah ek saath hamla karenge aur inhe ladkiyon ko bachayenge."

"Inhe dhoondenge kaise?" Abhijeet asked.

"Yahan ka jo politician mila huya hai usse pakdo. Woh sab kuch bata dega."

"Ek baat batao. Yeh log inhe ladkiyon ko chunte kaise hain? Matlab yeh ladkiyon ko dhoonda kaise inhone?" ACP Pradyuman asked.

"Abhi tak toh yehi lagta hai ke koi inhe sab ke beech main common link. Inke gayab hone se ek do mahine pehle koi inhe milta hai aur woh inhe chunta hai."

"Toh agar hum yeh connection dhoond len toh baat ban sakti hai," Abhijeet commented.

"Sir yeh koi politician bhi ho sakta hai," Freddy said.

"Haan ho sakta hai. Kyun ki woh inhe sab se kisi bhi bahane se mil sakta hai aur phir inke baare main sab jaan na koi baari baat nahi hai," Daya agreed.

"Toh phir aisa karo ke inhe sab ke do mahino ke activity ke baare main jaano aur dekho koi ek si baat pata chalti hai," ACP Pradyuman said.

"Aur jab bhi aapko koi naam ki zaroorat pare toh mujhe batana. Hamara department aapko har desh ke police se connect kar sakti hai," Visrom said.

"Agar hum yeh sab rok nahi sakte hain toh kum se kum inhe ladkiyon ko toh bacha sakte hain," ACP Pradyuman said in agreement.

*****

CID bureau, 6PM

The team was busy trying to find a connection between all the girls. While Abhijeet and Daya were out scoping the Mumbai girls, Freddy, Dr. Salunkhe, and ACP Pradyuman were working in the bureau on the girls from outside Mumbai. While 30 girls had disappeared from Mumbai, the remaining 40 had disappeared from outside, namely Delhi, Chandigarh, Agra, Chennai, and Hyderabad. They still hadn't been able to understand why the number was so high in Mumbai, but they suspected it had to do with the number of reports and nothing else.

But what they found most interesting was that most of the girls vanished from the largest cities in India. The only exception, so far, was Aarti Garg who had actually vanished from her village, Pritampura. This they knew because although she had boarded a train for Chandigarh, she hadn't gotten off and she hadn't been in the train either. The police investigating had suspected that she had been knocked out and smuggled off the train when the train stopped in-between Pritampura and Chandigarh. That is, of course, until they didn't find the note. Once they found that, Aarti was declared a runaway and the case was closed.

Now they were revisiting each case and obviously it was hard to jog memories, especially 2 to 3 years later. The families remembered the day the girls disappeared vividly, but ask them about past days and they wouldn't remember as much. So far out of the 40 girls that Freddy, ACP Pradyuman, and Dr. Salunkhe were following up on, so far 10 families couldn't recall anything in detail from before the disappearance. They still had 10 more families left though. And Abhijeet and Daya still had to update them on the 30 families that they were following up on.

*****

CID bureau, 9PM

Abhijeet and Daya went over the list again. Daya said, "30 ladkiyon main se yeh paanch ke baare main kuch nahi pata chala sir. Yeh log yahan pe kisi ke ghar main keriya pe rehte the aur unhe kuch nahi pata. Baki ke baare main yeh kuch baatein pata chali hain."

Abhijeet took over. "Yeh dus ladkiyan yahan ke CM ke kisi ek rally main gayi thi unhe ke gayab hone se ek se do hafte pehle. Usse rally ke agle yah doosre din inhone kisi naukri ke liye application di aur interview mili aur yeh gayab ho gayi."

Daya pulled out 8 more files. "Yeh aht ladkiyan entertainment industry main kam karna chahti thi aur issi silsile main yeh sab ek movie shoot pe gayi thi jahan pe inhe jaisi logon ko ek mauka diya jata hai aapna hunar dikhane ke liye. Inhe main se do assistant directors bani huyi thi aur yeh teen ne acting ki thi. Ek choreographer thi aur do editors bani thi. Inke movie bani thi aur release bhi huyi thi."

"Aur bachi huyi yeh saat ladkiyan. Yeh saaton ne ek fashion competition main hissa liya tha," Daya finished.

"Lekin sir yahan toh teen alag alag jagah gaye the yeh ladkiyan. Toh phir woh ek connection kahan se milega?" Freddy asked.

"Haan Freddy yeh toh hai. Lekin yeh toh hume bhi mila hai," Dr. Salunkhe said.

"Ek kam karo. Yeh dekho ke inhe jagahon main koi ek baat hai jo inhe sab main ek jaisi hai. Jaise caterer yah event planner yah kuch aur. Shayad yeh hamara link ho. Aur yeh sirf Mumbai main nahi dekho har jagah dekho. Kyun ki yeh ek cheez sab ko jodni chahiye," ACP Pradyuman said.

Everyone nodded and got to work. Now they would look for the organizers of each event and then they would call the organizers and find out about the caterer, event planner, and other such people who could be common in each event. Of course, they hit their first roadblock when Daya called the fashion competition organizers and discovered that they were gone for the day. That's when they all realized that it was now 9:30PM. Two days gone and they had discovered quite a bit, but still didn't have anything to work on. Tomorrow they would have to move faster.

*****

CID bureau, Next day, 11AM

They had finally found the connection between these sites. It was the event planner. The event planning company was a large national firm by the name of Easy Events. They had a branch in every major city and were hired for all of these events. As soon as they had found this connection, Daya had called the Easy Events main office, located in Pune, and told them to fax over a list of the people who had worked on each separate event. They would go over the list to see if they could find the same person on the list. Most likely they wouldn't, since the events had happened in different cities, but it was better than questioning all the people. That would take a long time.

The fax machine purred to life and papers started pouring out of it. Freddy picked them up since he was the closest to the fax machine. They were the lists that the team had been waiting for. Abhijeet quickly spread them out and he scanned the lists with Daya. Daya pointed out a name he saw on 3 of the lists, "Yeh dekho. Mumbai wale events main yeh ek naam teeno lists pe hai."

"Aur yeh dekho. Yeh Delhi, Agra aur Chandigarh ke events main ek hi naam hai," Abhijeet pointed out.

Freddy brought over the rest of the lists and said, "Sir yeh Chennai aur Hyderabad ki list main bhi ek naam mila hai. Sir yeh dono sher toh ek doosre se bahut door door hain. Toh phir iss list pe ek hi naam kaise ho sakta hai?"

