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A Date With Thief - Watch Live

Discussion in 'Stories (Fiction)' started by Thyagarajan, Apr 8, 2019.

  1. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:
    A DATE WITH THIEF - WATCH live :hello:

    * Just to make her get used to my leaving home in the later part of the night, I did trial -leaving in the night and coming in the early morning for few days. I spent the nights for surveying the target home and watching some movies in a nearby cinema.

    It was 9 o’clock of night of 23rd/24th December, 2012. At the door steps, she saw me off to the steel gates and wished me jocularly bon-voyage and waved her hand gently as I turned ignition on and brought the scooter to life and moved on.

    As did in the previous nights, I drove to the city theatre and got a ticket for a Tamil movie-enthiran- a Rajini starrer. After removing the small bundle from scooter, I parked the scooter in the parking area. I proceeded to washroom. The show has already begun and therefore none was in the wash room. I removed the contents from the small bundle; used it to quickly change my get-up to look like a sardarji.

    The picture was over around midnight. I proceeded to target house which I could reach in about twenty minutes. I parked my bike infront of a tea shop on the main road. I carefully removed the carry bag containing the towel stolen from neighbour in hut, the duplicate key of tiger lock and the screw driver from the scooter storage space and walked off from there to the target house. I threw the carry-bag to a corner of the road and kept the key in my shirt pocket; and rolled the towel with long screw driver in it and kept the roll erect beneath the back of my shirt and full pant.

    But for hum and whirr, fromout-door units of split AC’s installed in some buildings the surrounding of target house was eerily calm. A couple of bats darting and then flying zig-zag in a low arc across branches of a custard-apple tree within the precinct caused a mild shiver in me. From a distance, through fresh smelling leafy branches, I could notice a dim-light in the facade and another one in the main entrance were glowing.

    Lady Luck was on my side then, the street lights just went off yet I could hear the whirring sound emanating from outdoor units of room air conditioners. Persons in buildings around the target house were in profound sleep, thanks to no power-cut in force at that hour in summer night. I perspired profusely resulting in sliding of my tool at my back.

    The targeted place was with in a plain compound wall of six feet height in front and 8 feet at its back side.It was a single storied building. Domestic help Shanthi already made me knowledgeable of inner layout of the target house and habits and movement of the elderly couple and of their son; after the dinner, the three would wind up and move around 9.30 p.m. to upstairs hall to watch television serial and later to sleep in the adjacent AC room; and there would be none at ground floor.

    Under the cover of darkness, I managed to scale backside compound wall of the target house and landed softly between bunch of crotons and walked nonchalantly to the northern side-entrance of the house where a grille door, as per Shanthi’s statement, locked from inside with tiger lock and a wooden door fixed insecurely behind it with aluminium door-fastenings that are out of alignment at door’s middle and top corner.

    A cfl lamp was dimly-glowing in thecentre of the hall,and its illumination was visible through the narrow slit between the door and the top of threshold. There was no indication of any activity or anyone staying down.

    The doors and windows of house next to the target house were tightly shut and I could guess my expectant wife must be asleep in it.

    I now got to be circumspect. A hissing sound from the nearby money plant followed by the sight ofslithering snake spreading around the soil and then coiled around the custard tree, chilled my spine and made me nervous. A pair of flying bats around ripe custard apples in the nearby tree also caused shivers. I took out the roll from my back and unrolled it. To provide cushion to the palm, I folded the mini towel lengthwise and rolled it around the long handle of screw driver.

    Light rays from the hall CFL lamp was passing through the narrow slit between the top edge and sides of the door. I inserted the functional end of the screw driver through and felt for the fastener position behind the door. I pushed further the tool to a quarter of its length and pressed the handle downwards as hard as I could. After repeating thrice at one inch space intervals at the top edge of the door, the fastener at the top of the door ripped away and a soft clinking sound emerged evidencing the breaking of fastener and it’s falling to the floor.

    With one more attempt door gave way and from outside I pushed the door in. Approach to the lock from outside was not blocked with welded sheet metal around it. So it was quite easy to locate and pull the tiger lock aside. I felt for the keyhole. It was at the bottom of the lock, which facilitated my job of inserting the duplicate key into the key-hole in a jiffy. With less than a quarter of a turn, the ‘D’ of the lock snapped and clicked open. I pocketed the lock with the key.

    I entered into the room dim lit from hall CFL with screw driver wrapped in towel and very slowly and softly moved steel grille and wooden door to their closing position. I wiped beads of sweat off my face and forehands and tucked the towel into my trousers. In dim CFL light, I surveyed and found no pocket-able or hand-able material of value kept in this room. I came to the hall side and seen the other adjacent room located in the north east of the building.

    The sight of storewell, a cot with travel bag of pressed clothes and a built- in large open wardrobe gave inexplicable thrill. I examined the handle of storewell and found it was locked. I thought key for it must have been kept hidden somewhere in the vicinity. I remember Shanthi’s words. Yes – the key is hidden in the built in wardrobe. I also remembered Shanthi telling me that while sweeping the floor beneath storewell, she sometimes get bonus - notice crisp currency notes lying on floor.

