After hundred meters of sprinting, the constables were shocked to see that their worst fears had come true. Raj was lying in a pool of blood. The bleed out was so profound by the time they arrived that it was impossible to say where exactly he had been shot. He was lifted off the red spot gently like a baby out of a cradle. Two constables accompanied the young officer in an ambulance. Raj’s eyes slowly started showing signs of losing hope. The jet black eyeballs which would inquisitively peer through the mild transparent liquid screen of tears had been reduced to dry marbles to which the line between life and death started to blur out with every passing moment.
The inspector stayed at the crime scene to continue searching for clues. DNA traces were lifted from a few strands of hair and toothbrushes found at the home. There were no weapon marks, no signs of forceful entry and no explicit signs of abuse on the bodies of the members. After hours of fruitless search, Shiv called off the operation. Shiv personally took the bodies for post mortem and rushed to the hospital to see Raj.
Doctors had informed him that Raj had been shot at least eight times. The bullets had pierced multiple muscles and the man’s right leg had to be amputed. Further they added that he required at least four surgeries to remove the lead.
Constable Vikrant, who was Raj’s training institute senior by just a few years was staying with him at the hospital. A life changing set of events had occurred in such a short span of time. Raj was an ambitious and talented individual who always dreamt of rising to the highest ranks in the security forces and his perseverance was at par with his dreams. Vikrant had stood by Raj through thick and thin and witnessing his dreams being shattered in one night had forced the man to break down internally.
“ To be hurt is one thing but to helplessly watch a loved one suffer is degrees more painful”
Vikrant tried very hard to not allow his emotions to surface across his strict policeman face, but Shiv could clearly see through all of it. The senior officer consoled Vikrant and Shiv’s parents. Hours of anxious wait outside the operation theater finally ended on a consoling note when the doctors said that Raj was out of danger. The officers had decided to call it a day as they were mentally,physically and emotionally drained.
Initial investigations revealed that the dead family had an absolutely clean track record with no enmities. They had been living in the neighborhood for nearly one and a half decades. The only problem that the family had was a financial one for which they had applied for a loan and also got it approved.
After a few days of investigation, Shiv and a few others had closed the case concluding that it was a suicide and not murder as the loan amount was yet to be given thereby ruling out the possibility of the murder being fueled by default on repayment. They explained the screams to be that of the young child who would have been pushed to commit suicide by his parents rather than having to live alone.
Several other cases had piled by then, there were several events to provide security for, a lot of media covered high profile cases to handle and the pressure on Shiv was just mounting quickly. He was not a man who crumbled during intense or desperate situations and wrapped up a good amount of the accumulated work in no time, though the commissioner of Police had offered to relieve him of duties immediately.
Two days before the commissioner had made the offer, there had been a shootout attempt at his house.
Did the shootout genuinely create a concern in the commissioner’s mind for an old fellow policeman which caused him to make the offer, or was the shootout a planned attempt to make the commissioner take this decision, why did Shiv spend so much time on a relatively less important case,why did the commissioner not direct an inquiry into the shootout that took place at his own place and why did the team not connect Raj’s shooter to the family suicide case though it happened on the same night?
Read on to find out the answers!