"Haan yeh toh hai. Jitne paas paas Delhi, Agra, aur Chandigarh hain, utne paas paas Chennai aur Hyderabad nahi hain. Toh phir ek jaisa naam kyun? Aur Mumbai ki lists main jo naam hai woh kisi aur list pe kyun nahi?" Daya wondered.

"Hamare paas yeh teen naam hain ab. Nitesh Mukherjee Mumbai main, Daljeet Ahuja Delhi main, aur Swaminathan Bose Chennai main. Inhe teeno se baat karni chahiye," Abhijeet said.

"Sirf baat nahi karni hai. Inhe se aamne saamne baat karni hai. Freddy tum iss Nitesh Mukherjee se baat karo, Abhijeet tum Delhi jao Daljeet Ahuja se baat karne, aur Daya tum Chennai jao iss Swaminathan Bose se baat karne. Aur agar itna sa bhi shaq ho toh inhe wapas yahan liyo arrest karke," ACP Pradyuman said.

*****

Easy Events, Delhi branch, 4:30PM

Abhijeet had managed to make his way onto the 1PM flight from Mumbai to Delhi, especially after he showed his badge. Before boarding, he had done some research into the events and Daljeet's background.

Now he was sitting across Daljeet Ahuja in a conference room. Daljeet shifted in his seat and said, "Aap sach main Mumbai CID se hain?"

Abhijeet showed his badge in response. Daljeet asked, "Mujhse kyun milne aaye hain?"

Abhijeet laid out the photos of the 20 girls who had disappeared in the past 3 years from Delhi, Agra, and Chandigarh. "Inhe pechante ho?"

Daljeet leaned forward and looked at the photos carefully. After a few moments he said, "Nahi."

"Yeh sab tumhare kuch events main aaye the."

"Sir hamari yahan ki branch bahut se events plan karti hai. Main Events Head hoon aur main khud har saal kum se kum che yah saat events pe kam karta hoon. Unhe main se ek yah do toh aise hote hain jinhe main sau se upar log aate hain. Ab kis kis ko yaad rakhonga?"

Abhijeet picked up a photo of a girl who had disappeared from the most recent event. "Yeh ladki do hafte pehle gayab huyi thi. Tumhe yeh yaad hai?"

Daljeet examined the photo carefully. "Nahi sir. Maine isse pehle kabhi nahi dekha hai."

Abhijeet caught the lie right away. They knew that this girl hadn't been just an attendee of the event, but had been on the catering team which Daljeet and his team had hired. And on talking to the caterer they had been told that Daljeet had personally come over and met the team before finalizing the contract. He said, "Acha? Tumhe yeh yaad nahi hai ke tum ek catering team se milne gaye the aur yeh ladki uss team ki ek lauti female thi jisse tumne approve kiya tha. Baki teeno ladkiyon ko tumne reject kar diya tha jab tumne unki serve karne ke tareke ko dekha tha. Kuch yaad aaya?"

Daljeet swallowed, but said, "Arre haan. Yaad aaya. Ab kya karoon sir main itne logon se milta hoon ke yaad nahi raha ke main isse mila tha."

"Daljeet woh mulaqat itni bhi choti nahi thi ke yaad naa rahe. Sunaina ke saath jo kam karte hain unhone bataya tha ke tum Sunaina ko uss raat khane pe bhi lekar gaye the aur phir agle bahut dino tak tum dono saath dikhe the. Lekin event ke baad tumhe parwa nahi thi ke woh gayab ho gayi thi."

Abhijeet was slowly revealing everything. He wanted to see what it would take for Daljeet to break. The team was sure that these 3, that is Nitesh, Daljeet, and Swaminathan, were involved, but they wanted them to say it. Daljeet swallowed again. "Sir woh main...woh...woh aisa ke..."

"Chalo phir se shuru karte hain. Kya tum inhe ladkiyon ko jaante ho?" Abhijeet asked, this time a bit tougher.

Daljeet looked down and then looked up. "Sir main sach boloonga iss baar. Ji main inhe sab ko pehchanta hoon."

Abhijeet nodded. Daljeet continued.

*****

Easy Events, Chennai branch, 5PM

Just like Abhijeet, Daya was sitting across Swaminathan. The difference was that while Daljeet had been cool and composed at the beginning, Swaminathan was already sweating. Daya laid out the photos of the 20 girls and asked, "Tum inhe jaante ho?"

Swaminathan examined the photos. "Nahi sir."

"Paisne kyun chut rahe hain?"

"Kamre main garmi hai."

"Mujhe toh bilkul thik lag raha hai. Zara iss ladki ko dhyaan se dekho. Yeh ek hafte pehle hi gayab huyi hai. Tumhare ek chote se event se. Tumne ek choti si party organize ki thi Mr. aur Mrs. Chandrakant ke liye. Wahan pe yeh ek mehmaan thi."

"Mujhe kaise yaad rahega. Wahan toh kitne log the."

"Itne bhi log nahi the. Wahan sirf 20 log the jinhe main se ek tum the aur do tumhare team ke hi hissa the. Aur phir do the Mr. and Mrs. Chandrakant. Bachte hain toh sirf 15 log. Ab 15 logon main se ek ladki ko yaad rakhna itna mushkil toh nahi hona chahiye."

Swaminathan grimaced and then said, "Haan jaanta hoon isse."

"Aur inhe baki sab ko?"

"Unhe bhi jaanta hoon." Then Swaminathan changed completely, "Sir please usse bacha li jiye! Meri madat ki jiye! Usse bacha lo!"

"Kisse bacha lo?"

"Meri behen ko. Pichle 5 saalon se woh gayab hai. Jab maine usse dhoondni ki koshish ki thi toh mujhe ek chitthi mili jisme likha tha ke jab tak main inhe logon ke liye kam karta rahonga tab tak meri behen zinda aur surakshat rahegi. Jis din maine mana kar diya mere behen ke tukde kar denge," Swaminathan cried.

Daya raised an eyebrow skeptically. He didn't trust Swaminathan. After all he had just been caught in multiple kidnapping cases. He could be lying to get out of a punishment. He said, "Thik hai tum mere saath wapas Mumbai chalo."

Swaminathan nodded.

*****

CID bureau, 8PM

Abhijeet and Daljeet had caught the 5:30 flight back to Mumbai, while Daya and Swaminathan had come back on the 6:30 flight. But now that everyone was together again in the bureau and the suspects were all separated, they were going over the case.

Abhijeet said, "Daljeet ne bataya hai ke woh yeh sab paison ke liye karta hai. Usse jab bhi kisi ladki ko uthna hota hai toh uske paas ek number se SMS aata hai aur woh aapne agle event se ek ladki ko chunta hai, usse baat karke uske baare main kuch choti moti baatein jaan leta hai. Phir woh ek nakli website banta hai, aur ek email bhejta hai uss ladki ko, aur jab woh ladki phas jaati hai toh usse kidnap karwa leta hai."

