Riders by Aniruddha Banhatti (buy e reader txt) 📕

the gang. The main operations of the gang were cocaine, child pornography, selling small kids in France, that is, child trafficking and diamonds. During the last six months, Andre’s gang had very less turnover and the four stakeholders disappeared mysteriously. Then Andre also disappeared and came here to Goa and died.

Now note that in your mind and let us jump on to something else. Nowadays the hot news in Goa underworld is ‘The Man’. The Man is a Columbian hippy and he is against all existing governments. But it is also possible that the international cocaine cartel, which is based in Columbia is trying to shift their base to Goa through this fellow, The Man. Maybe unknown to himself, he’s being used by the drug lords of Columbia. It remains to be seen whether Andre had come to India to meet The Man. The followers and underlings of The Man are called Man’s Army. It has a cult like status and they say that the passport – visa system should be scrapped and any human should be able to go anywhere without hindrance of any kind and there should be only one currency with equal value all over the world. They also demand that all drugs be made legal and there shouldn’t be any restrictions on any substance on the surface of the earth. ‘The Man’ has come to India about an year back, but he has developed tremendous following, and also has established almost total control on the cocaine trade here.

Inspector John and Raykar, this is Inspector Sawant from C.I.D. He has come to help you on this case. You explain the entire case to him and since the case has international implications, work very carefully. Main thing is - do not leak anything to the media.”

There was some discussion, the tea and biscuits were served and the briefing came to an end.

***

“But why was the head cut and taken?” Inspector Sawant asked John and Raykar for the fourth time.
“Can’t make head or tail of it!” Raykar cracked the same joke for the fourth time.
“Okay,” Inspector Sawant said, “Think like this – suppose the head were there, what would have happened?”
“The corpse would have been immediately identified. The French police would have confirmed it by now.”
“And now, what is happening now?”
“The fingerprints are sent to France, but those are not very clear as the corpse was in saline water for 7 – 8 hours.”
“So you will conclude that the dead man was Andre Molier and seeing the post mortem report, the French police would also agree with it, isn’t it?”
“Mmm… Yes!” Inspector John’s eyes widened, “You mean to say that the dead man was someone else?”
“Otherwise why cut and take the head?” Inspector Sawant said for the fifth time, then laughed and said, “Let it go! Now tell me, who are the famous artists in this area who engrave big tattoos on the body?”
Inspector John and Sub Inspector Raykar looked at each other. We should have thought of that – they thought.

Most of the tattoo artists were near the beach. The snake through skull eye and similar big tattoos were done by only four. Third one of these recognized the tattoos in the photos of the headless corpse.
“Yes, I have done both the tattoos. His name was George Shilling or Shelling or something like that. But wait, I’ll get you the details.”
He brought out a register. It was marked ‘Special Tattoos’. He showed them the entry : George Shellings, and in front of that name was written ‘Skullsnake’ and ‘Bloodknife’.
“I clearly remember,” Hussain, the tattoo artist said, “He had someone’s photograph with him and wanted both the tattoos exactly as per the photograph”
“What more do you know about George Shellings?”
“Not much, he has bought a cottage and settled down at Anjuna and lives there for last three years. There was a rumour about three months back that he has joined the Army of The Man, at about the same time he had come to me for the tattoo.”
“Okay, don’t tell anyone what we have been asking. Otherwise, we will arrest and finish you.”
“Okay Sir, you need not worry.” Hussain said obediently.
“Good! You threatened him well. But will he be quiet?” Inspector Sawant asked.
“He will tell those that he must, but at least won’t give anything to the media.”
“Yes, and the ones he talks to will ensure better than us that it should not spread further!”
All three laughed heartily.
“But still,” Inspector Sawant said, “Keep an eye on Hussain and give him protection. The last thing we want is another murder!”