    In semi darkness, I could locate a key bunch concealed and kept hidden between a set of files in the built-in-wardrobe; and had a hard look at the other articles around the spot. I tried to remember the place and position of the key bunch, because I would keep it back exactly in same place after I finish with the storewell. I tried with one of the keys in the ring, and delighted as it turned a semi circle. Doors opened with least screech.

    I found a stout wallet containing many valuables, cash, debit cards, coins etc. then a small case containing a gold plated wrist watch. Then some documents, photos etc. I gathered these items quickly and looked for jewels. The storewell was not having a separate vault. I looked in all the shelves and inside of dresses stackedand in hanger and in piled up clothes. Around three minutes gone by. I closed the storewell, locked it and kept the key-bunch in place from where I took it.

    A stuffed travel bag on the double cot was inviting and thought it would come handy. I examined and emptied its contents carefully and stuffed the swag and the screw driver into it. I removed the tiger lock and the duplicate key from my pant and transferred it to this travel bag. I kept aside on the mattress, half-a-dozen silk sarees which were neatly pressed with its blouse, that I removed from the travel bag.

    With the intention to divert and focus the attention and with a view to make Ramudu a neighbour in hut to get suspect in the eyes of investigators, I dropped his towel over a heap of dresses lying on the cot.

    Lugging the travel bag on my back, I was wondering about the jewels of the lady. Perhaps she had on her way back from the wedding/function, visited the place where they might have hired the safe-vault and deposited already in it, the jewels that were on her person.

    But, I thought, I must try my luck. I looked around and adjacent to the hall another entrance was leading to a dark store room. Groping in darkness, I felt and located a switch board on the wall over which I felt a match box with thin candle kept. Thanks to thoughtfulness of the lady of the house. I lighted the candle with help of the match and placed it at a convenient spot which would provide just adequate light for inspection and rummaging. I put out the flame of match stick and pocketed it.

    A winnow kept over a large plastic drum roused my curiosity. There was a measurer over it. There were large aluminium drums of varying size. I quickly went through the contents of it and found except provisions and groceries nothing else could be found. Then I removed the winnow and the lid of the plastic drum. Half of it was filled with raw rice. I inserted my fingers spread into it and pushed my palm bit deeper.

    Something solid struck and scooped it out. It was raw mango. Then I struck a small thin rectangular metal box. I took it out and opened it. The ruby studded-necklace and diamond studs for nose and ear studs with chain in gold were intact in the respective moulds. I removed these jewels from the box and put into my trousers pocket. Put the empty box back into the rice and so also the raw mango. I closed the plastic drum with its lid and kept the winnow and measurer over itexact,t where it were.
    I extinguished the flame of candle and kept it with match box back into its place.

    Bathed in sweat, I moved swiftly to the hall and under the CFL illumination; opened the top drawers of the show case as they were without locks. From a stout brown leather purse, I removed and pocketed currency notes, leaving the visiting cards and other plastic cards untouched. I gently closed top drawers of the show case and turned around and removed all the pocketed items, stuffed them into the travel bag.

    The sight of salt/pepper/chilly powder sprinklers on the dining table reminded me of possible dog sniffing the towel and tracing sweat scent to me. To neutralize this from happening, I went back to the room with these small containers and sprinkled generously the pepper and chilly powder on the towel that I left on the mattress: and also on to files in the wardrobe where storewell key bunch was kept hidden.

    I opened in degrees, the wooden door and steel grille and before coming out watching outside for any sign of movement including that of snake and birds - I mean the bats. I came out and pulled door and grille smoothly to its closing position and rushed to the backyard of the building. It was still dark and street lamps still remained dead. I moved to the north east corner of the building, carefully jumped the compound wall and landed on the other side into bushy vegetation.

    I walked toward further north along the compound wall up to the end, jumped and reached into the precinct of my house. Since I had already tampered with backdoor fastenings of my house, it was only a matter of few minutes to open it. I quietly opened and entered the narrow passage between a row of toilet bath and kitchen.

    A tall stool was already kept handy in a corner. I climbed up the stool, reached the loft where lots of unused articles in various size and shape kept. I removed the swag from the travel bag and put all of it in one heap, deep behind the unused items. I removed from my trousers pocket, the stolen jewels and put that too by the side of the heap. I removed one of the debit cards and kept it in my purse.

    It was small hours. The thought of my -pregnant-wife sleeping in the adjacent room weighed heavily on my mind. With the travel bag containing long screw driver in it, I nonchalantly trudged out and closed the backyard door of my house softly and jumped out over the compound, walked away in darkness across an open plot.

    I had to be circumspect from now on. On the way, I saw on one side of the street, a spot with a gaping hole; I took out the screw driver from the travel bag and dropped it through the gaping hole in the broken concrete slab cover of storm water drainage. I had walked little ahead changed to normal attire and threw the turban, wig, stiff-mustache and the sideburns etc on the wayside near the main road. I only wished none in vicinity spotted me doing something out of character.