"Lekin yeh ladkiyan ek ajnabi ko itni baatein kaise bata deti hain?" Daya asked.

"Usne bataya ke har ladki uske chal main nahi phasti hai, isli woh teen char ladkiyon ko ek baari main chun leta hai aur jo phas jaati hai usse utha lete hain. Phir woh unhe ladkiyon ko kisi taran Goa smuggle karte hain aur wahan se inhe ladkiyon ko duniya ke alag alag hisson main bheja jata hai jahan inhe becha aur khareda jata hai," Abhijeet said, disgusted.

"Sir Nitesh ne bhi kuch aisa hi bataya. Usne kaha ke woh bhi jab SMS aata hai tab ladkiyon ko chunta hai aapne events se aur phir unhe issi taran se phasta hai. Usne bataya ke yeh idea usse jab iss kam pe rakha gaya tha tab bataya gaya tha isli woh hamasa yehi karta hai," Freddy said.

"Swaminathan ka toh kehna hai ke yeh sab usse zabardasti karwaya jata hai. Uski behen ko pichle paanch saalon se kidnap karke rakha huya hai kuch aadmiyon ne aur aapni behen ki zindagi aur izzat ke liye woh yeh kam karta hai," Daya said, skeptically.

"Uski sach main koi behen hai?" Abhijeet asked.

"Wohi toh. Jab maine uske baare main pata kar raha tha toh yeh baat kabhi saamne aayi hi nahi ke uski koi behen hai. Lekin main yeh bhi nahi keh sakta hoon ke uski koi behen nahi hai," Daya replied.

"Number kya hai?" ACP Pradyuman asked.

Abhijeet said, "2247546633."

Daya looked down at his paper and said, "Mere paas bhi yehi number hai."

"Aur mere paas bhi," Freddy put in.

"Matlab teeno ko ek hi insaan SMS karta hai aur yeh Mumbai Airtel ka number hai. Pata karo kis ka hai," ACP Pradyuman said.

Daya phoned Airtel and after getting put through to an operator asked about the number. He hung up a few minutes later and said, "Sir yeh number ek Pallavi Subhash ka hai."

Freddy checked the name on Google and found that she was a PA to Rajkumar Singh, a MLA of Maharashtra. Now they had to tread carefully. They couldn't arrest the MLA without any evidence else they would risk losing their only chance to save these girls. At the same time, they had to find out how far up this whole thing ran. They had already found one MLA. Who knew who else they would find.

Then DCP Chitrole walked into the bureau. The 5 groaned inwardly. DCP Chitrole got right down to business. "Maine suna hai ke tum logon ne kuch gayab ladkiyon ko dhoondne ka beera uthaya hai. Aur woh bhi aisi ladkiyon ke cases uthaya hain jinhe ke cases local police pehle band kar chuki hai."

"Ji sir," Daya said.

"Kyun?"

"Kyun ki woh ladkiyan khud gayab nahi huyi hain balki unhe gayab kiya gaya hai. Unhe kidnap"" Abhijeet said.

DCP Chitrole interrupted, "Dekho mujhe koi safayi nahi suni hai. Main tum logon ko iss case main aur aage bharne nahi de sakta hoon. Abhi ke abhi iss case ko yahani band kar do."

"Lekin sir"" Freddy objected.

"Fredericks yahan orders main deta hoon aur tum unhe follow karte ho. Ek baar maine keh diya toh bas keh diya. Case band kar do."

"Sir ek minute hamari baat toh sun lo. Hamare paas saboot hai ke inhe ladkiyon"" Abhijeet tried to say again.

"Abhijeet mujhe kuch nahi suna hai! Yeh case yahani band kar do. Chalo sab kuch mujhe do."

DCP Chitrole held out his hands for the files. At this moment, ACP Pradyuman said, "Nahi."

Everyone looked at ACP Pradyuman in surprise. He was never one to just say one word and leave it at that. He continued, "Hum yeh case band nahi karenge. Sir aap pe kisi ka bhi pressure ho pehle hamari baatein sun li jiye. Inhe ladkiyon ko sirf kidnap nahi kiya gaya hai. Inhe becha jaa raha hai. Inhe doosre deshon main khareda aur becha jaa raha hai. Hum inhe bachna chahte hain. Ab hamare iss kam ke beech main log aayenge lekin sir aap ko unhe rokna hoga. Aap ko unhe batana hoga ke aap bhi sach ke liye khade hote hain."

"Sir hume iss case se sirf isli hataya jaa raha hai kyun ki itne saalon baad aakhir koi inhe logon tak paunch jayega. Abhi hume maat rokiye. Inhe ladkiyon ko bachane di jiye," Daya said.

"Sir aap dekh lena. Iss ek case ki wajah se kitni masoom zindagiyan bach jayenge. Kitne parivaaron ko hum unki betiyan wapas de payenge," Abhijeet added.

"Please sir," Freddy said.

"Sir main ek forensic doctor hoon. Iss case main mera koi kam nahi hai, phir bhi main laga huya hoon. Kyun ki main bhi inhe ladkiyon ko bachna chahta hoon," Dr. Salunkhe said.

DCP Chitrole took a deep breath. The emotional appeal of each had touched him. He said, "Thik hai. Jo karna hai karo. Lekin jaldi karo. Main zada din inhe logon ko rok nahi paonga."

Nobody had to ask what DCP Chitrole meant by "logon". It was obvious that it was the politicians and the higher-ups who were putting this pressure on DCP Chitrole. He turned to leave and then stopped and said one last thing, "Inhe saalon ko chorna maat."

Then he left, leaving the team surprised. That was the closest DCP Chitrole had ever come to agreeing with them and showing his emotions. And for the first time they all liked him. Quickly shaking his head, Daya said, "Sir hum iss Pallavi ko utha kar laate hain.'

"Nahi Daya. Usse agar tum utha kar laoge toh uske saath jitne bhi log kam karte hain woh sab chaukne ho jayenge aur shayad inhe ladkiyon ko bhi gayab kar denge," Dr. Salunkhe said.

"Lekin hum usse yeh keh kar toh bula sakte hain naa ke uska naam ek missing persons case main aaya hai. Bas kuch sawal poochne hain ke woh uss insaan ko kaise janti hai. Ek baar woh yahan aa gayi toh phir kisi ko kya pata ke hum usse kaunse case ke baare main baat kar rahe hain," Abhijeet suggested.

