The mysterious killer sack - chapter 3

[JUSTIFY]It was 22nd December evening. 375 kms away from the coastal district of Ratnagiri, the winter chill had not yet descended on the buzzing metropolitan island city of Mumbai, the financial capital of India. The sea was calm on the Worli sea front but the adjoining road was buzzing with waves of vehicular traffic and a busy crowd crisscrossing the choked streets brimming with small and big shops and buildings. An old dilapidated building Vishwakarma CHS was sandwiched between the rows of buildings and hutments. A notice board for evacuation lay unnoticed near the messy entrance but no one seemed to mind. Mumbai is such a city which gives a sense of security and affordability to women and men but equally vulnerable.
Sitting in the bedroom at the 3rd floor of Vishwakarma CHS before a huge pile of cash, a beaming Kailas Ahire was engrossed in thoughts. He thought of his love, Ananya. It was July last year, when he first met Ananya which changed his life forever.
Kailas, a 3rd year Arts Student was then roaming around the campus of Shahu Arts College. His father was a class IV BMC employee, who lived with stepmother and two other stepbrothers. Kailas always stayed in and around the college premises and his friend’s homes and seldom preferred to go to his house.
He saw Ananya for the first time waiting for the lift. Her hands were decorated with Mehndi. Ananya was a new entrant to the college and was doing 1st year Arts.
“Beautiful Mehndi yours…”
“Do you want one…” snubbed Ananya, as she took the stairs down.
Her rustic accent sounded familiar to Kailas.
“Stay away from her. She is daughter of a Sarpanch.” warned Kailas’ friend Anuj
“Where is she from?”
“Javhar near Ratnagiri district”
“Cool. My mother hails from a village Pimpleshwar nearby from Javhar.” said Kailas. Kailas now understood why Ananya’s accent sounded familiar.
He happened to meet Ananya the next day. She was walking with her classmate Chaya.
“Hey, you look smart today.” said Kailas. Anuj was with him.
Ananya was wearing a bottle green top and blue jeans and very much looked like a modeling aspirant with her goggles on. She did not respond.
Kailas continued nonetheless, “Are you the daughter of Sarpanch Vikas Patil?”
“Yes. Why?”
“No, just asked. My mother hails from the neighboring village and used to say a lot about your father”. Kailas lied.
Kailas’ mother was dead long ago and his father promptly married another woman, thereby souring the relation between him and his father. Only his mother’s aged parents live in the village and Kailas keeps in touch with them.
Ananya was not amused by Kailas’ native connection.
“I have nothing to do with my father. I hate villages.” shot back Ananya.
“O yeah!" Have nothing to do with Javhar actually. I am born and brought up in Mumbai. Will you both have a cup of tea with us please? Don’t say no to seniors.” chuckled Kailas trying to break the ice.
Ananya was not too keen but relented as Chaya took her along and four of them had a cup of tea together.
What began as a chance meeting grew into friendship among the group. Ananya and Chaya hanged out with Kailas, Anuj and his friends Prakash and Shiv. Shiv was an autorickshaw driver and Prakash, who ran a gym. Anuj was more like an activist of a local political outfit rather than a college student. Only Kailas was the one with a good academic record, but he smoked a lot and addicted to drinking in evenings. Nothing mattered for Ananya as she was happy with her bunch of new found friends far away from the glare of her tyrannical father who was more keen in marrying her off and was not interested in her pursuing education.
Had it not been for her uncle Divakar who convinced Vikas Patil and took her to his house to Mumbai for pursuing her interests, Ananya would have been confined to Javhar taluka under the glare of her father and his henchmen. Vikas Patil’s adversary Mungantiwar’s son Gagan also lusted for her, though he dared not touch her in fear of the power, her father enjoyed in the entire district. Not being able to fulfill his desire, Gagan made life hell for her as he tried to spread rumors about her character.
Ananya was happy to be in Mumbai, where she lived a carefree life though she felt bad for her mother and sisters back in Javhar.
Kailas remembered the day, when he took Ananya alone to a closed cubicle in an internet café. Ananya had gently kissed him on his cheek and he replied with a sensuous kiss on her lips. He took out a chocolate ice candy.
“Only one, Kailas” asked Ananya shyly.
“Enough for both of us” said Kailas as he took a bite and gave it to Ananya.
The ice fell on her neck and slipped inside her top. Ananya blushed. Kailas took her in his lap. They were in love.
Kailas’ academic year was coming to a close and he got an ad-hoc job in Saraswati chit fund pvt ltd. through the influence of its watchman, Ganesh who also belonged to Javhar.
His intimate and happy days with Ananya came to an abrupt end this year when her uncle Divakar came to know about Ananya’s romance with some college friend of hers through sources and sent her back to Javhar.
Kailas suspected Ganesh to have tipped her uncle, but Ganesh always denied it and vowed to help Ananya escape from the clutches of her father. Kailas was unconvinced but he was forced to patch up with Ganesh by his friends Anuj, Shiv and Prakash.
His friends advised him to refrain from meeting Ananya for while.
Yet Kailas had met Ananya secretly two months back in Javhar and promised to elope with her.
Kailas’ thoughts were interrupted by Anuj as he gently tapped him on his shoulders. Shiv and Prakash had just entered Anuj’s residence. Prakash had brought a big sack alongwith him.
“Its time for you to move, Kailas!” Said Anuj
Kailas did not say anything.
“The Police will be around. Shiv will take you carefully in the rickshaw to the State Transport bus depot. Keep calm, everything will work out according to plan.” said Prakash.
Kailas lighted his cigarette, as they put the bundle of notes inside the sack and covered it with scrap and newspaper items.
Shiv was readying to take his auto to the State Transport Depot. The Volvo Bus was scheduled to go to Ratnagiri by 2300 hrs.

[/JUSTIFY]

 

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suresh