Detective Koki

Part-1

Location MM

Sunday 8 A.M

Koki yelled "Meethi, Meethi...Kahaan mar gayi?"

Meethi rushed to her and said "Ji Naani Bhabhi"

Koki: "Meethi go and clean the terrace immediately because I have to spread mats on it to dry papads before 11 o'clock"

Meethi leaves to get the cleaning supplies and goes upstairs. The door was open and she wondered whether someone opened it early in the morning or if she forgot to close it at night. "Thank God Naani bhabhi  didn't notice this otherwise she would have scalped me"

The entire MM hears Meethi's screams and Koki reaches first and discovers Meethi lying on the floor.

Part 2

Koki rushes to Meethi's aid and asks others to bring a glass of water... even before Rashi could arrive with water, Koki sees something through the ajar door...she asks Mota bhabhi to take care of Meethi and rushes to the terrace.

Anita laid dead in a pool of blood...from the look of things it was apparent that she had died several hours earlier. ...others rush in and Mota bhabhi succeeds in reviving Meethi who had collapsed due to shock. 

A doctor was sent for and the police informed. The local police inspector was Gulshan Rai, he was the son of Koki's friend and hence she always took the liberty of dominating him. He disliked being addressed as "Gullu" by her but Koki never ceased calling him that.

The Modi's were in shock. Ahem was inconsolable...his Anita had left him forever..there were married for less than a week. There was some blood on the mehandi on her hands - Rashi remembered her words- she had told Anita during her Mehandi rasam that the deep red colour of her mehandi was due to Gopi's bleeding heart. She didn't mean to sympathise with her cousin, it was just her way of showing spite.

Inspector came and Koki requested him to begin investigation to find her bahu's killer soon.."evidence" was gathered - there were a lot of them and it was difficult to sort out what was connected to the murder and which wasn't. 

Ahem was prohibited from touching the corpse and it was very difficult to control him. He wanted to hold Anita and try to comfort her as if she was still alive. He couldn't forget his dreams of a happy marriage with Anita - he swore revenge.

The inspector requested everyone to calm down and sent the body for autopsy. Ahem gave him an angry look when he heard of the inspector's "unreasonable" request. Inspector meanwhile got down to questioning the Modis - the calmer one first.

Part-3

Inspector first approaches Chirag Modi but had to let him go as his wife Hetal became hysterical. Parag Modi volunteered but Koki threw rules to the wind and joined Parag in answering the inspector's questions. 

A lot of general questions were asked before they got to the point. 

Inspector- Were you happy with your bahu? did Anita enjoy good relationship with your family.

Parag- Yes, we had given our assent. All were happy with Anitha...no ill-will.

Koki- We gave our blessings to Anita...there was minor friction in the family...Anita had a spat with Rashi yesterday. I don't know the reason behind it but it has got nothing to do with the fact that Ahem's ex wife was Rashi's cousin.

Inspector- That is news to me. Please give me all the details about Ahem's first marriage?

Koki- Aap kaise inspector hain? Don't you know that the famous singer Gopi was my bahu? Haven't you seen the pics in newspaper? I and Ahem ke papa did her Kanyadaan when she got married to Siddharth Patel? Now don't tell me that you don't know who Siddharth Patel is. You are too ill informed to be an investigator. Gujarat Mirror's Rajkot Supplement had one full page on her inspiring life.

// Inspector was dazed at Koki's outburst...he drank a glass of water and continued questioning.

 He got the details of Ahem- Anita romance and how he married Gopi as per Koki's wish...

and then Gopi decided to distance herself from Ahem for his happiness-->

 Gopi's voice was appreciated by the owner of zing music when he heard her sing a bhajan at a function organised by Baa's friend---> 

Marriage proposal soon followed and the besotted Mr.Patel gave Gopi her first break as a singer( with Baa's blessings) --> 

Gopi got divorced and married Siddharth as per Koki and Baa's wish-->

Gopi is happy with her new family and requested Koki to get Ahem married to Anita---> 

Ahem got married to Anita//

Part-4

Jigar was quizzed on Anita's death but he failed to provide the investigators with any substantial info. All he said was that the brutal murder shocked him. He confessed that his heart was never ready to accept that Anita has replaced Gopi in his bhai's life.