"Haan aisa kar sakte ho," ACP Pradyuman agreed. "Usse bhi yahan liyo. Inhe teeno ki taran usse bhi kuch din yahani rakh lenge."

*****

CID bureau, 10PM

Even though it was late, they had managed to bring Pallavi to the bureau. Now Pallavi was sitting at the table as the 5 examined her. She started getting fidgety and asked, "Kya aap yeh bata sakte hain ke aap mujhe raat ke 10 baje yahan kyun laaye hain?"

"Kuch sawal poochne the," ACP Pradyuman said.

"Toh woh aap kal bhi pooch sakte the. Aaj hi poochna zaroori tha?"

"Haan," Abhijeet answered.

"Kyun?"

"Kyun ki yeh bahut si zindagiyon ka sawal hai," Daya replied.

"Lekin aapne toh kaha tha ke yeh koi missing person ke baare main hai."

"Haan toh yeh log gayab hi hain," ACP Pradyuman agreed.

"Kaun log?"

Freddy put out 5 photos to begin with. "Yeh unhe main se kuch hain."

Pallavi didn't even glance down. "Toh? Main kya kar sakti hoon isme?"

"Ek baar dekh toh lo. Freddy zara isse kuch aur photos toh dekhiyo," ACP Pradyuman said, raising an eyebrow.

Freddy put down 5 more photos. Pallavi glanced down for a quick second and then said, "Main inhe nahi jaanti hoon. Ab main jaa sakti hoon?"

"Tumne toh thik se dekha bhi nahi. Thik se dekho," Abhijeet said, leaning on the table with his hands.

Pallavi looked down again as Freddy put down 5 more photos. "Nahi. Main inhe main se kisi ko nahi jaanti hoon."

"Aur tum flesh trade ke baare main bhi kuch nahi jaanti hogi," Daya said, casually.

"Flesh trade? Main...main kuch nahi jaanti hoon iske baare main," Pallavi said as her eyes widened.

"Acha. Ajeeb baat hai kyun ki hamare paas pukta saboot hain ke iss sab ke baare main tum kafi kuch jaanti ho," Dr. Salunkhe said.

"Dekhiye aap ke paas jo bhi saboot hai woh galat hai. Main iss sab ke baare main kuch nahi jaanti hoon. Ab main jaa sakti hoon?"

Daya leaned in. "Dekho Pallavi. Tum ek ladki ho isli hum abhi tak kafi araam se baat kar rahe the. Zada natak kiya toh tumhe bahut taklef hogi."

Daya signalled for the lady constable to step forward. She had been in the background the whole time, but came forward and put a hand on Pallavi's shoulder. Pallavi repeated, "Main iss sab ke baare main kuch nahi jaanti hoon."

ACP Pradyuman lost his temper. "Acha! Aur inhe 70 ladkiyon ke baare main bhi tum kuch nahi jaanti hogi!"

"Main kuch nahi jaanti hoon," Pallavi repeated, crossing her arms.

"Pallavi tum"" Abhijeet started.

Pallavi cut him off. "Dekho yah toh aap mujhe abhi jaane do yah phir mujhe mera lawyer chahiye. Aur abhi. Main ab aage kuch nahi bolongi jab tak mera lawyer mere paas nahi hoga. Bahut ho gaya hai."

Pallavi crossed her arms and looked away. They realized that they would get nowhere with Pallavi. ACP Pradyuman motioned for the team to step aside. As soon as they did, he said, "Yeh toh ab kuch nahi kahegi."

"Lekin sir iske kuch naa kehne se case band nahi ho jata hai. Humare aur iske eliva kisi ko nahi pata hai ke isne kuch nahi kaha hai," Daya said.

"Lekin sir isse hume kya faida?" Freddy asked, not understanding.

"Freddy, isne kuch nahi kaha hai. Lekin agar hum kahe ke isne sab kuch keh diya hai aur koi isse baat naa kar paaye toh?" Daya suggested.

"Haan tab kam ban sakta hai Daya. Lekin hum yunhi hawa main teer bhi toh nahi chala sakte hain," Abhijeet said.

"Hawa main teer chalna parega Abhijeet. Abhi iss waqt inhe ladkiyon ko bachna zada maiyne rakhta hai. Inhe saalon ke khilaaf case toh hum baad main bhi bana sakte hain," Daya said, vehemently.

"Toh phir iss Rajkumar Singh se hi shuru karte hain. Aakhir Pallavi uski PA hai. Woh zaroor iss sab main shamal hoga," Dr. Salunkhe said.

"Haan aur uske zariye hum baki upar walon logon tak paunch sakte hain," Daya agreed.

"Toh chalo. Iss Rajkumar ko pareshan karte hain," Abhijeet said.

*****

Rajkumar Singh's house, 11PM

They didn't care that it was 11PM and people were probably trying to sleep. If they waited too long, Pallavi could be let go and then they would never get to the bottom of everything. So while Dr. Salunkhe and ACP Pradyuman made the case against Pallavi in the bureau, Abhijeet, Daya, and Freddy were going to question Rajkumar in his house.

Rajkumar came downstairs yawning. "Ji main kya kar sakta hoon aap logon ke liye?"

The 3 turned to face Rajkumar. They had been looking around the house, examining it. Daya began, "Aap ek MLA hain aur ek gareb gharane se hain, aur phir bhi itni shaurat?"

"Aap CID wale income tax wale kab se ban gaye?" Rajkumar countered.

"Jab se aap jaise MLA illegal kaamon main lag gaye," Abhijeet countered back.

"Kaunsa illegal kam?"

"Ladkiyon ka sauda," Daya replied.

"Aap ko koi galat femi huyi hai. Main aise ghenone kam nahi karta hoon."

"Galat femi humko nahi, aapko huyi hai sir. Pallavi ne hume sab kuch bata diya hai," Freddy bluffed.

"Usne hume bata diya hai ke woh yeh sab aap ke liye karti hai," Abhijeet added.

Rajkumar's face lost some of its colour. But he continued to deny the allegations. "Aisa kuch nahi hai. Pallavi ko zaroor koi galat femi huyi hai. Yah phir woh bik gayi hai. Main aisa kuch nahi karta hoon."

"Toh phir aapne iss ghar ko kaise banaya? Yeh ghar main jo yeh sab paintings vigara lagi huyi hain yeh ek MLA ki tanquah main toh nahi aa sakte hain. Yah toh aap desh ke paison main kuch gafla kar rahe hain yah phir kisi aise kam main lage huye hain. Aur aap there ek chote se MLA. Agar aap gafla kar rahe hain toh matlab CM aur uske kuch aur aadmi bhi gafla kar rahe hain. Yani aap sab ko giraftaar karna chahiye," Daya suggested.