***

Louisa Bruny sat beneath the coconut trees in the courtyard of Hotel Blue Merlin and drank the local brew called cashew feni, a bit like vodka, and munched on cashew nuts looking at the sun setting in the sea. Never in her life had she felt as relaxed as she felt now, after coming to India, after coming to Goa. Her days of running, of fear that any moment she might get caught were finally over. She was Andre’s companion for so many years, but when ordinary crime became passé and when one by one Andre’s friends disbanded, getting more and more into cyber crime, both of them had prepared a plan together. Reincarnation! New Avatar! According to that plan, Andre Molier’s friend Carol Sanders had died in a motorcycle accident. But actually she was someone else. The real Carol Sanders took on her new Avatar as Louisa Bruny through plastic surgery. New avatar, new face, new name, new passport, new birth! The list of her sins was with the French police but under the name of Carol Sanders! Louisa Bruny had a completely clean record! Then who was it that had died in the accident? She didn’t have to worry about that, it was all arranged for by Andre. Now it was her turn to help. He had helped her in her reincarnation, now she must help him in his! The Man was helping them. She just followed the orders and now, after five days, today, she had read the eagerly awaited headlines with huge relief.
‘The corpse found on Anjuna beach is confirmed to be of Andre Molier.’
‘French Police confirm the headless body found on Anjuna beach to be of French drug lord Andre Molier’
And similar other headlines.
Now tomorrow, Andre is to be shifted. Then Dubai and from there to catch a flight of Hawaii Islands. America! That will be the real reincarnation! New faces, new names, new passports and new lives! In a new nation! What was Andre’s new name going to be? Oh yes, Charles Wilcox! Charles Wilcox and Louisa Bruny. The last thin golden line of the Sun went down in the water and darkness spread rapidly. Louisa Bruny got up and went through the porch to her room. As soon as he saw the door of her cottage close, Shiva, who was hiding behind a coconut tree got out and walked to his Pulsar. He thought for a long time. Should he tell or should he not? Was it wise to get involved? But at last he decided to tell all. He pressed Inspector Sawant’s number on his mobile and was talking to him.
“I am Shiva Rider speaking, Rider from the Mapuca tisk.”
“Okay, carry on.”
“You had come enquiring at the tisk, before two days.”
“Oh! Andre Molier case? One minute Shiva, where are you? Can anybody listen in?”
“No. I am in the open, on the road.”
“Still don’t speak anything on phone. Better come to Mapuca, at Tony’s Bar. How much time will it take?”
“About one and a half hour.”
“Now it’s seven. At eight thirty I’ll be there waiting for you.”
“Okay.”
At eight thirty, Shiva reached there. Sawant ordered a beer for him. Sipping it, Shiva started telling,
“Sir, today I suddenly saw Louisa who was with the murdered Andre. I was coming down from Bondla forest, when a car stopped and she got down from the car. Seeing her I stopped my bike and hid by the side of the road. To my surprise she took Neelam bus and came to Ponda. From there she took St. Xavier and went to Madgaon. I followed that bus, too, and reached Madgaon. Then parking my bike at the tisk, I followed her on foot and she went to that newly established hospital, Surya Multi Speciality. There she vanished somewhere in the corridors of the third floor. After two hours she came out of the hospital and went back to her hotel Blue Merlin at the Vagator beach”
“Oh! Surya Multispeciality!” Inspector Sawant said, “But we weren’t suspecting Louisa. She didn’t have any connection with Andre. She must have gone there for some trouble of her own. Andre Moliers’ girlfriend was Carol Sanders and she died in an accident in…” Inspector Sawant halted abruptly mid-sentence.
“I got suspicious because she got down from someone’s car and waited for a bus!” said Shiva.
“Okay, thanks. You go home and be careful.”
“Okay.”

***

When Inspector Sawant, John and Raykar went to Surya Multi Speciality hospital, the bird had already fled and the Doctors were very uncooperative with them.
“We have international patients and we are not going to divulge their private information,” they said. When Inspector Sawant got the Goa Police Commissioner Mr. Vernekar on the phone, Dr. Bharucha became very obliging.
“Plastic surgery? Operation Theatre nine. Come we will go there and check the record there.”
Meena Kirpekar from Mumbai- nose reshaping, Sadanand Bhadange- tummy tuck, Hemanngi Faterpekar- liposuction, Charles Wilcox- disfigurement of arm and back- That’s our man! Inspector Sawant asked Dr. Bharucha,
“What had happened to Charles Wilcox?”
“He was living in a cottage from two months. In a barbeque party some lighter fluid splashed and burned his back and arm. He got the scars repaired here. His friends came and took him away today morning.”
“Do you know where did they go?”
“No. But we have his address.”
“It must be a false address” Inspector Sawant thought. Aloud, he said,
“Okay, write it down on a paper for me.”
His brain was whirring with thought. All the proofs are manufactured in such a way that it will be impossible to prove anything. Is Andre Molier cleverer than me? His eyes were roaming around the operation theatre. Some little scrap of a proof, something tenable… His eyes went to the dust bin at the base of the operation table. A simple plastic bucket with lid. Suddenly he bent down and opened the lid and he saw what he wanted to see! A thin, transparent piece of skin and on it green dots of ink used for tattoos! The car coming from Bondla forest… He remembered Shiva’s story. Suddenly he became a live wire.
“John, Raykar, seal this operation theatre immediately. Pack everything from each dust bin in plastic packets. Get the forensic team here immediately. Let them examine this operation theatre very minutely. I am going to Bondla forest, you wait here till the forensic team starts its work, then come to Bondla forest.”
“Okay.”
Dr. Bharucha was shouting, “You can’t do this, you can’t do this!”
“Yes, I can,” said Inspector Sawant to him and ran towards his Jeep. He took six policemen from the Madgaon police station in the Jeep and started towards Bondla forest.

***

A big iron gate. Very old and rusty. But if you looked closely, you could