Chirag couldn't provide any valuable information. Hetal, who had meanwhile calmed down kept repeating- "Hey bhagwaan why did a murder take place in our house". One word with Hetal and the investigator had no doubts about her mental capacity. He decided to quiz Rashi next.

Rashi was terror stricken. She looked so pale that the inspector felt that she could faint any moment. Rashi's elegant yellow sari had some stains on them which immediately caught the cop's attention. Rashi became conscious and tried covering it with her pallu...her actions made the inspector more suspicious and he asked a female constable to come to MM. 

Rashi was aghast--she knew that something is up...she asked " Aapne lady constable ko kyun bhulaya".

The inspector didn't bother to reply. Instead he asked her about the brown stain on her sari...Rashi quickly replied that she got it while working in the kitchen.

"I..I..I..didn't kill her...please believe me..I felt insecure about my position in the house and fought with her because of that...but I never thought about killing her"

The investigator said- "Oh! so you killed her without thinking? So it wasn't a premeditated murder?  The lady constable will take you into the room and you have to change your sari and handover the one you are wearing now...it will be sent for forensic analysis.

The inspector extracted further information on Gopi-Ahem-Anita relationship from her and made a mental note about meeting Gopi to listen to her version of things at MM. He noted down Gopi's address in his pad.

Rashi started crying as the lady constable arrived.

It was Ahem's turn next-

Part-5

Ahem walked as if he was in a trance...He couldn't believe that his life played such a cruel joke on him...he lost Gopi to another man because he was too proud to look into his heart and accept the fact that he loved her...he then got married to Anita only to lose her so soon..Is his love life jinxed??

He came back to this world after the inspector started questioning him...he was no longer the old Ahem..all his anger and vigour had simply vanished, he was a broken man now.  

The inspector questioned him about his relationship with Anita; this brought tears in his eyes- he and Anita were star crossed lovers. A discussion about Gopi was unavoidable, The inspector wanted every detail about their tumultuous marriage and what did it have to do with Anita. Ahem told that his marriage with Gopi was a rocky one but the split was more or less amicable. Rancour was there but it was Gopi who persuaded his mother to give her blessings to Ahem and Anita's wedding. 

///"I know that's what people say-- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him." 

- Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

This was God's way of playing with Ahem- he tried finding Anita in Gopi and once he lost her he tried finding Gopi in Anita//

The inspector cross-questioned Ahem until he finally revealed that he and Anita were having problems in their relationship. Anita behaved strangely nowadays- his mom took umbrage to her behaviour. Ahem tried to fight the fire but was unsuccessful. Their relationship wasn't fine so he had slept in the study room and hence didn't find her missing or feel her leave the room.

The inspector ended the session there and said that he will question him again after Anita's autopsy report and the forensic report of her cellphone and other belongings come.

The interview with the servants of the household didn't reveal anything valuable. The inspector re-read his notes and waited for the reports to arrive- 

The reports were shocking-

Anita died from stab wounds...but a significant amount of narcotics were found in her body...she had injuries on her wrist and arms-------who could have inflicted it --The assailant or someone known to her who was prone to be violent?

What about the narcotics?? was she on drugs or was it administered to her without her knowledge? 

The handkerchief found near her body was once dabbed with chloroform - was it used on her? then why did her body bear marks of violence?

Her cellphone records revealed that she had received several calls from an unknown number- one possibly a few minutes before her estimated time of death.

It was a maze and he was trying to find a way out when Koki called him. She used her acquaintance with him to know about the findings...two brains were at work now- and Koki's brain worked tirelessly till it could make some sense of the reports.

Part-6

Koki spent the entire day trying to unravel the mystery….who could have killed Anita? People will start talking nonsense about her family now. Poor Ahem dikra- he is already sick of life, how will he react to people accusing him of orchestrating this murder drama. Ahem did pull Anita away on Friday and it might have hurt her arms but the visible injuries aren't his doings …Savithaben will concoct an absurd story and air it to the world… The deceased should get justice and Ahem's life must be brought on track(whatever that means now).

Thank God the stain on Rashi was proved to be not blood…. Then,the row she had with Anita would have been enough to point the finger of suspicion on her. Mota Bhabhi would lose even the solitary neuron in her brain and become officially insane.

