Sub Inspector Rajiv Mukherjee sat on a wooden chair placed at a corner of the large spacious room on the third floor of Lal Bazar headquarters. The magnificent Red Building of Kolkata Police Headquarters located at Lal Bazar Street had been the epitome of police governance in the city of Kolkata since 1868. Rajiv was a part of the famous Detective Department.
Suman Mandal, a colleague of Rajiv, sat on another chair and spoke with him. The duo belonged to the Cyber Crime Cell and had just cracked a case. It was the month of May and the humid climate ensured to emphasize its predominance upon all the inhabitants of the city. The busy lanes around Lal Bazar Street buzzed with the vibrancy of officegoers, food vendors and passerby folks.
“Crime has evolved to such peculiar extent” said Suman while wiping away the sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief, “Today’s criminal minds are becoming more and more aligned towards technology…”
“You are right Suman” replied Rajiv, “Most of the cases that we encounter nowadays are outcomes of misused knowledge by nascent minds. When we drill down to the motive of the crime, we find petty intentions of either blackmail or monetary gains!”
Suman nodded his head in agreement while Rajiv spoke, “Gone are the days of mindboggling cases where a detective would have to use his grey matter well in order to crack a case… Nowadays most of the crimes happen in the dark shadows of the Internet and the criminal hides behind the curtains of a dingy living room!”
“You are right. Time changes and so does the context of crime. I wish we would someday be able to solve a case that involves more human intelligence than computer technology!” answered Suman with a laugh.
Rajiv looked at his wristwatch and noted the time. He got up from his seat and told Suman, “Brother, today I have taken half-a-day of leave, I would have to push-off now. I have an appointment with somebody who had given me ample amount of content to enrich the grey matter in my head,” and pointed his index-finger at his forehead.
Suman laughed and replied, “Good! I know… you are going to meet your uncle, Mr. Shyamal Shome at his residence!”
Rajiv smiled back and replied, “Yes Suman! Uncle Shome had been my inspiration since childhood. The stories that I have heard from his mouth, had given me the encouragement to join the police force!”
“Yes, and how can we forget that Mr. Shyamal Shome had been a decorated officer of our Detective Department too! That man has loads of experiences that we can consider as a treasure box of knowledge.” answered Suman.
Rajiv smiled back and left. Around five-thirty in the evening Rajiv reached the old whitewashed two-storied house on Fern Road, situated in the Southern parts of the city of Kolkata. Mr. Shyamal Shome lived in a double-bedroom flat on the first floor of the house. Rajiv rang the doorbell and an elderly manservant opened the door and welcomed him inside.
Rajiv went inside and sat on the sofa of the decently furnished living-room. Mr. Shyamal Shome had been living in this apartment ever since Rajiv had known him. Rajiv looked around the room, a place that was extremely familiar to him. Mr. Shyamal Shome, his happily-single unmarried maternal uncle, had maintained the atmosphere of this apartment in the same manner for the past many decades. The room contained large bookshelves stacked with books on different topics, a huge mahogany writing desk on one side and a comfortable sofa with a wooden tea-table on another side.
Within a few moments, a tall elderly man in his seventies, with white receding hairline and a thin yet strong body built, entered the room. The man’s face showed the wear-and-tear of age, but the eyes sparkled like large pieces of diamonds.
“Good evening uncle Shome! How are you?” greeted Rajiv. His heart still filled with a childlike thrill whenever he met this elderly man.
“I am good Rajiv… How are you and how is your work going on in the Detective Department?” enquired the old man with a strong voice that reverberated across the room.
Rajiv gave a brief summary of his work and said, “I could take a little time-off from my work today, so I thought I would come and spend some time with you uncle. Sitting here and listening to the stories about the cases you were involved in, acts like oxygen to my mind!”
The old manservant came and served tea and snacks. Mr. Shyamal Shome picked up a cup of tea, sipped it and spoke, “My dear Rajiv, I have known you since your childhood and I have always found you to be very gifted. I feel fortunate that my experiences have been able to provide motivation to you…”
“Uncle, please tell me something new from your vast repository!” asked Rajiv while munching a biscuit.
