The Hidden Diary Chapter 5 - The Investigation

  The next day, the five of them gathered inside Aditya’s home to discuss their next steps. Aditya began, “So yesterday after our discussion, I checked the surrounding cameras of that area. Hardly were there 4 cameras. I got visuals of a van and Shruthi, but other than that, nothing more interesting. Also, I sent the sketch work to headquarters. Hopefully, we will receive some good news soon.”

  After hearing this, Ismael responded, “So, what can we do next?” Aditya replied, “I've already collected some missing person cases aged 50 and above reported in the past 3 months. Around 8 missing cases were reported in Mumbai city. So, we will divide ourselves into 3 teams to reduce our workload. Ravi and Maya will form one team, Daniel and Ismael another team, and I will be the third team.” Aditya then assigned the missing cases to each team.

  Continuing, he said, “Okay, try to contact them either personally or by phone. Find out reasons why they went missing. We aim to complete this within 2 days and will meet again here.” With their tasks assigned, each team set out to investigate the missing persons cases. They combed through records, interviewed family members, and scoured the neighbourhoods for any leads. As they delved deeper into each case, they encountered tales of heartache, desperation, and hopelessness. Despite the emotional toll, they pressed on, driven by their determination to uncover the truth. After two days of relentless effort, they reconvened at Aditya’s home to share their findings.

  Each team presented their discoveries, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the disappearances. But their efforts were in vain; most of the cases involved older individuals who had suffered from mental illness, while others were related to affairs. They once again faced a dead end. They were now at their lowest point, all of them pondering what to do next.

  At that time, Aditya came with his encouraging words, “Guys, I know we’ve hit a roadblock, but we can't let this setback discourage us. We’ve come too far to give up now. We need to think outside the box,” Aditya continued, his voice steady and determined, “Perhaps there's a common thread among these cases that we've overlooked. We need to revisit our findings, dig deeper, and look for any connections we might have missed.” His words sparked a glimmer of hope in the dim room, but Ravi, Ismael, Maya, and Daniel still wondered what to do.

  Maya responded, “Brother, what’s the use of cheering up? Every time we face a blockade and couldn’t know what to do next. After getting the diary, I was hoping that we had some lead, but we have gone through each of the 8 missing reports. Most of them had some mental illness, one of them had affairs with neighbors leading to elope with them. The last one is not picking up the call. What will we do now?”

  Aditya listened to Maya's words, understanding her frustration and the weight of their current predicament. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding. “Maya, I know it's disheartening, but we can't afford to lose hope,” Aditya began, his voice calm but determined. “Yes, we've hit obstacles along the way, but that doesn't mean we should give up. We need to keep pushing forward, even when it seems like we're at a dead end.” He turned to his friends, meeting their eyes with unwavering resolve. “We've come this far because we believe in justice for Shruthi. We owe it to her memory to continue our efforts, no matter how difficult it may seem.”

  Ravi nodded in agreement, his expression determined, “Aditya's right. We can't let setbacks deter us. We need to regroup, rethink our approach, and keep searching for answers.” Ismael chimed in, his voice filled with determination, “We need to think outside the box, explore every possibility, and leave no stone unturned. There must be something we're missing, some clue we haven't uncovered yet.” Ismael's words hit Daniel, and he recalled what they were missing.

  His brain rang the bell, then looked at the missing person report of the individual they hadn’t been able to contact. Reviewing the address, he called Ismael and asked, “Is there anyone we know from Trombay?” Ismael paused for a moment, then responded, “Yes, our classmate Salim.” Daniel then suggested, “Ask him if he knows about the person in this missing poster,” passing the missing poster to Ismael.

  Ismael nodded and quickly reached out to Salim, their classmate from Trombay. After a brief conversation, Salim confirmed that he was familiar with the person in the missing poster. So Ismael asked him if they could discuss this after our college tomorrow. He also agreed to that. After the call, Ismael informed everyone about this development. Aditya responded, “Ok, finally a lead. I will meet you at the nearby restaurant.”

  Ismael nodded in agreement, relieved that they finally had a potential lead to pursue. After informing the rest of the group about Salim's agreement to meet, they all felt a surge of renewed energy and determination. Aditya's eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Alright, let's not waste any time. We'll meet Salim tomorrow after college and see what he knows. This could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for.”

  The next day, the five of them, along with Salim, gathered together. Ismael introduced Aditya, and they saluted each other. Then Aditya showed Salim the missing poster and asked, “Now tell me, Salim, what do you know about him?” Salim looked at the poster and remained silent for a moment. After a few moments, he began, “He is Krishna uncle, an activist who was fighting for our rights.”