The police had searched her house thoroughly- it was a humiliating experience for Koki….and they found drugs in Ahem-Anita's room……so was Anita on drugs???Was it planted?...or as people are alleging, did Ahem drug her?...

No..No…No..My dikra can't stoop so low. He is above all these violent acts and scheming…why would he kill Anita when he could have opted out of the marriage? Gopi is happily married and is expecting her first child…What will her in-laws think now?? This happened within three days of Gopi attending the party thrown by Ahem-Anita…hope those people don't link the two things together..and thank God that Gopi got such an understanding life partner..my ever sacrificing daughter Gopi's happiness shouldn't be snatched away. Thank God they didn't cross question Gopi  …the process would have distressed her. Siddhath had told her that Gopi's emotions were clear when her statement was being recorded by the police..she was upset at the turn of events and prayed for Anita's soul. The purity of her heart never ceases to amaze Siddharth….but…She is pregnant and shouldn't undergo emotional upheavals. Yes,I will get to the bottom of it..Krishna Bhagwan Please help me in my search for truth.

"Perhaps the unknown numbers hold the key to the mystery….I must find out more about it"… Koki pulled a few strings and the police agreed to her request. The search reached an abrupt end when it was found that the SIM was obtained using forged documents and the remaining calls were made from public telephones. The telephones didn't belong to any particular locality. The criminal was definitely clever in covering his tracks.

//

Murderers will try to recall the sequence of events, they will remember exactly what they did just before and just after. But they can never remember the actual moment of killing. This is why they will always leave a clue.
Peter Ackroyd

//

Part-7

Koki paced up and down the hall. She did that whenever she was in a tricky situation…and today she was confronting a far worse situation… She had thought about the Rashi-Urmi-Kinjal's involvement in smuggling drugs to MM but it seemed improbable. Urmi certainly didn't know what cocaine was..Rashi hadn't gone out and a discreet search through her finances revealed that she hadn't withdrawn any money recently…plus after the kidnapping incident she was mortally scared of hoodlums. Kinjal hadn't visited MM for a long time and since she couldn't possibly have an accomplice inside MM even she could be excluded for the time being….So who is left?...Was Anita a drug addict? She did behave strangely..but could she be an addict?  

Koki asked Ahem whether Anita behaved strangely at times. Ahem gave an affirmative reply but attributed her behavior to difficulties in adapting to the new family … Koki had her own doubts about Ahem's explanation.

Meethi was summoned into Koki's darbar. It appeared as if she was quaking with fear..She stammered and told Koki that she did find Anita 'lost in another world' at times….Koki sent her away- she got what she wanted to know…Meethi's constant refrain was "Nani Bhabhi I am innocent"..this got on Koki's nerves but she suppressed her anger and decided to gather more information about Anita's drug habit and cocaine peddlers in town.

 She tried telling her theory to the inspector but his lackadaisical approach inflamed her…She remarked "kuch log Khakhi pehanke poore police department ki izzat khaak mein milate hai"…

A private detective agency was hired to gather information from rehabilitation centres…

The next day proved to be luckier for Koki… a small report tucked away among advertisements held a ray of hope…….and the detective agency gave her the news she wanted- Anita was addicted to cocaine – her former roommate could vouch for it….and two years ago she was admitted to a rehab for cocaine addiction.

Part-8

The newspaper reported that a small-time drug peddler Piloo Shah has been murdered near his shack in Remington chowk…Koki found the information worth pursuing. The police labeled him as a victim of gang rivalry but Koki was skeptical and obtained the address of the dead man's family. She took Dhawal along with her to meet Piloo's family. Dhawal couldn't understand why Koki wanted to go to such a seedy area inhabited by crooks.

Piloo's brother Kallu was a dirty man clad in rags. His eyes were red and menacing..the scar on his right cheek gave him a menacing look. The scar was certainly made by knife.

His speech betrayed signs of his inebriated state. He kept repeating that his brother wasn't killed by a gangster… some rich son of a bitch was the killer…even though he was far away when bullets were being pumped in piloo's body he could swear that the man didn't appear to be from their ilk. "He had the swagger of an arrogant and rich swine. Koki shook her head and decided to return home.