Rajkumar understood the magnitude of Daya's words. If he said that he was embezzling funds then the CM and other MLAs would be arrested and there would be no proof against them since they weren't doing anything. Then they would come back at him. Of course, if he accepted that he was involved in this illegal business then he would be jailed. He was stuck. He was such a big idiot for decorating his house with so much stuff! He didn't realize that his house could also be raided anytime! He swallowed and said, "Thik hai! Main manta hoon ke main iss sab main shamal hoon, lekin main isme akela nahi hoon."

"Woh toh hume bhi pata hai. Woh naam kya hain woh toh hum jaan lenge lekin pehle tum hume yeh bataoge ke inhe ladkiyon ko tum kis kis desh main bhejte ho!" Daya demanded.

"Hum zada tar inhe Canada, US, London, aur France bhejte hain aur wahan se inhe unhe deshon ke kone kone main bhej diya jata hai. Har desh main hamara ek contact hai jo inhe ladkiyon ki delivery leta hai aur phir ek private market main inhe bech deta hai."

Abhijeet stepped forward angrily. "Saale yeh ladkiyan hain koi ghas poos nahi jo uthaya aur bech diya!"

Daya put a calming hand on Abhijeet's shoulder even though he was fuming as well. "Ruko Abhijeet. Isse hum baad main nipat lenge. Abhi inhe ladkiyon ko unke narak se niklana hai."

"Kaun kaun hain tumhare yeh contacts?!!" Abhijeet demanded.

"Ek minute main aap ko la kar deta hoon hamari contact book."

Without being told Freddy followed Rajkumar upstairs. Abhijeet turned to Daya, "Yaar ji karta hai ke aise logon ko sidha saar main ek goli maaron aur kam tamam karo!"

"Ji toh mera bhi yehi karta hai lekin abhi rok lo aapne aap ko. Iss sab ka bhi waqt aayega. Aur tab hum dono inhe saalon ko phodenge," Daya replied.

Rajkumar came back downstairs with a small address book. He gave it to Abhijeet and said, "Isme hain woh logon ke naam aur locations jahan pe hum pichle paanch saalon se ladkiyan bhej rahe hain."

"Abhi koi ladkiyan aisi hain jinhe tumne kahin nahi bheja hai?" Daya asked.

"Ji teen ladkiyan hain jinhe hum parson Canada bhejne wale the."

"Ab nahi bhej paoge. Kahan hain woh?" Daya asked.

"Mere boss ke paas."

"Aur tumhara boss kaun hai?!!" Abhijeet asked.

"Ji woh...woh...woh..."

"Yeh woh woh kya laga rakha hai? Kaun hai woh?!!" Daya demanded.

"Ji woh ek businessman hai. Ram Negi."

"Negi Transportation ka owner?!!" Freddy asked, in surprise.

"Haan wohi. Woh aapne transportation business ke aar main ladkiyon ko export karta hai."

"Saaf saaf batao yeh sab kaise chalta hai?" Abhijeet asked.

"Sir Ram Negi mera ek dost hai. Paanch saal pehle jab main MLA bana tha toh woh mere paas aaya tha yeh business ke baare main batane. Usne har rajaye se mere taran hi ek MLA ko aapne business main involve kar rakha hai. Unke naam bhi aapko uss diary main mil jayenge. Jab usse ladkiyan chahiye hoti hain toh woh hume batata hai aur hum aapne PAs ko. Hamare PAs ke paas ek bahut bara network hai logon ko. Kuch ke paas detectives hain, kuch ke paas kidnappers, aur kuch ke paas scopers. Scopers woh log hain jo inhe ladkiyon ko dhoond kar unhe ke baare main sab kuch jaan ne ki koshish karte hain. Agar woh nahi pata kar paate hain toh hamare detectives pata karte hain. Phir hamare yeh kidnappers inhe ladkiyon ko kidnap karke sidha hamare paas laate hain. Jab hamare paas kuch ladkiyan aa jaati hain toh hum unhe sidha Ram ke paas bhej dete hain aur woh unhe aapne agle shipment ke saath bhar bhej deta hai alag alag countries main. Saari dealings hum hi karte hain. Isli hum sab MLAs ke paas inhe contacts ka information hai. Ram sirf paise leta hai aur ladkiyon ko bhejta hai."

As Rajkumar had been talking, Abhijeet, Daya, and Freddy's faces had become more and more disgusted and angry. Shaking his head, Daya said, "Tumhare jaise logon ko toh ulta latka kar janta ke hawale kar dena chahiye."

This time Abhijeet put a calming hand on Daya's shoulder. "Inhe ke saath kya karna chahiye woh hum baad main sochenge Daya. Abhi Visrom ko bulate hain aur inhe deshon main police officers se baat karte hain."

*****

CID bureau, 1AM

Rajkumar Singh was cooling his heels in a lock-up and the team was going over the contact information with Visrom. Visrom made a final list, "Toronto, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai, aur Rome. Yahan yahan inhe logon ke contacts hain. Ab yeh contacts inhe ladkiyon ko kahin bhi bhej sakte hain. Lekin abhi aap logon ko inhe contacts tak paunchna hai taki phir yahan se aap inhe ladkiyon ka pata laga sakhen."

"Haan. Toh hume inhe saare sheron main koi police contact do jo hamari madat kar sakhe," Abhijeet said.

"Woh zada mushkil nahi hai. Rome main Sneha Wajpai, Shanghai main Supriya Shivkumar, Paris main Pallavi Sinha, Los Angeles main Esha Trivedi, London main Soni Kapoor, aur Toronto main Shreya Singh."

"Yeh sab hamari madat karengi kaise?" Daya asked.

"Yeh aap ke liye contacts ko dhoond kar, arrest kar lengi. Aur phir inhe se pata lagayengi ke yeh ladkiyan kahan kahan hain. Phir aap inhe ke saath mil kar ek raid conduct kar sakte hain aur inhe ladkiyon ko bacha sakte hain. Main recommend karongi ke raid ek hi time conduct ho har jagah taki kisi ko waqt naa mile bhagne ke liye yah aapne bosses ko batane ke liye."

"Hume inhe sab ke saath baat karni hai," ACP Pradyuman said.

"Abhi inhe jagaon pe time kya huya hoga," Visrom wondered. "Toronto main 3:30 PM, London main 7:30 PM, Los Angeles main 12:30 PM, Paris aur Rome main 8:30 PM, aur Shanghai main 3:30 AM. Aap koshish kar sakte ho. Main aapko inhe sab ka private number de deti hoon."

