Mayhem of the Miserables!
M. Prabhakar Rao
- The
- Secular
- Robber!There
- was
- this
- Dr.
- Peria
- Gunaseelan
- (roughly
- translated,
- it
- would
- mean
- a
- 'Great
- Person
- of
- Good
- Virtues',
- at
- least
- that
- would
- have
- been
- the
- intent
- of
- his
- parents
- when
- they
- named
- him
- so),
- an
- Ex-NRI
- (a
- former
- Non
- Resident
- Indian,
- who
- had
- been
- out
- of
- India
- for
- a
- period
- of
- six
- months
- or
- more
- and
- stopped
- paying
- income
- tax
- on
- his
- overseas
- income,
- to
- the
- Indian
- authorities),
- who
- had
- returned
- some
- decades
- back
- –
- to
- rescue
- India
- from
- its
- myriad
- miseries
- –
- via
- his
- innumerable
- ventures!
- His
- detractors,
- who
- were
- a
- dozen
- a
- dime,
- here
- and
- there
- and
- everywhere,
- conversely,
- whispered
- that
- he
- was,
- in
- fact,
- booted
- out
- of
- his
- adapted
- Middle
- Eastern
- Land
- of
- decades,
- after
- his
- completion
- of
- a
- prison
- term,
- for
- some
- offence
- –
- which
- hadn't
- attracted
- 'cutting
- off
- of
- his
- limbs'
- as
- a
- punishment
- –
- to
- the
- chagrin
- of
- those
- adversaries;
- the
- veracity
- of
- that
- report,
- however,
- I
- wouldn't
- know,
- yet.
- And
- also,
- I
- never
- could
- ascertain
- what
- Degree
- he
- had
- or
- whether
- he
- was
- a
- 'doctor'
- with
- medical
- training
- or
- a
- Ph.D.
- and
- if
- so,
- in
- which
- specialization
- and
- from
- which
- University
- –
- India
- or
- abroad.The
- Mysterious
- Disappearance!One
- not
- so
- fine,
- evening
- the
- 'doctor'
- had
- just
- disappeared
- and
- couldn't
- be
- traced
- by
- his
- family
- members.
- His
- wife
- of
- forty
- five
- years,
- instinctively,
- knew
- something
- was
- amiss,
- when
- he
- wouldn't
- return
- home
- by
- 10
- PM,
- as
- was
- his
- practice
- and
- also
- wouldn't
- lift
- her
- calls.
- After
- trying,
- vainly,
- to
- speak
- with
- him
- for
- a
- couple
- of
- hours,
- she,
- along
- with
- Thangam
- and
- Usha
- with
- a
- couple
- of
- friendly
- neighbors,
- went
- to
- the
- office
- to
- find
- that
- he
- was
- no
- where
- to
- be
- seen,
- while
- his
- briefcase
- was
- lying
- there,
- intact
- with
- the
- lights
- on.
- Usha,
- hurriedly,
- browsed
- the
- office
- telephone
- book
- to
- find
- the
- telephone
- number
- of
- Mrs.
- Iyengar
- and
- called
- her
- home,
- enquiring
- her
- boss's
- whereabouts.
- She
- told
- that
- she
- had
- left
- the
- office
- at
- 9.00
- PM,
- to
- catch
- her
- last
- bus
- to
- Besant
- Nagar
- and
- that
- he
- was
- in
- good
- shape
- and
- spirits
- when
- she
- left.Arrested
- and
- Out-on-Bail!Inspector
- General,
- Mr.
- Avinash
- Gaikwad,
- the
- Director
- (Special
- Investigations)
- of
- a
- northern
- state
- instituted
- a
- task
- force
- under
- Inspector
- Bhimsen
- Chaturvedi,
- comprising
- Assistant
- Sub-Inspectors,
- Mr.
- Ibrehim
- Khan
- &
- Ms.
- Jhansi
- Mehra
- and
- Constables
- Mr.
- Sarkar
- Singh,
- Mr.
- Vivek
- Dwivedi,
- Mr.
- Vishnu
- Yadav
- &
- Head
- Constable,
- Mrs.
- Rani
- Patel
- and
- dispatched
- them
- to
- Bengaluru
- after
- his
- ensuring
- full
- cooperation
- from
- the
- local
- police
- –
- who
- were
- more
- than
- willing
- to
- extend
- full
- cooperation
- to
- any
- outside
- police
- as
- they
- themselves
- were
- powerless
- against
- the
- powerful
- political
- contacts,
- the
- 'doctor'
- enjoyed
- there..
- They
- camped
- at
- an
- inexpensive
- and
- non-descript
- lodge,
- occupying
- three
- rooms,
- near
- the
- office
- of
- the
- 'doctor'
- and
- began
- monitoring
- his
- activities,
- in
- plain
- cloths
- –
- a
- few
- keeping
- watch
- on
- the
- office,
- some
- the
- printing
- press
- and
- one
- or
- two
- tailing
- him
- from
- the
- office
- to
- locate
- his
- rout
- to
- residence.
- Mrs.
- Rani
- Patel
- went
- into
- the
- office
- posing
- as
- an
- aspiring
- Degree
- buyer
- and
- started
- bargaining
- for
- a
- foreign
- professional
- degree,
- which
- conversations
- –
- involving
- one
- Education
- Counselor,
- Thangam
- and
- later
- the
- 'doctor'
- himself
- –
- were
- all
- taped
- by
- her
- and
- her
- feigned
- brother
- Mr.
- Ibrehim
- Khan.
- They
- promised
- to
- return
- the
- next
- day
- with
- the
- advance
- payment,
- as
- demanded
- by
- the
- 'doctor'
- and
- her
- passport
- photographs.The
- same
- night
- the
- task
- force
- in
- the
- presence
- of
- the
- local
- help
- whisked
- away
- both
- the
- 'doctor'
- and
- Thangam,
- on
- their
- way
- to
- home
- and
- kept
- them
- in
- a
- cell
- of
- a
- police
- station
- near
- Bengaluru
- city
- railway
- station.
- The
- next
- morning,
- the
- father
- and
- the
- junior
- duo,
- in
- handcuffs,
- were
- boarded
- on
- to
- an
- express
- train
- leaving
- for
- Vihar
- a
- major
- town
- in
- one
- of
- those
- Hindi states.