Two kids stopped them and told that they have some information which they will tell her in exchange for Rs.50. Koki muttered some banality about kids and handed over the money. The younger of the two kids tugged at Dhawal's trousers and said that the assailant went away in a "biggg car of the same colour as Dhawal's pants". The elder of the two showed off his literacy by rattling out the registration number. Koki didn't trust his memory fully but decided to find out more about the car's owners.

                                             

A few thousand rupees exchanged hands and it was revealed that Mrs.Vaishali Pandya was the owner of the car…Koki handed over the address to Dhawal and asked him to hide near her house and click photographs of everyone who visited the house and their cars. The hapless man had to do what Koki had asked him to do. He silently cursed his luck for having an eccentric saas. He spent the day clicking photographs..his camouflage was perfect and no one spotted him. He returned to MM at 9 P.M and showed Koki the photos he had clicked on his "best and best" mobile….He was pleased to notice that Koki was scrutinizing the pictures.

Part-9

-Four people had been snapped either entering or leaving the house- and one among them was a recognisable face- Umang.

"Maaji do you know these people"
"One of them...now I know something about the tragedy"
"What do you know? Please tell me"
Koki pointed to a photo and said"He is Umang - Anita's elder brother"
"Dhawall jumped with joy...his work had provided Koki with a lead!!!
Koki looked at Dhawal disapprovingly and poor Dhawal became serious again.

Koki called the police and told them that she knows Anita's brother Umang's whereabouts.."Please come along with me  and make enquiry. I have reasons to believe that he is involved in Anita's murder"
"Maaji how can you be so sure about his involvement?"
Koki hit her head and said "Hey Krishna Bhagwan..this man's brain is 20 years behind his body in terms of growth....eat these walnuts, anecdotal evidence suggests that these help in brain's development"

One hour later-

The police jeep stops in front of the house indicated by Kokila...Dhawal and Kokila got down from the car...they were startled when a ragged man jumped out of the window- Koki immediately recognised him and shouted "Please catch him".
Dhawal tried his best to remember who that man was but his memory failed him. He started munching walnut kernels in the hope of improving his recollection speed.
The man was caught by the constables and brought to them. Koki identified him as Kallu, the brother of Piloo Shah, the drug peddler who was murdered a few days ago... His blood stained clothes were a telltale sign that all was not well inside the house.

Kallu confessed that he had killed Umang to avenge his brother's death...Police broke open the main door and took Umang's corpse to hospital. The inspector thanked Koki and asked her for more information so that they can interrogate Kallu.
Koki smiled and said-

Umang doesn't have very cordial relations with our family. He was outraged when his sister married Ahem, ostensibly for love. The real reason was money- she was addicted to cocaine - and cocaine isn't cheap. I believe that the call from landline was made by Piloo Shah and the mobile num was Umang's.

Anita was running out of drugs and requested Piloo to supply them at night. They discussed the time and price over a phone call. Umang incidentally chose the same day and time to break into MM and murder his sis and make it look like a violent burglary. He chose to break open the terrace door as it was not as strong as the rest and would give away easily...and moreover a lot of people forget to lock the terrace door before going to sleep. This is common knowledge among thieves. Umang was lucky to find his victim waiting on the terrace- he made her unconscious using a towel dabbed with chloroform...the injury on her body are most likely due to the resistance she put. He stabbed her many times .Piloo saw him on his way back...

Piloo started blackmailing him and demanded huge sums as hush money. Umang was not a man to be messed with, he knew when to lie low and when to attack. Piloo paid the ultimate price for his audacity....

Kallu sang like a canary in the police station and the evidence he gave corroborated Detective Koki's theory.


---------------------------------------------The end.................................

Nazdeekiyan

This is the fan fiction of Saath Nibhana Saathiya- a daily soap aired on star plus. The fiction is my work which I have also posted on India Forums. The characters belong to their creators and right holders. I stake no claim whatsoever. This will be updated as and when I update my fan fiction on India Forums

Part-1

Scene: Party hall of Modi Mansion(MM)

Modi Constructions had won a big government contract and the party was being held for the cream of Rajkot's business families.

Gopi, Rashi and Hetal are toiling in the kitchen and Kokila was overseeing the whole arrangement. Anita wasn't inclined to help them and spent the entire day grooming herself. She wanted to be the center of attention. She wore an ochre salwar kameez with a deep neck, it was specially designed to accentuate her assets. The zardosi work on the kameez was very intricate and eye-catching.