Mr. Shyamal Shome smiled and said, “As you already know Rajiv, most of my noteworthy experiences had been gathered while working as a Sub-Inspector in the Detective Department and assisting one of the most talented officers of the department… Inspector Kanailal Ganguly! I have never met anybody like him ever in my life. I feel privileged to be a part of his work.”
“Yes uncle Shome, I know that. Yet, nobody knows where he went after his retirement! It seems like the man vanished into thin air after he completed his tenure at the Detective Department!” added Rajiv.
“Son… The impact of dealing with crime and criminals is so taxing upon the human soul, that a man who had dedicated thirty years of his life to it, often tries to run far away from its frontiers! I just pray, wherever he is, may his mind and soul be at peace…” replied Mr. Shyamal Shome. “But I will not delve into that topic today, instead let me relate to you about a unique case in which I had worked along with him. It is a singular case that would reveal to you how society can turn an innocent individual into a horrible criminal…”
The cover of twilight engulfed the setting sun outside while Rajiv sat in front of Mr. Shyamal Shome with keen interest on what was about to be discoursed. Under the lemon-yellow light of the glowing light bulb, the old man began relating his story in his usual animated fashion…
****
“Inspector Kanailal Ganguly, the shrewd officer of the Homicide Squad of Lal Bazar Detective Department, lived on the third floor of Niharika Apartments in the Bhawanipur locality of Kolkata. The year was 1981 and Inspector Kanailal had been living there with his wife and their ten-year-old son Biplab. The incidence that I am talking about happened in the month of January.
It was probably a Tuesday morning and Inspector Kanailal had invited me for having breakfast at his residence. We were seated at the dining table and eating our breakfast along with his family when the doorbell rang. Mrs. Ganguly went and opened the door and a middle-aged man rushed inside with a face that expressed a concoction of shock and grief.
I understood that the man was familiar to the Ganguly family and Inspector Kanailal quickly got up from his place and helped the man to sit down on a chair.
“What happened Sunil? Why are you so distraught?” asked Inspector Kanailal.
“Sir, something extremely horrid has just happened! Sir, Vijay… my younger brother Vijay… my only sibling is no more!” cried the man profusely while uttering these words.
“What are saying Sunil? Vijay had just returned yesterday morning. I met him while coming back from the bazar. We spoke about his wedding next month with Meera, his college sweetheart! What could have happened? This is so horrible!” exclaimed Mrs. Ganguly.
Inspector Kanailal handed over a glass of water to Sunil while I stood beside him. After drinking some water, Sunil spoke in a shaky voice, “Sir, as you all know, Vijay used to work as a traveling salesman for the Imperial Insurance Company and had just returned from an official tour. We were all very excited about his wedding next month and chatted till late in the night. Today morning, me, Suhana (my wife), my son Arun and our mother sat for breakfast. Everything was absolutely normal. We were eating our breakfast and chatting with each other. However, as I finished my breakfast and was about to get up, Vijay suddenly fell down from his chair on the floor. He was unconscious and lay absolutely still… I was shocked at this and somehow managed to pull him onto the sofa! Suhana ran down to the second floor and called Dr. Mishra, who came swiftly and checked Vijay. But alas! After inspecting him thoroughly, Dr. Mishra declared him dead!”
“Mother is in a state of complete shock! Dr. Mishra had given her some sedative to ease her nerves… We are completely devastated!” cried Sunil.
Inspector Kanailal listened to the discourse carefully and then looked at me, “Shome, quickly telephone the local police station and ask them to come over immediately. This incidence seems somewhat unusual. Let us go upstairs and take a look.”
I obeyed the instructions and then followed Inspector Kanailal to the apartment of Sunil Bagreja. The flat on the fourth floor of Niharika Apartment was a spacious one with three bedrooms, a large living room and a moderate sized dining room with an adjacent kitchen. Mrs. Suhana Bagreja was sitting on a chair and weeping, while a few fellow residents of Niharika Apartment gathered around the sofa where the lifeless body of the young Vijay Bagreja was kept.
