Chapter 10 #3
"What? That's great news, Mr. Pathak. Give me the details—where were they found? Where are they now?" Shaurya asked.
"Sir... they were trafficked. Our officers busted a s*x racket this afternoon, and we found 31 girls there.
Fifteen were regular offenders over the years and have already been sent for further investigation.
But these 16 girls matched the missing reports filed 5 years ago.
They are currently at Rajesh Nagar police station.
Tomorrow morning, they will be produced in front of the media.
Fifteen people were already revealed this afternoon," the DGP explained.
Shaurya’s expression darkened at their condition. He felt deeply disturbed.
"They should not be revealed in front of the media, Mr. Pathak," Shaurya said firmly.
"Sir... their faces won't be revealed. I'll personally ensure that," the DGP replied.
"I repeat—do not reveal them in front of the media. They didn't choose this life. It was due to your department’s incompetence that they went missing. The least you can do now is help them rebuild their lives with dignity," Shaurya ordered sharply.
"Sir... but—" Mr. Pathak hesitated.
"I want you at Rajesh Nagar police station within the next two hours, DGP Pathak," Shaurya cut him off and ended the call.
Shaurya then called his Principal Secretary and explained the entire situation.
"Any important meetings in the next 3 hours, Mr. Sharma?" Shaurya asked.
"Sir... I don't think it would be appropriate for you to go there," Mr. Sharma replied cautiously. He understood exactly what Shaurya intended.
"Mr. Sharma, I asked for a direct answer to a direct question," Shaurya said, rubbing his forehead in irritation. He was already angry with the DGP.
"No sir, your meetings can be shifted," Mr. Sharma replied, understanding his mood.
"Then ask Shweta to reschedule them. We are going to Rajesh Nagar police station.
But do not inform anyone. This should be a surprise visit.
I know how the police department works, but this time I won't let them play with innocent lives.
It is my duty as Chief Minister to ensure their future is safe and respectable," Shaurya said.
Mr. Sharma reluctantly nodded.
------------
"Sir, do you want me to inform DC Dixit? You know he is personally involved in this case and he deserves to know," Mr. Sharma asked.
Shaurya paused for a moment, remembering his discussion with Akash a few days ago.
"Akash... our mission is about to fail. I don't know how the media got to know about those villages—they were planning to head there.
You need to stop them and divert them at any cost. They cannot discover anything before we reach our goal, --------- or else our years of effort will go in vain," Shaurya said, handing a file and a pen drive to Akash.
"I will take care of it, sir. I'll leave right away," Akash replied.
"Make sure you remain untraceable. You are officially on leave during this period. Make up a valid and reasonable excuse," Shaurya instructed.
Akash nodded and left.
"No, Mr. Sharma... let it be," Shaurya said finally.
He then left for the police station after his security head gave clearance for the route and made the necessary arrangements.
------------
As soon as they entered, Akansha and Sneha were separated. A lady constable roughly pushed Akansha toward a group of girls.
"Bolne ka bada shauk hai na tujhe, ab saab tujhe bolne ke kya, muh dikhane layak nahi chodenge (You really like to talk a lot, don't you? Now Sir will make sure you won't even be able to show your face, let alone speak)," the lady spat before walking away.
Akansha’s fear doubled as she looked at the girls around her—and their appearance. Some were wearing very revealing clothes, and she couldn’t understand what was happening.
"You are also arrested for pro**itution?" one girl asked.
"What? Pro**itution?" Akansha’s heartbeat rose instantly. Her eyes filled with tears.
"No... no... no... this can’t happen... I... I belong to a very respectable family... I’m a teacher... no... no, this isn’t happening," Akansha whispered in panic.
"You think we are doing this willingly? We are from respectable families too. Sorry... we were. My parents were doctors, her father was a software engineer. We were forcefully trafficked and made to do this," the girl said, shocking Akansha.
"What?" Akansha asked, wiping her tears. "How did this happen?"
They explained how they were trafficked and sold to different brothels after being auctioned. Akansha’s heart broke listening to their stories. Some girls spoke, while others sat silently, withdrawn and unresponsive.
"What happened to you?" one girl asked.