Anita gave herself one last look in the mirror and remarked- 'Anita dear you are dressed to kill'shall floor Ahem with my looks and charm the guests. I will gain acceptability in his circle of friends and then Ahem will realize what he is losing. Having said this, Anita sashayed to the party hall and started greeting the guests as if she was the hostess.

A handful of Ahem's friends had arrived and Anita almost pounced upon them in order to be greet them and be noticed in returned. Dhruv recognized Anita and greeted her warmly. He told her that he had just returned from Canada and expressed his regret for not attending their wedding. // Dhruv had heard that Ahem had got married. Anita's presence in MM and Ahem's passion for her in the past gave Dhruv no reason to think that Anita wasn't Ahem's wife. Anita didn't clarify things //

 He introduced Anita to his friend Prem and once she had moved on to meet others, Dhruv told Prem about Ahem and Anita's legendary romance in college. He regaled Prem with incidents where the lovey-dovey couple got into trouble. Their arch-conservative principal had suspended Ahem and Anita for three days for drinking coke from a single bottle by dipping two straws in it'.the principal Dr. Srinivas Shastri was red with anger and demanded to meet their parents'..Dhruv and Co had saved their life by arranging for theatre artistes to present themselves as their parents'.

Lecturers used to routinely censure the couple but they seemed to care two hoots.

Jigar spotted them and started a conversion. Dhruv remarked that Ahem has changed a lot after his marriage'his face reflects the happiness inside his heart. "He is less abrasive now, looks like your bhabhi has thoroughly tamed him"'Jigar chuckled and agreed. "Bhai is madly in love with Bhabhi'.it is pretty understandable yaar' my bhabhi is a perfect combination of virtue and beauty'specially ordered from heaven by Koki aunty'ha ha."

Kitchen-

The Modi women had completed the kitchen chores. Hetal asked Rashi to comb her hair again and then join Jigar in the party hall. "Gopi dikra you are drenched in sweat ! Go and change your saree and then come to the hall." Hetal smiled and asked her to choose a saree that would sweep Ahem off his feet'.Rashi suggested that Gopi wear the sheer saree which they had bought specially for Gopi'"It is trendy and has a modern feel to it'Gopi will look like a diva in it". Gopi accepted the suggestion and walked to her room to take a bath and get dressed up.

Hall-

Jigar introduced Rashi to everyone'Prem recognized her instantly as Jitu Uncle's daughter. Rashi was surprised at the success Prem had achieved- he was their neighbor in Rajpal Nagar- He was born in a working class family and his studies had been funded by scholarships. He had cracked IIT-JEE and joined IIT- Kharagpur'and his family moved to some other locality. They had lost touch and this was a pleasant surprise' Prem informed her that he had joined Jayshree Builders after studying at IIM-A' The next question brought a naughty smile on Rashi's face- it appeared as if he was dying to ask the question the moment he saw her but kept quiet due to propriety. "Rashi, how is Gopi???"'.Rashi had seen it coming. Back in those days,Prem had a soft corner for Gopi..and only Rashi noticed it.

She had teased Gopi a number of times by linking her to Prem'.and Gopi would make a sad face and say "Rashi ben I am not that kind of girl"'She used to refer to Prem as Jiju in her private conversations with Gopi. ..Prem's mother was kind to Gopi..that poor girl felt orphaned again when Prem's family moved out of the locality'.

"Rashi is she alright? Did something happen to her?" The anxiety in his voice was apparent. Rashi came out of her thoughts and reassured him by telling that she is fine and she'll join the party soon'A faint smile saturated with anticipation appeared on Prem's lips. He thought that Rashi had bought her cousin along so that she could rescue her from Urmi aunty's clutches. He wondered how Gopi would look like now'she would have blossomed into a pretty woman for sure' "Gopi please come soon..I am dying to see you"

Part 2

It was lunch time and servants had already laid out the buffet. Rashi was wondering what was taking Gopi so long… Doesn’t she know that man-eater Anita is on prowl. She decided to check things for herself but a voice called her…it was Prem. Ahem noticed this and was surprised that Prem and Rashi interact without observing any formality…Do they know each other?.

“Rashi, where have you hidden Gopi?”