Inspector Kanailal and I took a close look at the dead body of the deceased, there was no sign of violence on the entire body. The face was not distorted, nor was there any sign of pain. It seemed as if the young man was fast asleep. After inspecting the body, Inspector Kanailal went over to the dining table, where the fatal incidence had taken place.
Inspector Kanailal took a close look at everything around the dining table and then looked at me and said, “Shome, quickly take a note of the contents of the table. We need to send them to the forensic department for further investigation!”
I obeyed the instructions and listed down the contents of the dining table. There were six chairs around the table, out of which five had been occupied that morning. There were five plates in front of the five chairs and it was obvious that the family had just finished their morning meal when the catastrophe occurred. There was a half-filled bowl of potato curry, a serving-plate containing a few leftover Paratha, a small empty bowl of Kheer, some spoons and ladles and three glasses of water.
“Shome, take note of every detail while you make the list. Make sure you know even which spoon was used in which plate or bowl…” said Inspector Kanailal from behind me.
Next we went over to the room of the old lady, Mrs. Vimala Bagreja, the mother of Sunil and Vijay. Inspector Kanailal had perhaps hoped to speak to her but the doctor cautioned us, “She is in a state of complete shock, so please spare her from an interrogation today Inspector Kanailal!”
Soon, the police officers from the local police station arrived and took away the body for the post-mortem formalities. The officer-in-charge, Mr. Sundarmohan, recognized Inspector Kanailal and exchanged a quick greeting before beginning his work. He interrogated the family members, a few neighbors and finally Dr. Mishra.
After the interrogation was over, Inspector Kanailal told Mr. Sundarmohan, “I have asked Shome to take the contents of the dining table for forensic testing. I think this is a case of criminal offence.”
“I have the same opinion too. However, we cannot conclude anything before getting the autopsy report. I have asked the elder brother, Sunil, to report at the police station every morning unless a conclusion is arrived…” replied Mr. Sundarmohan.
Inspector Kanailal and I went off to Lal Bazar after a while. Mrs. Ganguly had come over to the console Mrs. Suhana and asked her son, Biplab, to take Arun along with him in order to divert his mind. My concentration was occupied with the grimness of the incidence. I wondered about the stark contrast in the change of destiny of the Bagreja family and how, within moments, a happy household swept into a grief-stricken one.
Throughout that day Inspector Kanailal was absolutely quiet. He sat on a wooden chair by a window and kept looking outside blankly. I had seen this weird attitude in him whenever he was engrossed in some deep thought. I did not disturb him, instead, I kept in touch with the forensic department regarding the report on the contents of the dining table. Around seven-thirty in the evening I received a phone call from the forensic department and immediately went to the chamber of Inspector Kanailal to report.
“Sir, as per the initial study, the forensic department could not find any anomalies in the contents of the dining table! There was no poison or any malicious content in anything…” I said hurried on entering the room.
Inspector Kanailal gave a weird smile and said, “Shome, do you want to know the cause of Vijay’s death? I just spoke with the coroner’s office where the autopsy had been performed…”
I felt a little uncomfortable on hearing the tone of his voice, but nodded my head in agreement.
“Vijay was poisoned, Shome!” shouted Inspector Kanailal and banged his fist on the table in front of him. “The poison entered his body along with the food, as there are no rupture marks on his entire body through which the venom could have entered! It is a very rare venom that seldom leaves any traces!”
I stood absolutely still and listened to what was being said, and Inspector Kanailal continued to speak in a loud voice, “So the question is… if the contents of the dining table are not contaminated and whatever Sunil and his family had said are true… How did the poison enter Vijay’s body?”
“Sir, if I may say something…” I interrupted, “The entire family had their breakfast together… had the food been contaminated, don’t you think it would have affected the others too?”
“Exactly!” said Inspector Kanailal, “And there hides the mystery… as well as the elusive motive for murdering an innocent young man! I have already informed Mr. Sundarmohan about these findings.”
Inspector Kanailal and I sat in his chamber debating around the topic of this gruesome murder when suddenly the telephone rang. Inspector Kanailal picked up the phone, listened to the voice on the opposite and before disconnecting the line, gave a brief reply, “Alright, I am coming as soon as possible!”
