Murder in Bollywood (15 page)

It was a veritable media circus that greeted the good inspector and his deputy as they tried to make their way into the SCS headquarters, as by then the news of Sameer Ali Khan's and Nyra Oberoi's presence in the office of Meeta Kashyap, along with Ishan Malhotra, Shanaya Raichand and Kiki Fernandez, had spread far and wide, prompting every news channel, big and small, which had gotten to know about the police raids that were carried out on the properties of the celebrities in question, to turn out in full strength and lay siege to the SCS headquarters, in the hope of catching possibly the biggest story since the Nikhil and Mallika double tragedy. As Hoshiyar and Zagde stood in the doorway of Additional Commissioner Kashyap's office, they found the five celebrities sitting huddled around her desk, looking genuinely afraid, with Kiki Fernandez the most frightened of them all, followed by Ishan Malhotra, who sat right beside the fashion stylist holding his hand, while the usually glamorous Nyra Oberoi appeared sleep deprived and as white as a sheet, with Bollywood's ‘shehenshah', Sameer Ali Khan, looking less like an action superstar and more like a frightened schoolboy, as he tried to explain their collective predicament to Meeta, who appeared rather unconvinced.

‘Ah, come in, officers,' Meeta said as she saw Hoshiyar and Zagde standing at the door. ‘Folks, I'd like you to meet Senior Inspector Hoshiyar Khan and Sub-inspector Yashwant Zagde. They'll be handling your case.'

‘What!' Sameer exclaimed loudly, getting up from his chair. ‘Commissioner Kashyap, do you even know who we are? I am Sameer Ali Khan, Bollywood's biggest superstar. All these people are my friends, all big names in their own right. We have hundreds of crores riding on us in the market. In fact, I, Sameer Ali Khan alone, have more than three hundred crore invested on me. Not to mention the fact that as a global icon, I carry the hopes and aspirations of millions of Indians worldwide. So if there is a threat to my life and to the life of my famous friends, it has to be investigated by a special task force, headed by a deputy commissioner of police at the very least, and not by some run-of-the-mill senior inspector and a dime-a-dozen kind of sub-inspector. I mean, seriously! Is this how the celebrated Special Case Squad treats VVIPs? he thundered incredulously.

‘Mr Khan, this is my office and not your film set, so go easy on the histrionics and don't teach me how to do my job,' Meeta replied sternly, then ordered Sameer Ali Khan to get back into his seat, who tucked his tail between his legs and complied quietly.

‘Ma'am, if it's all right, I'd like to ask Mr Khan and his companions a few questions,' Hoshiyar suggested to Meeta, who gave him the permission to proceed.

‘Wait a minute! Why are we being asked questions? I mean, we are the victims here, our lives are in danger. So why are we being interrogated like common criminals?' Ishan asked just then.

‘I assure you, Mr Malhotra, that the questioning is purely routine. And besides, if we are to uncover the identity of your would-be assailant, we have to know all the facts, and for this, we have to ask questions,' Hoshiyar smiled and said. He then turned his attention to Sameer and fired his first query.

‘Tell me, Mr Khan, what makes you think that your life is in danger?'

‘Well, I've been getting a lot of threatening calls recently, and there's also a dangerous-looking man hovering around my house these days. In fact, the last time I saw him, I even sent my security guards after him, but he gave them the slip. Even Nyra, Ishan, Kiki and Shanaya have had similar experiences. You can ask them if you like,' Sameer said.

‘Hmm, this is very peculiar!” Hoshiyar said. ‘How did the man threaten you? What were his words?'

‘Oh, you know how these psychopaths are. Sometimes, he threatens to break into my house and shoot me dead at point-blank range, while on other occasions, he threatens to blow my brains out with a long-range sniper rifle. Now, to tell you the truth, I'm not afraid of this guy, because I know I can handle him. I learnt Krav Maga for my last film, and kick-boxing for the one before that, so I am like a trained killing machine. But the thing is that I cannot afford to take chances with my life, because I am not just superstar Sameer Ali Khan, I am also “brand” Sameer Ali Khan, which means that I am the face of dozens of companies and products; therefore technically, I impact the lives of thousands of people, so if anything happens to me, their livelihood will be affected. That's why I went into hiding for a while, then came to you guys, otherwise I'd like nothing better than to look that psycho in the eye and take him down with my bare hands,' Sameer ranted, with his fists raised menacingly.