“I am going to her room and shall bring her along with me”

“Let me tell something Rashi, Gopi may not be in this room but every dish here bears her signature and marks her presence. I was dying to eat the pulav prepared by her...no one else gets the spice mix right”

Ahem was dumbstruck..so he knows Gopi too!! …well enough to taste the food made by her and remember the taste. How does he know them??. Why was he praising Gopi so much? A lot of women cook well then why her? It wasn’t just Gopi’s work, Kaki and Rashi toiled in the kitchen too. Ahem wanted answers to these questions but felt asking about it to be beneath him. He dismissed it as words of an oaf.

Rashi excused herself and went to Gopi’s room…Gopi was trying to dry her wet hair with a towel…Rashi asked Gopi to hurry up. She took Gopi into her room and dried her hair using her dryer…and styled her tresses quickly. ..Rashi flashed a mischievous smile and told “Gopi get ready soon as my original jeejaji is waiting for you”..Gopi blushed  thinking that Ahem was waiting for her, little did she know what Rashi meant by ‘original jeejaji”..Gopi felt reassured that Ahem still cared for her and all wasn’t lost.

A dash of lipstick and some simple jewels made Gopi ready for her social debut… Rashi almost pulled Gopi down to the hall…such was her hurry in showing off the new Gopi to the world and make Anita eat dirt. She was going to chaperon Gopi today and her face reflected the pride of a successful make over artist.

//In her eagerness to get Gopi ready, Rashi took Gopi to her room…and then both of them overlooked the fact that Gopi wasn’t wearing sindoor..all traces of it had been washed away while she was bathing//

Gopi looked enchanting- her turquoise blue saree flattered her complexion…it had zero bling and all the embroidery on reflected good taste. Gopi looked really sophisticated in contrast to Anita’s underdressed look. Gopi walked in her usual feminine way and Ahem was the first one to notice her presence-his heart started beating faster and his eyes savoured her never seen before avatar…

Anita was quick to notice what had caught Ahem’s eyes… she reacted by getting even closer to Ahem…she smiled and touched Ahem’s hands unnecessarily…all this was done to send a wrong message to Gopi. Ahem was blissfully aware of Anita’s intentions…he laughed off Anita’s antics and took Gopi for granted.

Gopi was pained to see Anita and Ahem share a joke…it was a reminder of their love…how madly in love they must be to display their affection in front of guests and family…the presence of Maaji and Kaka-Kaki made no difference to them…Ahemji wasn’t even aware of her presence...Gopi felt unwanted and tried to walk out of the room, only to be stopped by Rashi and Prem…Gopi’s face lit up on seeing Prem. Memories of being appreciated ran through her mind.

“Premji how is Shobha aunty?”

“She is fine Gopi. Do visit us, she’ll be delighted to see you”

“Sure Premji, How can I forget the love she had showered on me”

Prem smiled and said-“No one is immune from your charm Gopi…and since you haven’t asked me about my ‘haal-chaal’ I will volunteer to say that I am fine…...ok,so how is life ?”

The smile on Gopi’s face faded quickly and she excused herself and went outside. Prem sensed that something was wrong. Rashi held him back and said “Prem I want to talk to you about Gopi. Let us step outside.”

Mr Bindra approached Ahem and compared the food served at the party to ambrosia. Koki,who was nearby heard him and told proudly “My bahu Gopi prepared most of the dishes”

“Do you have another son Mrs.Modi?”

“No…why??? “…Koki suddenly realized the reason behind his question and added “She is Ahem’s Dharmapatni.” She looked around for Gopi but she was nowhere to be seen. “Ahem, where is Gopi? Introduce her to our guests”

Having sent Ahem in search of Gopi, Koki cast a sharp look at Anita….”Anita you seem to be tired…go to the guest room and rest”.

Mr. Bindra realized what was going on. The fact that Koki stressed on the word-‘guest room’ told it all…This side of Ahem Modi was new to him…The news that Ahem Modi’s mistress stays with him in MM and hosts parties spread quickly…….

Gopi wanted to be alone for some time and rushed to her bedroom. Memories haunted her there so she locked herself in the bathroom and started to cry... She covered her face with her aanchal to suppress her sniffles, lest anyone find her.

//The next update will have flashbacks//