Visrom opened her laptop and after booting it up, went into her contact list, and printed the list of the 6 contacts. She handed it over to Daya. She said, "Aap logon ko aur madat ki zaroorat paregi. Agar aap ko aur log chahiye toh main aapne kuch logon ko bhi bula sakti hoon yahan pe."

ACP Pradyuman nodded. "Haan bula lo. Inhe sheron main hum jab jayenge toh ek ek saathi ki zaroorat paregi. Lekin abhi pehle inhe sab ko phone karo aur inhe daalalon ko dhoondne lagao."

The team nodded and got to work.

*****

CID bureau, 9AM

Visrom's team came in at 9AM as Visrom had told them to. Visrom introduced them to the CID team. "Yeh hain meri team. Yeh hain Bhavana Negi, Shagnika Sengupta, Neha Sharma, Snehal Chaudhry, Mano Kapoor, aur aap Inspector Ravi se toh mil hi chuke hain."

Everyone shook hands. Abhijeet updated everyone. "Humne inhe sab se baat kar li hai. Woh aur unke teams inhe daalalon ke peeche lag gaye hain aur hume bahut jald phone karke bata denge jab woh inhe ko arrest kar lenge aur information milega unhe."

ACP Pradyuman said, "Abhijeet aur Bhavana tum dono Toronto jaoge Shreya se milne. Daya aur Mano tum dono jaoge London aur Soni se miloge. Main aur Shagnika Shanghai jaa rahe hain Supriya se milne. Freddy aur Neha tum dono Paris jaa rahe ho Pallavi Sinha ke saath kam karne. Salunkhe aur Snehal tum dnono Los Angeles jaoge Esha se milne. Aur Visrom aur Ravi tum dono Rome jaa rahe ho Sneha se milne. Lekin pehle woh hume bata den ke yeh ladkiyan unhe mil gayi hain yah nahi. Phir hum ek waqt chunege jab hum har jagah ek saath raid maarenge aur inhe ladkiyon ko bacha kar wapas layenge."

As if hearing ACP Pradyuman say that, Abhijeet, Daya, and Freddy's phones rang simultaneously. They picked up their phones and after talking to the person on the other side they hung up and turned back to their enlarged team. Daya began, "Sir Soni aur uski team abhi bhi talash kar rahi hai. Unhe lagta hai ke iss aadmi ko shayad pata chal gaya hai ke woh usse dhoond rahe hain aur isli woh underground ho gaya hai."

"Sir Shreya ke paas achi khabar hai. Usne kaha hai ke usse woh aadmi mil gaya hai aur abhi woh uski dhulayi kar rahi hai. Jab woh kuch batayega toh woh hume phone kar degi," Abhijeet said.

"Sir mere ko dono Paris aur Rome ke baare main khabar di hai Sneha ne. Usne kaha hai ke unhe saari information mil gayi hai aur unhe yeh bhi pata hai ke yeh ladkiyan kahan hain," Freddy said.

"Matlab abhi Supriya aur Esha se khabar chahiye aur abhi Shreya aur Soni ko bhi batana hai ke unhe yeh aadmi mile hain yah nahi," ACP Pradyuman concluded. "Aisa karo ke Freddy, Neha, Visrom, aur Ravi tum chaaron toh tyar ho jao jaane ke liye."

*****

CID bureau, 1PM

The case was progressing fast. Shreya had found the information about the girls as well and was now setting up the raid information, but was waiting for the CID team members to first get to Toronto before starting anything. Soni had also found the guy and was in the process of getting the information. Supriya and Esha had called to say that they had all the information as well. The CID team was now just working on getting the earliest tickets possible to fly out and meet their contacts. This was a big case and they wanted to be there for the raids. They couldn't obviously be in every place, but they would at least be in the cities with their contacts.

It would take Abhijeet and Bhavana almost 20 hours to reach Toronto. Daya and Mano's flight to London would take 14 hours. ACP Pradyuman and Shagnika would need the least time to reach Shanghai at only 7 hours. Freddy and Neha's flight would take 10 hours. Dr. Salunkhe and Snehal's flight would take just an hour longer than Abhijeet at 21 hours. And Visrom and Ravi would reach Rome in 10 hours as well.

They had a flight plan charted out at this time. Abhijeet, Bhavana, Dr. Salunkhe, and Snehal were taking their respective flights at 3PM. ACP Pradyuman and Shagnika were heading out on the 4PM flight to Shanghai, while Freddy and Neha were taking the 4:30PM flight. Daya and Mano were the first ones to leave at 2:30PM. And Visrom and Ravi would take the 5PM flight. They planned to hold their conference at 1PM IST the next day.

While for an international operation of this magnitude, the team would need the okay from many levels, after talking to DCP Chitrole, they had managed to convince him to let them go while he got the okays. So they were heading out.

*****

Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Next day, 2:30AM EST (12PM IST)

Abhijeet and Bhavana pushed through the gates. Bhavana said, "Woh hume yahani milegi naa?"

"Usne toh yehi kaha tha ke woh yahani kahin khadi hogi police car main," Abhijeet replied.

The 2 were talking about Detective Shreya who had told them that she would come to the airport to pick them up. Abhijeet looked around and saw a girl leaning calmly against a police car talking on the phone. He said, "Shayad woh hai Shreya."

The two walked over to the girl who was saying, "Look dude if he gives too many problems then give him a kick in the arse. He'll start blabbering like no guy ever has...hey, hey, look I know we're not supposed to use third degree, but a kick ain't third degree. Now shut up and hang up."

The girl rolled her eyes at the phone, hung up, and turned to Abhijeet and Bhavana, spilling out, "Sorry, sorry, sorry. Main actually yeh sign le kar khadi hone wali thi lekin kya karoon mere saathi ka phone aa gaya aur uske saath baat karne main aatak gayi. Waise mera naam Shreya Singh hai. Aur aap Abhijeet honge aur aap Bhavana. Haina?"

Abhijeet and Bhavana looked taken aback. Shreya laughed at their expression. "Arre mujhe yun kyun dekh rahe ho? Main toh aisi hi hoon. Bahut hyper aur bahut zada bolti hoon. And I'm happy about that. Ab aayo bheto. Main aap logon ko hotel le jaati hoon pehle aur phir hum sidha chalte hain mere office. Aap logon ko aapne doston ke saath baat bhi karna hoga aakhir. Kuch 1PM IST ki baat kar rahe the naa? Toh matlab hamare paas sirf ek ghanta hai. Aayo, aayo. Bheto."