Akansha told them everything—except about her daughter. She would not risk mentioning Siya to anyone. But in those few hours, a bond of trust slowly formed among them. Their shared compassion gave her strength. Hearing their stories, she felt that if they could fight, she could fight too.
"This ba***rd... Ankit (SI) is very dangerous. I'm sure he might be planning something big," one girl said.
"Yes... I think he will involve her with us and defame her. I felt that from the lady constable’s words," another added.
"What? How can you be so sure? N... nothing like that will happen," Akansha said, trying to sound confident.
"We have never been caught by police before, but we know most officers in this city—especially corrupted a**h*les like Ankit," the same girl said.
"And from what you told us, he will avoid all interrogation in that case to protect your neighbour.
So he will push you into this case and erase all evidence from the other one.
If you are fully dragged into this case, there is no other case left. "
"But how can he do that? He can’t prove I was with you," Akansha asked, though fear was clearly rising inside her despite her attempt to stay strong.
"This Ankit has many allies in our world. He can fabricate evidence in minutes. He will also find a man who will claim he was the client you were with when the raid happened," the girl explained.
Akansha closed her eyes as tears slipped out.
"Sh... don’t say that to her," another girl said, reprimanding her friend for being too blunt.
"Sorry... I didn’t mean to be harsh, but that’s how it works. If a man claims you were with him during the raid, it becomes strong evidence. And the police personnel involved in that raid are all his men. You are trapped badly," she added.
"I need to find a way... please help me... I can’t let this happen to me," Akansha pleaded.
"I have a phone… Call if you know someone powerful," another girl said, handing the phone secretly to Akansha.
Akansha tried calling Akash, but his phone was unreachable.
"God! I will kill him once I see him… he is dead," Akansha muttered in anger.
"Sir… sir… the DGP is heading here…," the constable ran to SI Ankit.
"What?" Ankit stood shocked.
"Yes sir, just received information from the nearby traffic police. The Director General of Police, Mr. Pathak, is on his way. He will reach in 5 minutes," the constable said, and Ankit’s eyes widened in fear. God… how would he execute what he had planned now? And what if Akansha opened her mouth?
"God is on your side, the DGP is heading here… make sure you are heard," a girl suggested.
"Leave her aside. Think about us. Why would the highest-ranking police officer in the state visit such a small station like Rajesh Nagar? It’s obviously for us. I guess they would reveal us to the media now itself instead of tomorrow morning," another girl said in fear.
"No, no… my parents would die with humiliation… it’s better they live thinking I’m dead," a girl cried. Akansha consoled them, though her own situation was no different.
"Is this face reveal even legal?" Akansha questioned.
"These police people are very clever, they can find loopholes in anything," another girl said.
The DGP arrived, and soon the Commissioner of the area also reached after being informed of his arrival. He saluted the DGP, and so did all the officers present there.
"I’ll come directly to the point. I have received clear instructions from the Chief Minister.
There will be no reveal to the media about these 16 girls.
There will be no mention of them. We will help them restart their lives if they want to, but only after a proper investigation.
Everything will be done under wraps. No news of them should reach the media," the DGP said, leaving everyone shocked.
Though the girls and Akansha were in the lock-up, they could still hear everything clearly since the police station was small.
"CM saab bhagwan hai (CM is a god)," the girls whispered to themselves. For the first time in a long while, Akansha felt something positive about him—the Chief Minister, not him as a husband or ex-husband.
"Sir… how could that even be possible? It’s not so easy, and you know that’s not how we work," the Commissioner said. The SI looked at him, signaling him to continue, and the Commissioner nodded, as he too had a share in whatever the media houses were offering and did not want to lose that money.
"I don’t need you to teach me how things work. If you want to make things work according to us, then find a loophole yourself without going against the CM’s direct orders," the DGP said.
"Found it, sir," SI Ankit said politely.
"CM sir’s order is that we can’t reveal anything… but the details can always be leaked. We can’t do it, but someone can," Ankit said. The Commissioner nodded, looking at the DGP with anticipation, silently hoping he would agree.
Ankit deliberately suggested a method where leaked details could be manipulated to include Akansha’s name, thereby tarnishing her reputation and destroying her life forever.
"Why do I find only cheap people like these under you?" the DGP questioned the Commissioner angrily.