    Having accomplished the mission, I reached in long strides to the spot where I had parked scooter. The tea-stall was closed and broad main road was looking almost deserted barring a few stray dogs barking lazily at a distance as if I had entered their territory!

    The broad metal road was dim lit from dust laden sodium vapour lamp fixed to central tall pillars erected equal spaced on the median. It is still small hours. I drove west toward dumb yard by the side of a petrol-pump nearby and threw the travel bag over the compound wall into the garbage dumping yard.

    It was five a.m. when I rode near an intersection. I felt drained fatigued & famished. I parked the scooter aside entered a hotel.
    Had idli-vada-onion-sambar in huge lumps. Washed it down with coffee.
    While breakfasting, From a distance - a Cine song - “adho andha paravai pola vazhavendum; idho indha alaigal pola adavendum” (oh like that free bird flying at a distance one should live life like that and dance like these little waves that kiss my foot) was wafting through elevating my mood and spirit.

    After breakfast, I spent some more time driving to other places.

    Around 6o’clock, I was in the midst of a fisher-folk standing on the shores of Marina beach, watching a family of skylark flying in a large rhombus pattern and then collapsing to a long parabolic arc across the East and silhouetted with huge ochre Sun softly rising from misty horizon, while the incoming and receding waves dancing and wetting my feet. A couple of ships seemingly tiny seen through the mist.

    I felt de-stressed. Presence of a young enthusiastic couple, holding between them, a small baby’s hand on either side attempting to wet her feet made me linger or long for presence of spouse juxtaposed. Some fisher folk were busy pushing their catamaran to the shore with huge bundles of nylon-net full of silvery fish varieties.

    They were soon surrounded by their womenfolk and some traders, while a huge gang of crows boldly walking on their net and catamaran. It reminded me of my wife expertly cooking fish recipes. After sometime, I was carrying my socks tucked in shoes, walked back on sand to the main road where I had parked my scooter.While walking I saw ahead of me, long shadow of mine gave me jitters. I shook off sticking sand from my wet feet and trousers.

    I rode back home, when it eas rush-hour in the city. For about an hour, wading through traffic and some haltings and collecting vegetables, I entered the lane I live in.

    I saw my neighbor as pillion with his son riding scooter leaving the gates of their residence and my love standing sprinkling water water and wiping it with hard broom for drawing rangoli.

    I overheard incoherently his son softly telling his dad something about commencement of bank business hours and hot listing.

    *Happenings some real some fiction. - a thief visited my home and I imagined he is writing his story..thanks @GeetaKashyap For response about black and white saree of hers stolen
     
    Rampuri9, Ammu2886, shravs3 and 3 others like this.
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  2. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    Very engrossing, @Thyagarajan Sir. Thieves often leave behind their 'signatures', I have read. But since the protectors are also partners in crime, often most cases are unresolved.

    When thieves visited our locked house years ago, we were out of station. They broke the main door, cupboards and finding nothing of their use, they drank the 'Nimbu Sherbet' in the refrigerator, left the proof on the kitchen counter and left empty handed. I had stored silver plates and vessels with some rarely used steel vessels in the cupboard. They missed them! Our loss was in cutting short our tour, the trouble taken in repairing the door and the cupboards! The experience of meeting our protectors, being quizzed by them and participating in their processes of finger print and evidence collection is an interesting part of our memory system!
     
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  3. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello: i heard that ss vessals kept for long in steel cupboards turns unusable. Some become rusty some develop rough surface with quoted cromium peeling off.
    Silver needs to be covered besides tissue in muslin cotton cloth lest they turn tarnished.
    2. Thanks for the trigger that made me nostalgic of those terrific days. Glad that your valubles not sighted by the thief or thieves. It reminds me great train robbery and robbery in french bank during xmaz holidayz.
    3. Many seniors in our neighbourhood advised me not to go to police. So did i.
    4. I never expected that you would read in its entirety as i found you are well managing time giving equal importance to all sections .
    Thanks and regards.
    God blesses the thief too.
     
    GeetaKashyap likes this.
  4. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:@Rihana @messedup @VinuthaS
    It is a kind of relief that there are few who pay attention to posts under category FICTION posted Especially By A novice like me. My heartfelt thanks and I take it that you had read the story of which around 70% is true.
    2. I would be more glad to receive bouquet or brickbats. But it is all God’s will. I agree.
    Thanks and Regards.
    God lends succour to the deserving thieves lurking in any geography!
     
  5. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:@Ammu2886 @shravs3
    I wonder how could you endure reading such lengthy story.
    2. Thanks for your patience. I can understand. You had arlready spent so much time. It is not in order to expect comments +ve .
    Regards.

    God bestows capability to patient listeners and readers to endure threading.
     
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  6. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:@Rampuri9
    God has bestowed upon you enormous patience to read lengthy fiction and tolerate which ordeal, I presume, you enjoy.
    2. But no comments from you , I take it that the story narration not reached the bench mark you had set.
    3. Thanks for clicking LIKE.
    Regards.
    God weilds knifes not for destruction but as deterrent to evil doers.
    (Rampuri knife is popular in India North for its purity and blade)
     

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