While Shreya was saying this, she put both suitcases in the trunk, and opened the back and front passenger doors and ushered Abhijeet and Bhavana into the car. She went around into the driver seat and after buckling her belt said, "Buckle up. We're about to fly."

And Shreya zoomed off. Abhijeet grabbed onto the dashboard and Bhavana grabbed onto the door handle as Shreya did so.

*****

London Heathrow Airport, London, Next day, 12:30AM GMT (5:30AM IST)

Daya and Mano came out of the gates and saw a sign reading "CID". They went over to the sign carrier who put it down and held out her hand. "Hi. Mera naam Soni hai. Aap Daya aur Mano honge?"

"Ji. Main Daya hoon," Daya replied, shaking Soni's hand.

"Aur main Mano hoon," Mano replied, shaking Soni's hand after Daya.

"Well jaise aap dekh sakte hain kafi raat ho gayi hai aur aap ke wahan toh subah subah hogi toh aayo main aap logon ko aap ke hotel chor deti hoon. Aap thodi deer araam kar lo aur phir main aap ko lene wapas aa jaongi hotel yahan ke 7:30 AM. Thik hai?"

"Haan bilkul thik hai. Chalo," Daya said.

Soni led the way to her private car and after helping them put their stuff in she drove off. Daya asked, "Waise yahan pe kitni ladkiyan hain?"

"Uss aadmi ka kehna tha ke usne shayad 24 ladkiyon ko aaj tak yahan pe becha hai," Soni replied.

"Hamare paas 70 ladkiyan thi ek list pe lekin woh sirf teen saal ki list thi," Daya said.

"List wist ka yahan pe koi kam nahi hoga. Main aapko abhi bata deti hoon ke aap ke hisaab toh sirf 70 ladkiyan gayab huyi hain, lekin jab hum sab conference call pe jayenge toh aap ko pata lagega ke 70 nahi usse kayi zada ladkiyan gayab huyi hain inhe paanch saalon main," Soni replied.

*****

Conference call, 1PM IST

The 6 sites turned up almost simultaneously on the video conference that was being led by ACP Pradyuman in Shanghai. Once everyone was settled, ACP Pradyuman started the proceedings. "Acha toh yeh batao ke har jagah pe kya kya pata laga hai."

Supriya started, "Well hello everyone. Main zada acha Hindi nahi bolta hoon isli I'll talk in English agar aap lugon ko zada problem naa ho?"

When no one objected, Supriya continued in English, "Okay so the guy we arrested here told us that the girls aren't sent anywhere, but kept here in Shanghai. He gave us the address where all these girls are being kept and told us that there are 10 girls here at the moment."

Neha said, "Pallavi ko ek aur conference meeting main jana tha isli usne hume sab kuch bata diya tha. Uske kehna hai ke uss aadmi ne usse yeh bataya ke yahan pe 25 ladkiyan hain jinhe main se 20 yahan hain Paris main aur 5 hain Mar...Mar...Marseille main."

Freddy added, "Usne Marseille ke ek police officer se already baat kar li hai aur jab bhi hum raid karna chahiye woh aapne team ke saath tyar hoga."

Snehal took over, "Yahan Los Angeles main 15 ladkiyan hain aur saari issi sher main hain."

Dr. Salunkhe added, "Esha ko ek case ke silsile main undercover jana para lekin yeh Detective Wilson hain, Esha ka partner aur hamara saathi iss case main."

Sneha said, "Idhar kafi zada ladkiyan hain. There are 15 in Rome, 10 in Milan, 5 in Florence, 8 in Pisa, and 12 in Venice. They were going to send some girls to Naples as well lekin usse pehle humne usse pakde liya."

Ravi added, "Sneha ne bataya hai ke woh har sher ke police ke saath kam kar sakti hai aur raids ek hi time pe conduct karwa sakti hai."

Soni said, "Yahan London main 24 ladkiyan hain aur thankfully woh sab ek hi jagah pe hain. Yahan ki location kafi nayi hai according to the guy I arrested, lekin yeh jagah bhi do saal se chal raha hai toh it's not even that new."

Shreya looked up. "Oh it's my turn. Okay yahan pe shayad sab se zada ladkiyan hain. Umm...24 in Toronto, 20 in Vancouver, 20 in Edmonton, 15 in Montreal, and 10 in Halifax."

Abhijeet added, "Yahan se US main bhi expansion planned thi. Agar hume iss sab ke baare main pata nahi chalta toh shayad aaj yeh US tak bhi pehel chuka hota."

Shreya finished, "Aur haan. Mere kuch dost hain har jagah ki police force main toh hum araam se unhe ke zariye unhe jagahon main raid kar sakte hain."

ACP Pradyuman, who had been adding everything together, said, incredulously, "Yani pichle paanch saalon main India se 213 ladkiyon ko jagah jagah bheja gaya hai?!!"

"Sir ek baat. Inhone sirf Indian ladkiyon ko hi kyun chuna?" Neha asked.

Abhijeet answered, "Yeh gang originate hi India main huyi hain. Isli unhone unhi ladkiyon ko kidnap kiya jo unke desh se hain. Agar yeh kahin aur shuru hota toh wahan ki ladkiyan ko yunh kidnap kiya jata."

"213 ladkiyan pichle paanch saalon main gayab ho gayi hain. Kisine kabhi shaq kaise nahi kiya?" Shreya asked.

"Kiya hai. Bahut logon ne shaq kiya hai lekin unke sawal daba diye jaate the hamare inhe politicians se," Daya replied, in disgust.

"Unhe MLAs ko kab arrest kiya jayega?" Ravi asked.

"DCP Chitrole ne bataya hai ke CBI team puri taran se tyar hai. Jab hum yahan pe raids karenge tab wahan pe CBI team unhe sab MLAs ko bhi giraftaar kar legi," ACP Pradyuman replied.

"Raid kab karni hai?" Soni asked.

"Tum sab ko kitna waqt lagega sab kuch set karne main?" ACP Pradyuman asked, in reply.

"Hamare yahan pe sab kuch tyar hai bas waqt chahiye," Supriya answered.

"Hum bhi tyar hai," Freddy replied.

"Hume bas aadha ghanta chahiye hoga sab sheron main baat karne ke liye," Visrom answered.

"We're ready," Soni said.

"Yahan Los Angeles main bhi sab tyar hai," Snehal answered.

"Aur yahan mujhe bhi aadha ghanta chahiye hoga phir hum bhi tyar hain," Shreya said.

