SAHANA APARTMENTS
Mrunalini is seated on the sofa with tears shedding from her eyes. Radha is seated beside her and KP is dialing some numbers in the telephone.
‘I am really tired of everything and I wish I could leave this world so soon’ says Mrunalini in a frustrating voice.
Radha does not say anything and looks at her.
‘I don’t know for which sin which I have committed I am getting punishments like this? If God wants to punish me, why is he not stopping with me? Why he is punishing my little child always?’
The entrance door opens and Rahini comes inside. She looks at Radha in surprise. But Radha’s face is very rigid and her expression implies that she is here by helplessness. Rahini comes to Mrunalini and sits on the other side.
‘Ma ji. What happened? When did you find that Trisha is missing?’ asks Rahini to her.
Mrunalini looks at Rahini and hugs her tightly.
‘I don’t know from when she gone missing. When I went to her school to pick her up, she did not come out for more than an hour. The school watchman once for all closed the gate and only then I understood that something is wrong. I even went inside the school and checked with the staffs. They showed the attendance register of her class. It was marked as present. It means she was at the school for the whole day. I don’t know how she got missed from premises.’
‘But how it is possible Ma ji? The school management never allow children to go out before dispersal time. How could she have gone missed when she was in the school for the whole day?’ asks Rahini in anger tone.
‘No one can find the answer for your questions Rahini. That is why we are all breaking our heads here.’ Says KP. ‘We have informed Anirudh and he has started his search around.’
Rahini gets tensed and her face shows nervousness which Radha can clearly catch. She remembers her conversation where Rahini asked about the safety of Arjun.
‘Chella’ calls Radha
Rahini responds to her call.
‘I have made some refreshments and kept it at kitchen. Just come and help me to bring them here.’
Rahini looks at Radha and understands the meaning of her call. She leaves with her to her flat followed KP’s surprised look at them. Both of them come out of the flat.
‘Chella, I really don’t understand what is going on here? Why you are looking so tensed? I have not seen you like this before. What happened?’ asks Radha to Rahini
‘Chithi’ says Rahini nervously. ‘A terrible mistake has happened. I don’t know how am I going to rectify. I wish nothing should happen to Trisha’
Radha looks at her in questioning expression.
‘Chithi, Arjun was supposed to be kidnapped but by mistake they have kidnapped Trisha’
‘What?’ screams Radha in shock
‘Yes Chithi. The kidnappers mistook Trisha as my own child and kidnapped her. Oh God! What am I going to do now?’ says Rahini with tensed expression.
‘Why should they do that? Why did they kidnap Trisha?’
‘They wanted to blackmail me by kidnapping my child so that they can grab all evidences from me.’
‘Is it anything related to your work?’
Rahini does not answer her. Radha understands her silence.
‘Who are all they?’ asks Radha nervously
‘Some goons who work for a famous politician’ replies Rahini
‘Very critical situation it is. Just contact them and tell that Trisha is not your child. Tell them that you will give them everything what they are asking for’ Says Radha to her
‘I cannot do that, Chithi. First of all, I am not having the evidences with me. Next, the guy who collected them took so much effort and risked his own life several times to get them. He will not give them to me. They are very important stuffs which can send many VIPs who disguise as innocent people to jail. How can we sacrifice them?’
‘Nothing is important when comes to question of human life. It is not matter of your child’s life but about some one’s child. You cannot play games like this. Try to get it from the person and contact the kidnappers. Tell them that you will hand-over the things to them.’
‘I cannot do it Chithi’ screams Rahini
Rahini’s mobile phone rings. She hurriedly looks at the mobile and sees the flashing as ‘Private Number’ calling.
‘Hello Rahini here’ answers Rahini nervously
‘Who else would be then if not you Madam’ hears an hard voice mocking at her.
‘Who is this?’ asks Rahini in tensed tone.
‘It is none of your business. Listen carefully. I hope now you would have understood how our reaction would be if somebody disobey us. If you want to child to return alive, then without asking further questions, make sure you give us all the evidences against our Didhi. Otherwise, I don’t have to say this but I will. You will receive your child in parts' threatens the voice in cruel tone.