  Aditya asked, “What kind of rights?” Salim then began explaining, “Two years ago, around 250 families were living peacefully in Rani Laxmibai Chawl, Dharavi. My family was one of them. Our lives were going smoothly until one day, the police knocked on our door. When we asked what was happening, they dragged us out of our house. We didn't know what was happening at the time. Our belongings were thrown outside, and that's when we learned that the government had decided to demolish our home for the development of Mumbai. We didn’t receive any prior notice, although the officials claimed they had sent it. Our house was demolished right in front of our eyes, even though we had legal papers.”

  Daniel asked, "Didn't you get any justice?" Salim responded, "Yes, in the name of justice, the government compensated us by providing houses. Some were relocated to Trombay, others to Nallasopara. Our lives were completely changed. Even the houses we were given had various issues. The news channel celebrated this as the next step for development. Driving away local people in the name of development—what kind of development is that? Krishna uncle stood up for us; he began advocating for our rights. Then, one day, he suddenly went missing."

  Aditya questioned, "Did he have any illness?" Salim responded, "No," and Aditya further questioned, "Doesn't he have any family?" Salim replied, "No." Again, Aditya questioned, "Do you have any hunch why he went missing?" Salim's eyes started to rage, and in that rage, he responded, "Hunch? Our whole locality knows who it could be. Our area MLA." As Salim's words hung in the air, the tension in the room palpably increased. Aditya pressed on, his voice steady yet cautious, "Who is the MLA? Can you tell us more about him?"

  Salim took a deep breath, calming himself before continuing, “His name is Arvind Patil. He’s been our area MLA for over a decade. Many believe he's involved in shady dealings, especially related to land and redevelopment projects. He has strong ties with some big developers. It’s rumored that he facilitated the demolition deal to make way for new high-rises.”

  Daniel, always quick to look for actionable evidence, asked, “Do you have any proof of these dealings or any direct connection between Patil and Krishna uncle's disappearance?” Salim shook his head, frustration evident in his expression. “No direct proof. But ever since Krishna uncle started rallying the people and speaking against the demolitions and Patil’s involvement, he received several threats. A few weeks after he announced a major protest, he vanished.”

  After this, Salim questioned, “But Ismael, why do you all want to know about Krishna uncle?” Aditya came to the defense and fabricated a lie, “Salim, it's like this in our police department. Due to the new DSP in charge, he ordered us to clear some cases as soon as possible, like theft, missing persons, and many more. So I received an order to investigate Krishna uncle's disappearance. Don’t worry, I will provide you with good news.” After his assurance, Salim responded, “I believe you, Aditya bro. Please find Krishna uncle as soon as possible.” Aditya nodded in agreement, and Salim left the place.

  After Salim left, Ismael responded in a hurried pace, “Aditya bro, it is clearly connecting the dots. This Arvind Patil is a connection between Shruthi’s death and Krishna uncle's disappearance. Just investigate this MLA, and we will clearly get an idea.” Aditya leaned back and said, “Hmm, but it is not that easy. He is an MLA so we need proper evidence, also it was Salim's hunch. So we have to wait.” Ravi responded, “How much time, bro?”

  At that time, Aditya received an email from headquarters. It contained information regarding the mysterious guy. He went through the report and showed it to the others. He said, “We got our final card, his name is David. Five years ago, he got arrested for some local fight where the victim died, but somehow he got bail. Also, he got charged at Dharavi only. So we need to find this one; that’s our last step.” Ravi, Ismael, Maya, and Daniel looked at the information. At that moment, Aditya received a call from his higher official.

  After that call, Aditya responded, “Ok guys, I have to go now. There is important work waiting for me. From now on, just stay away from Shruthi’s case because it is getting bigger. You all don’t need to interfere further, okay?” Ravi responded, “Ok bro,” and Aditya further said, “Maya, go home as early as possible. Okay, guys, bye.” After saying that, he left for his work.

  Ravi responded, “Guys, let’s go to Dharavi.” Daniel questioned, “Ravi, Aditya bro told us not to interfere. Why are you going against his words?” Maya interjected, “Daniel, sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands. Aditya may have his reasons, but we can't just sit back and do nothing. We owe it to Shruthi and all those affected to uncover the truth.” Ismael nodded in agreement, adding, “Ravi's right. We've come too far to stop now. Let's head to Dharavi and see what we can find.” With their determination renewed, they set off for Dharavi. But they don’t know the shadow of devil was watching them.