He quickly got up from his chair, turned towards me and said, “Shome, my wife just telephoned… A few hours ago, Mrs. Vimala Bagreja had suffered the same symptoms as her son Vijay! Luckily, she didn’t pass away. Sunil and a few neighbors have taken her to the Bluebell Nursing Home.”
I jumped out of my seat in utter shock and said, “What? Two murders in a single day!”
“No Shome… one murder and another attempt to murder! Now let us rush to the Bluebell Nursing Home…” said Inspector Kanailal and hurried out of the chamber.
Mr. Sundarmohan met us outside the ICU of the Bluebell Nursing Home. He said, “The poor old lady is completely paralyzed! Only her eyes are wide open and blinks occasionally.”
Inspector Kanailal ran up to the doctor in charge and whispered something in his ears. The doctor quickly went inside the ICU and Inspector Kanailal hurried back to us and said, “I think she must have been poisoned too! It is my strong belief that the same venom that was administered upon Vijay, has been used upon her, too!”
Inspector Kanailal lowered his voice and said, “The criminal must have believed that the poison won’t leave any traces and thus the entire affair would look like a natural death of the young man! But… the question is why would somebody try to murder the old mother? What can be the motive?”
Mr. Sundarmohan interrupted, “Sir, I am taking Sunil into police custody!”
Inspector Kanailal stared at him with a questioning look.
Mr. Sundarmohan continued, “I have a strong suspicion that Sunil has committed both these crimes! Sir the motive is clear! It is greed for property! If my suspicion is right, Sunil must have planned this to remove his younger brother and elderly mother and become the sole owner of all their family wealth!”
“Your deductions do sound logical Mr. Sundarmohan. It is true that Mrs. Vimala Bagreja belongs to a rich upper caste family and commands a significant amount of wealth…” answered Inspector Kanailal,
“In the current context, if Mrs. Vimala and Vijay are both dead, then Sunil would become the sole owner of everything! The motive is indeed strong Mr. Sundarmohan! Please go ahead and do your duty… Meanwhile, let me think about some more perspectives!” said Inspector Kanailal.
Mr. Sundarmohan took Sunil along with him while his wife helplessly pleaded Inspector Kanailal for help.
The situation was becoming very uncomfortable with every passing moment. Inspector Kanailal held Mrs. Suhana Bagreja’s hands and said, “Suhana, don’t cry. Please let the law take its own course. But, I promise you that I shall do everything that is possible for me to do. Trust me… if Sunil is innocent, I won’t let any harm come upon him.”
Inspector Kanailal and I took a quick look at Mrs. Vimala and then escorted Mrs. Suhana back to her home.
Three days passed but Mr. Sundarmohan could not deduce anything significant regarding the case. Sunil was still in police custody while his wife and son suffered from the trauma of this horrible situation. Mrs. Ganguly visited them regularly and tried to console them, but the impact of the ordeal was so much that nothing could comfort them fully.
Inspector Kanailal silently continued his investigation upon the case. He was officially not assigned to the case and thus needed to work with restraint. He even ensured that he didn’t ask for my help on this case during my duty hours. Only during our evening breaks he discussed with me about it.
“Shome… I am not convinced that Sunil is a murderer. I know him well; he cannot kill his brother! There was something unusual in that breakfast table… I saw it myself, but I didn’t observe closely. That is why I cannot recall it now. If only I can remember it, I think I would be able to solve this dreadful mystery!” Inspector Kanailal said during our evening break on the third day after Sunil was taken into police custody.
On the fourth day, Inspector Kanailal took a leave from work and told me that he was going out of town. I was eager about where he was planning to go, but refrained from interrupting his privacy. I knew, if he would discover something interesting, he would definitely tell me.
I spent the entire day with an anxious mind. In the afternoon Mr. Sundarmohan telephoned and I received the call, “Sir, this is Shome speaking… Inspector Kanailal is on a leave today. Can I take any message on his behalf?”