"Toh thik hai. Abhi 1:30PM IST ho rahe hain. Hum raid thik 3PM IST conduct karenge," ACP Pradyuman said.

"We'll be ready," the team said.

*****

London location, 9:30AM GMT (3PM IST)

As soon as the alarm rang on Daya's phone, the team of 5 London officers, Soni, Mano, and Daya entered the building. Given that Daya and Mano didn't have authority here and their guns, they stayed behind as Soni and her team cleared each room. They found the room with the girls on the first floor and while Mano and a lady officer stayed behind with them, Soni, Daya, and the 4 other officers ran upstairs. In one room, Soni found 2 men joking about making money easily. Soni clapped the gun to one's head and Daya said, "You're having a lot of fun aren't you?!! Well now we'll give you fun!!! You're under arrest!"

"Who the hell are you?" one man asked.

"It doesn't matter who he is. All you care is that I'm a police officer and you're under arrest both here and in India," Soni replied. She forced him up and his hands behind his back, cuffing him.

"First enjoy the jail here and then we'll deport you to India where you'll meet me and my team. Then you can enjoy the Indian jail cells as well," Daya said, disgusted.

*****

Toronto location, 5:30AM EST (3PM IST)

Shreya's phone rang sounding the alarm that meant it was time to attack. Two officers banged in from the back door, while Shreya and 2 officers took the front door. Abhijeet and Bhavana didn't have authority here so they stayed in the doorway until Shreya and her officers cleared the first floor. They ran upstairs where they found the girls huddled into a small room. Bhavana and 2 officers stayed with the girls, while Shreya and the other officers checked the other rooms. As they opened the door to the last room a shot rang out and hit one officer in the shoulder. Shreya said, "Mike!"

Mike grabbed his shoulder and winced, but said, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Damn it. Pete take him out of here," Shreya said.

Pete stepped forward and took Mike back downstairs and out. Shreya turned to Abhijeet, "Waise toh aapke paas authority nahi hai, lekin I give you authority."

She reached down and gave him the second gun. Abhijeet covered the door as the third officer called out, "Toronto police! Come out with your hands behind your head else we'll fire!"

In response another shot came flying through the door missing Shreya by inches. Together the 3 broke open the door and aiming shot the gun out of the 2 suspects' hands. Then Shreya and the other officer grabbed a suspect each and forced their hands behind their back. Abhijeet said, "Chalo. Do gande keede pakde gaye."

*****

CID bureau, a week later, 9PM

As the last girl left with her family, the team smiled. In just 7 days they had managed to bring all the girls back to India and now the last girl had gone back to her family. Abhijeet said, "Chalo kum se kum saari ladkiyan sahi salamat mil gayi. Ab unhe sab kuch bhulana hoga aur nayi zindagi shuru karni hogi."

"Haan Abhijeet. Kisse pata tha ke ek gayab ladki hume 213 gayab ladkiyon tak pauncha degi," Daya agreed.

"Aur ek itne baara gang bhi toh mila hai sir," Freddy added.

"Haan Freddy. Pata nahi kya ho gaya hai logon ko. Kabhi iss desh main ladkiyon ko devi saman mana chahta toh aur aaj," Dr. Salunkhe said, disappointed.

"Sir sirf inhe kuch gine chune logon ki wajah se hum sab ko toh doshi nahi thera sakte hain naa," Daya said.

"Haan Salunkhe. Aise log bahut kum hain. Lekin jab milte hain toh bura toh lagta hai," ACP Pradyuman put in.

"Sir waise unhe sab officers ne bhadiya kam kiya," Freddy said.

"Haan bina inhe sab ki madat ke hum shayad inhe mujhrimon tak paunch nahi paate," Abhijeet agreed.

"Visrom yah uski team se koi baat huyi hai?" Dr. Salunkhe asked.

"Haan woh abhi iss case ko international courts ke liye tyar kar rahe hai. Aakhir unke paas zada experience hain. Phir woh hume sab kuch de denge aur hum yahan ke courts ke liye tyari kar lenge," Daya said.

"Acha hai. Inhe kaminon ko jitni sakht saza di jaaye utna kum hain," Dr. Salunkhe said, vehemently.

"Bilkul sir! Aisa ghinona kam kiya hai inhone ke maut ki saza bhi kum hogi," Abhijeet agreed.

"Abhijeet lekin pehle toh hume inhe politicians ko badlana hoga. Shayad yeh sab itna aage kabhi bharta hi nahi agar police officers ko aapna kam karne se roka nahi jata. Aur log unhi police ko badnaam karte hain," Daya said.

"Toh chalo hum shuru karte hain. Inhe MLAs ko arrest toh kar liya hai. Ab inhe saza bhi dilwayenge," Abhijeet said.

*****

Notes

This case isn't based on investigation as much as it's based on emotions, coordination, and how police teams from different countries could work together to solve international cases.

While the topic is bold, I felt it was important given what I wanted to portray. None of it is real and is based completely on my own thinking and feelings.

If anyone feels bad for being brought into my story, then sorry (after the fact). And for those who didn't make an appearance in my story, don't worry. You'll have many chances of appearing in one of my stories. Though some people may say I'm biased for bringing Bhavana twice into my stories. 😆

I could have had an epilogue above where I told you what punishments everyone got, but I think I would have had a hard time for doing something like that because, unfortunately, it's true of the Indian law system that till date very few politicians have gotten punished. So I leave that to your imagination. What would you want to see as the punishment?

If you want to check my timings, just type in "current time in xyz city". That'll give you the time in that city and then you can calculate away as you like. 😆

You may ask why I chose certain cities. Well I felt that it was important to choose cities that were big and small to give a good feel of the crimes that could happen in any city.

And finally an awareness message. Don't believe anything and everything you see. Sometimes a little research can save your life or the people around you. In this case, many of these girls probably wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if they had done a bit of research by phoning the company or maybe going from Google to the company websites instead of just clicking on the email link.

If I sound like I'm preaching or ranting or just out of sync, poor you. 😆

Oh and finally I welcome any and all comments. And like always don't say sorry if you don't like the story or if you have issues. Criticism and praise both help.

Thank you.

Cid international eh? Good I started it :P

Originally posted by: nsapo

Cid international eh? Good I started it :P

Wow promo..shreya plz pm me when story posted...egar to read the story...hoping to read soon.

Looks very interesting, Shreya. Looking forward to this. 👍🏼

Iteresting !!!!! Flesh trade ??? Kahiin jo cidians ka naam hai unke flesh toh nikal ke nahi bechoge na ?? 🤣 .. all the best ..

😲 whats my user name doing on this list?