Rahini holds the mobile tightly and she starts to sweat.
‘Don’t you understand. You child will be received in parts. Hands, legs, eyes, nose etc.etc. Everything you will receive as separate parcels. Most importantly, we will not kill her when we cut her into pieces. She will be alive bearing all the pains. Finally you will receive her beheaded body alone. You might not be able to identify her’
‘You cruel b*****ds’ shouts Rahini in high pitch. ‘How dare you talk to me like this? Are you human beings or monsters? If you want to clash with us, why can’t you do it straight directly to us? Like a coward you people are kidnapping a small child and blackmailing us. If I ever find you, I will certainly do everything whichever you told me now’ screams Rahini to the kidnapper.
‘Chill lady. Instead of shouting at me, make a wise decision and give those evidences to us. And don’t try to be smart and think of making any copies of those stuffs. You have a very little time. In just half-an-hour we want you to give those things to us. Else we will inaugurate our game with that girl’s right hand. If we did not receive them after that, her left hand would be detached from her body. Similarly, for every half-an-hour delay, her every organ shall be detached from her body. Understood? Come and meet us near VT. And I believe that you are not so stupid to approach police to get back your child as no mother wishes to see her child’s charred body after all.’ says the voice and the call gets disconnected.
‘Hello! Hello! Hello!’ shouts Rahini on her mobile.
No one talks on the other side. Rahini calls the number but the busy tone is heard.
‘What happened?’ asks Radha in tension.
Rahini looks at Radha with the extreme tension and nervous. She then calls a number from her mobile.
‘Hello Sir’ says Rahini
‘Yes Rahini’ answers Mr.Desai
‘Sir, a very serious problem’
Rahini explains the incidents to him and about the phone conversation.
‘Sir, I really need those evidences to get the child back. They are brutal criminals. Please do something and get back the child’
‘Rahini, I can understand. Don’t worry. I will contact the police department first’ says Mr.Desai
‘Sir, no time. And we cannot go to police. Sir, whatever we have now please give it me. Let me go and get the child’
‘Rahini, just listen. I am really not having the evidences with me. Pratik is having them. He told that he will meet me once he has got them.’
‘Sir, please contact him. Ask him to meet me at Victoria Terminus in ten minutes with the stuffs. The kidnapper told me to meet there.’ says Rahini
‘Sure. I will contact him soon. Don’t worry Rahini. We will save the child safely’ consoles Mr.Desai to her.
‘Sure Sir. I trust you. She is not my child. If something happens to her, I cannot forgive myself for rest of my life.’ Says Rahini in weak tone
The call gets disconnected. Rahini looks at Radha who is stunned. Rahini looks at the direction where Radha looks and gets shocked. Arun is standing there with his eyes blood red with fury and rage. He comes to her and looks at her with all the hatred in his heart. Rahini is not able to look at him and feels guilty.
‘Was this your motive behind saving Trisha’s life some days back?’ asks Arun in cold tone.
Rahini looks at him in shock. She does not reply to her
‘You wanted some scape goat for slaughtering. You disguised yourself as some social activist and pretended to save Trisha so that you can save your own family and use her life for your adventurous stunts, isn’t it?’ shouts Arun at Rahini.
Rahini looks at him angrily. She opens her mouth to answer but Radha intervenes.
‘Please do not talk unnecessarily. Whatever is happened, is unexpected. We are not kind of people who risk other lives for our benefit.’ replies Radha angrily.
‘Then why the hell you have put trisha’s life in stake. She is in danger and you are happily standing here chit chatting with everyone.’ shouts Arun at her
Rahini angrily looks at him and says ‘Just shut up. Don’t pretend as if you are the one who care for her. I am trying by all means to save Trisha from this threat.’
‘Trying?’ asks Arun mockingly and angrily. ‘How come you can be so irresponsible and answer like this? Is this the time for trying? You have to save our child from the so called bl*****ds. If our child does not return home safe or if she gets a slight injury in body, then don’t ever think of looking the sun-rise tomorrow morning.’ threatens Arun looking at Rahini. and leaves the place angrily.