Mr. Sundarmohan recognized me and said, “Shome… I had called up to tell that the interim autopsy report has arrived and it says that a rare venom, usually found in the roots of wild shrubs, had been used to poison Vijay. This exceptional venom is seldom available freely and is very malicious in nature. It paralyzes the human nerves and chokes the blood vessels within moments of administration. Moreover, the doctors of the Bluebell Nursing Home have confirmed that Mrs. Vimala Bagreja was also poisoned with the same venom! In her case, the venom could not result in death, but has paralyzed her entire body forever! Please pass on this information to Inspector Kanailal.”
I received the message and disconnected the telephone. Nothing much fruitful happened and I concentrated on my own work. The next morning, as I arrived at Lal Bazar and entered the chamber of Inspector Kanailal, I could feel a vibrant energy inside the room. Inspector Kanailal was sitting atop the table with a shining face and looked at me with the expression of enormous success.
“Shome… The case is solved!” he said, “My yesterday’s trip to the ancestral village of the Bagreja family has been completely successful!”
My heart started to palpitate loudly and I sat on a chair near him and asked, “Please tell me about the entire mystery and your solution…”
Inspector Kanailal looked me and continued, “Mrs. Vimala Bagreja had two sons… Sunil, the eldest one who was married to Suhana and Vijay, the youngest one who was yet to be married. They belonged to a rich upper caste and had significant amount of wealth, in the form of property. As you already know, the entire suspicion is upon Sunil, whom the police suspects in the murder of Vijay using a deadly venom and then trying to murder Mrs. Vimala…”
I nodded my head in agreement and before Inspector Kanailal could continue, Mr. Sundarmohan entered the room. Inspector Kanailal got up from his seated position on seeing him and with the wave of his hand asked us to follow him. I felt a bit disappointed on this sudden interruption, but remained quiet.
Within the next twenty minutes, we reached Bluebell Nursing Home and to the utter surprise of both Mr. Sundarmohan and me, Inspector Kanailal took us straight to an empty cabin of the ICU department. As we entered, we saw that Mrs. Vimala Bagreja had been shifted to this room. I could not decipher the meaning of this action, but my heart felt hurt on seeing the helpless body and wide open eyes of the old lady lying in front of us.
Inspector Kanailal looked at Mrs. Vimala and started to speak, “Ma’am, the doctors tell me that even though your body is paralyzed, your eyes and ears are still functional. Thus I have requested the doctors for this brief meeting here in this room.”
I could see that Inspector Kanailal was looking straight at the old lady while he spoke in a firm voice. “Gentlemen… this is Mrs. Vimala Bagreja, a woman belonging to the elite upper castes… who always took pride in her societal elevated position by birth. However, her morale was shattered when her younger son, Vijay, fell in love with Meera, a girl from the lower caste. Vijay was determined to marry this girl and convinced the entire family about the marriage. However, Mrs. Vimala was angry and heartbroken deep within. Burning in the wrath of anger she finally decided to end the life of her beloved son, in the name of honor! A month before the marriage, she travelled to her ancestral village and met an old quark who secretly gave her a malicious venom. A rare poison that is found in the roots of wild shrubs. The quark convinced her that the poison leaves no traces and she administered it on Vijay, her beloved younger son! Finally, she planned to end her own life too, by consuming the poison… but alas, such is the stroke of destiny… the poison made her a cripple!”
My eyes moved towards the face of the old lady and I could see tears rolling down from her eyes. Mr. Sundarmohan stood with an air of disbelief, but was also not able to disregard the words of Inspector Kanailal.
“How did you find this out sir?” I asked out of sheer eagerness.
“Shome… if you remember, I had told you that there was something unusual in the dining table that I was not being able to recall” said Inspector Kanailal.
“Yes sir, I do remember” I answered.
“Do you know what was that anomaly?” spoke Inspector Kanailal, “Visualize the dining table, the chairs, the plates, the utensils, everything. The only unusual, but extremely trivial, thing was that the container of the Kheer had two spoons in it! Even though the forensic report didn’t show any sign of contamination, this point regarding the two spoons haunted me in my subconscious mind!”
“Then what happened sir?” asked Mr. Sundarmohan with a keen voice.
