“Sir!”
“Sir! Please open the door. It’s
an emergency.” The Home Minister’s PA was banging on the bed room door,
shouting at the top of his voice. The minister opened the door looking very
unpleased to be woken up in the middle of night, “what is it?” the minister
barked at the PA.
“Sir, terrible news!” the PA said
with a terrified look on his face, “our CM has been assassinated!”
“What!” Devanandan’s face became
pale, the Chief Minister of Kerala has been assassinated.
“Ravi, turn on the TV. Book
tickets to Trivandrum for the next flight. Arrange a meeting with Police Chief,
Additional DGP of South Zone and City Police Commissioner of Trivandrum as soon
as I arrive”, Devanandan quickly gave orders to his PA and started getting
ready. Unlike the Home Ministers before him, Devanandan was a man of action and
a leader who takes charge of the situation.
“…at the scene. The minister was found dead in his residence in
Trivandrum by his PA who was the first one onsite. The forensics team is
gathering evidence as we speak. The guards and the Minister’s assistants have
been taken into custody for interrogation. The area is secured by the police
and we are not able to get a clear visual of the crime scene at the moment. We
will bring you more updates in a short while. This is Swetha Menon...”
Devanandan turned off the television
and went to the washroom. Swetha Menon is one of the few reporters that he respected.
She and her channel Janam report the facts as it is, without the usual ‘could
be’, ‘might be’ and ‘should be’ theories by the modern media.
***
“Mr. Anoop, I need the
preliminary report in two hours. Can your team make it on time?” enquired ACP
Vinod Balan, to the lead of the forensics team.
“Sure Sir!” Anoop replied confidently,
“We have already collected finger prints and have sent them to the lab for
analysis. Our Computer Expert is currently working on enhancing the video
caught on CCTV camera. The killer would surely be identified once it is done.”
“Good. Let me know once the video
is enhanced.” Vinod glanced at the CM’s body lying on the floor facing upwards.
There was a hole on his forehead and blood all around it and spread on the
floor, half clotted. He analyzed and re-winded the crime in his mind. A point-blank
shot right through the skull, with a silencer gun. The guards or the assistants
have not seen anyone entering or leaving the house after ten o’clock at night.
They did not hear any sound, no scream or struggle. The Minister did not have
any relatives and lived alone in the house. The assistants, guards and the cook
have separate wing in the building. The police have questioned everyone and did
not find a reason not to believe what the guards and the assistants have said. If
the killer was smart enough to avoid being heard or seen by others, how could
he let himself to be caught on CCTV camera? The case could have even been
diverted from assassination to suicide if not for the CCTV video. Even then…
TRINGGG… TRINGGG…
He was interrupted by his mobile’s
ring. The name ‘ADGP Krishna Kumar’ appeared on the screen. He quickly attended
the call.
“Sir! Vinod here.”
“Yes sir!”
“Understood Sir. I am on my way.”
The ACP quickly rushed out, to
his car. On his way he gave orders to his subordinates and to Anoop, to thoroughly
examine and email him the report within an hour.
***
“Sir, this way. Please come.” The
Police Chief Ahmed Ali followed the Sub-Inspector to the room where meeting with
the Home Minister was arranged.
“Did the Home Minister arrive?”
enquired the Chief.
“His flight has landed. His PA
Ravi said they would be coming here straight away. ADGP Krishna Kumar and
Commissioner John Joseph have already arrived,” replied the SI.
The Chief entered the meeting
room. ADGP and Commissioner were already there, discussing about the case and both
greeted the Chief as he entered.
“Gentlemen… ” the Chief was
interrupted before he could start, by the sirens outside the building and some
hurried footsteps outside the room. The Home Minister Devanandan entered the
room and the trio stood up and saluted him.
“Men, we have a situation here,” Devanandan
started as soon as he settled down “the Chief Minister of Kerala has been
assassinated. I am answerable to media and to the people of Kerala, as the Home
Minister. The killer must be brought before justice no matter the cost.
Gentlemen, I trust you. Now, update me. Do you have any leads?”
“Yes sir,” the ADGP started “the
killer have left the gun at the crime scene and the murder was captured in a
CCTV camera in Chief Minister’s residence. I have asked ACP Vinod to come. He
will be here any moment with the identity of the killer and more details.”
Knock! Knock!
“Sir! May I come in?” ACP Vinod came
in with a file in his hand. He saluted the superiors and passed the file to
ADGP.
“ACP, please give us a briefing
of what’s in the file,” asked the Chief.
“Yes Sir!” started Vinod, “the lab report for
the finger print and the enhanced video from CCTV have confirmed the identity
of the killer. But…”
“But what?” the ADGP jumped the
gun.
“Who is the killer? Have you made
an arrest?” the Chief was also impatient.
“The man appeared in the CCTV video shooting the CM was none other than Thomas Chandy, the ex-Personal
Assistant of the Chief Minister. The fingerprints on the gun also matched,” answered the ACP.
“Why didn’t you make an arrest
then?” asked the Home Minister.
His question was answered by the
Commissioner who was silent till then, “because Thomas Chandy is already dead.
He died in a car accident two weeks ago. Hmm, a dead killer...”
(…to be continued.)