Rahini looks at Arun in irritation but her face turns in tension. Her mobile phone rings and flashes ‘Chief Editor’.
‘Hello Sir’
‘Rahini, Pratik is right now nearing the Victoria terminus. You leave right now and meet him.’
‘Ok sir. Thank you’ says Rahini and disconnects the call. She looks at Radha and says ‘Chithi, I am leaving right now. Take care of Trisha’s grandmother and also Arjun. You both be careful Chthi.’
Rahini rushes to staircase.
--- --- --- --- ---
ARTE MANSION
Rohit is wandering everywhere with tension in his face. He dials in his mobile and hears busy tone.
‘Damn it Chota. You don’t have the habit of picking up the phone. Why the hell you are having a mobile for you, Idiot?’ screams Rohit at Arun
His mobile phone rings and answers the call in first ring.
‘Bhayya, Trisha is kidnapped’ hears an anxious Arun’s voice.
‘What?’ asks Rohit shockingly. ‘What the hell are you saying? But why? Anybody found that she is my daughter and kidnapped for blackmailing me?’
‘Bhayya? She was not kidnapped because of you. It is a long story. Right now I am going in search of her to Victoria Terminus. I will call you later. Bye!’
‘Hello Arun’ shouts Rohit but he hears only the disconnected tone.
‘Nonsense’ screms Rohit and throws the phone and it falls on the bed. Rohit wears his coat and rushes from his home.
--- --- ---
SAHANA APARTMENTS
Group of people are wandering here and there around the apartment complex. One of them is a Nepali Gurkha with a long stick in his hand crossing the building. Another guy is pushing a hand-vehicle with full of tender coconuts and in just opposite another guy is pushing an ice-cream vehicle. One another guy is repairing his motor-bike right opposite to the gate of the building. One another guy is selling Vada Pavs on that area. Elders, children and many youngsters are approaching them for the stuffs which they are selling without even having a question in their mind of how all types of sellers assembled there at same time unusually rather they were very happy that they got chance to enjoy their favorite eatables. God only knows what would happen if the people find out that they are not regular sellers but goons belonging to one of the deadly politician Naina Deshpande.
‘What happened?’ asks the motor-bike guy in his wireless device
‘That lady did not come out till now’ replies the Gurkha guy.
The coconut and ice-cream guys are standing in front of the building pretending to sell their stuff. On the other hand they are watching for a lady to come out of the building. Rahini rushes out of the building so fast and runs from the place. The Gurkha guy does not see her but the motorbike watches her running from the building in 'Nick of time' and he compares the face with the photograph in his mobile.
‘Abey Oye! The lady has come out and she is running’ intimates the guy to his fellow mates.
‘Are you sure? She is the one?’ asks another guy to him.
‘Yeah, I am sure. I have the photo of that lady sent by our lawyer madam. She is the one. Come on we should catch her fast’ says the motorbike guy and he starts his bike. He picks up the Gurkha guy at his back side. Meanwhile the coconut and the ice-cream guys get onto the other bike leaving behind the customers they were attending. The people who bought stuffs from them look at them in wonder and shout at them to stop but they have crossed beyond their reach of voice.
--- --- --- --- ---
Rahini rushes to the main road so fast to catch any transport. She looks at her watch and already 10 minutes of the time has passed by.
‘God, please save all of us. Please get me there before it is too late’ prays Rahini in tension.
She tries to stop auto-rickshaws and taxis around but nothing stops due to the occupied passengers. She then tries to stop some passers-by vehicles but they too does not stop. She looks at her watch and another three minutes have crossed.
‘God, please save me from this mess. I don’t want anything to happen to Trisha. Please help me to save her’ prays Rahini to herself. She waits further to catch a vehicle but no one stops.
‘This is not going to work’ says Rahini to herself.
She looks at a fast moving car coming towards her and stands in the middle of the road with her hands raised to sign the driver to stop. The car jerks heavily due to sudden intervention of some hurdle and the person driving the car looks at her furiously.
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