“The day before yesterday, after I returned home, I saw Arun sitting with my son Biplab” said Inspector Kanailal. “As I sat with them and drank my tea, I suddenly remembered this missing link about the two spoons. Without wasting any time, I calmly asked little Arun… son, can you remember and tell me everything that happened on the fateful day, if you can, then I guess I would be able to help your father. Arun had always been an intelligent child and he agreed to cooperate. What I heard next, cleared much of the mystery. I have recorded the statement of the child in my portable tape-recorder. Let me play it for you…”
Inspector Kanailal took out a small black colored portable tape-recorded and switched it on. The recorded voice of a child spoke… In the morning, daddy, Maa, Dadi, Vijay Chachu and I sat for breakfast. Vijay uncle had returned from his tour the previous night and Dadi had returned from our village, that same morning. At night Dadi prepared Kheer for all of us. We were eating breakfast and Dadi was serving the food. She served the Kheer at the end of the meal and gave an extra spoonful right into my mouth! Then she went inside the kitchen and fetched a fresh spoon, took a spoonful of Kheer and gave to Vijay uncle. We all laughed heartily and everything was so happy. Then, after a few minutes, as daddy was getting up to wash his hands, Vijay Chachu suddenly fell down on the floor! Maa ran down to fetch doctor uncle and Dadi started to cry. I was confused and daddy pulled Vijay Chachu onto the sofa. Doctor uncle came and checked Vijay Chachu…
Inspector Kanailal stopped playing the tape. “Mrs. Vimala Bagreja hid the venom with herself and when she went inside to fetch the second spoon, she took a lethal dose of it in the spoon and fed it to Vijay along with the Kheer! That is why we could not find any trace of the venom anywhere…”
Inspector Kanailal looked at the old lady and continued, “She had already planned to end her own life too, so that evening when she got a chance, she took the rest of the poison herself!”
Mr. Sundarmohan sat down on an empty chair on hearing this discourse. My head was spinning out of disbelief. I could not even imagine how a mother could do such a thing! Such a crime!
Inspector Kanailal quietly went up to the bed of Mrs. Vimala and sat on a chair beside her. He looked at her motionless body and tearful eyes and spoke softly, “The most pathetic creation of mankind is society and its inherent incompetent layers! What a waste of life, ma’am, what a waste! Our useless caste system has today converted a loving mother into a coldblooded murderer!”
I could see that the eyes of Inspector Kanailal were tearful too while he spoke, “Today, a budding young man is laid to death as a sacrifice for mankind’s cowardly creation! However, the Almighty sees the truth and metes out justice! Vimala-ji, you had thought that you would escape from suffering by ending your own life… But look at the justice of God! He had made you a cripple, so that you would suffer for your sin every moment but never be able to get away with the offence! We, the police department, are unable to punish you for your crime. But the Supreme Power has done justice!”
Inspector Kanailal finished his words and quickly got up. As we left the room, I looked back at the old lady’s face, tears kept rolling down her cheeks from her eyes while her motionless body lay completely still.
Mr. Sundarmohan released Sunil from the police custody and closed the case and Inspector Kanailal explained the truth to him. Time is the best healer, and with the passage of time, the family of Sunil, Suhana and Arun again returned to their normal routine life. As far as I remember, Mrs. Vimala Bagreja lived in that paralyzed state for another two years before passing away.”
****
Rajiv looked at his watch, it was eight-thirty in the evening. In the lemon-yellow light of the glowing light-bulb, he could see that the face of old Shyamal Shome had turned red with excitement. Rajiv felt that his heart, too, was beating fast.
“What a case, uncle Shome! I must say, Inspector Kanailal was a genius!” said Rajiv.
Shyamal Shome smiled back at him and said, “Yes my son. He was a great detective, and a man with a golden heart.”
Rajiv got up from the sofa and said, “I must leave now uncle, please take very good care of yourself.”
“I will Rajiv. Come again, when you are free and I would tell you another fantastic tale of Inspector Kanailal and me. My time on this planet is getting over with every passing minute, such is law of Mother Nature. But, I shall be happy if I am able to share with you, the vast experience I have gathered over the year!”
Rajiv bid farewell to his dear uncle Shome and quietly walked away while the old man, with his abundance of glorious tales, shut the door of his double-bedroom flat on the first floor of the old whitewashed two-storied house.