‘Yes, quite,' Hoshiyar agreed, jotting down Sameer's words, and then turning his attention to Nyra Oberoi. ‘According to Mr Khan's statement, even you've endured similar phone calls. Is that true?' Hoshiyar inquired.

‘We all have, Inspector saheb. Just as all of us have seen that same man roaming about where we live,' Nyra replied.

‘Did you get a look at his face?' Hoshiyar asked.

‘Yes, I did,' Nyra said.

‘Can you describe him to me?'

‘Well, he was more than six feet tall and very strongly built. He had really dark skin, a clean-shaven head and a big scar across his face. And yes, he even smiled at me once and that's when I noticed that he had a gold tooth,' Nyra described.

‘And did the four of you see the same man as well?' Hoshiyar asked Nyra's companions, who nodded as one.

‘Oh dear! He does sound like a dangerous man. It's a good thing you people came to us without wasting much time, otherwise something terrible could have happened. But from the manner in which you've described him, he doesn't come across as some psychopath or an obsessed fan who is capable of planning this campaign against the five of you. He seems more like a hired hand to me. What do you think, Zagde?' Hoshiyar then turned to his deputy.

‘You're absolutely right, sir. He sounds like some hired goon and history-sheeter to me as well. I am sure he's in our records, and from this description, we'll nab him in no time,' Zagde replied.

‘Of that I have no doubt, but my major concern is the person who has hired him, the one who controls his leash. For surely, once we arrest this thug with the golden tooth, his master can very easily find a replacement and carry on with his scheme. What's your take on this, Ma'am?' Hoshiyar asked Meeta.

‘I think you've made a very valid point. To neutralize the threat to their lives completely, we have to catch the man who's bankrolling this plan,' Meeta said.

‘But who can this person be? It's obviously someone with a deep-rooted hatred for all of you to go to such lengths. Tell me, Mr Khan, can you think of anyone who could hate you all this much? Perhaps an enemy of some kind?' Hoshiyar inquired of Sameer.

‘I am sorry, Inspector saheb, no such person comes to mind. I mean, sure, we all have our share of professional rivalries, but an enemy who wants us dead, that's simply not possible,' Sameer replied, as his companions agreed, except for Kiki, who continued to sit silently, still looking afraid.

‘And what about you, Mr Fernandez? Can you think of anyone who'd want to see you dead?' Hoshiyar turned to him and asked.

‘No, there is no such person,' Kiki mumbled hesitantly.

‘How about your friends from Green Manor? Could any of them be behind this?' Hoshiyar then asked.

The moment those words were spoken, a deathly hush overcame the famous personalities, who sat transfixed in their seats, suddenly turned to stone, while Kiki, the weakest of the five, looked horrified, with his mouth and eyes wide open, as if he had beheld the angel of death himself.

‘Green Manor! I am sorry, Inspector saheb, but none of us have heard of this place before, so I doubt that it could be of any relevance to your investigation,' Ishan stammered, coming to Kiki's aid.

‘On the contrary, Mr Malhotra, I have excellent reason to believe that Green Manor is vital to this case. It was an orphanage in Shimla that burnt down in the winter of '94, killing more than a hundred of its 125 residents. And the strangest bit about this incident was almost each and every survivor's testimony that they saw a group of seven children fleeing from the orphanage before anybody realized that the place was on fire, meaning that those seven kids deliberately started the blaze. The newspapers called them “the crazy seven” and they remain at large till today. I remember this incident, because the Green Manor massacre is one of the most famous unsolved cases in the last three decades, and a matter that was widely discussed at the academy when I was a trainee,' Hoshiyar stated.

‘This is all very interesting, Inspector saheb, but I don't understand what that has to do with us,' Shanaya, who had been quiet thus far, nervously spoke up.

‘It's very simple, Miss Raichand. I believe that after burning down Green Manor, the crazy seven ran away from Shimla and somehow reached Mumbai, where their chances of being recognized were negligible, and it was in this city that they started afresh, and in time, became very successful in their respective fields, while always being together and helping each other move ahead in life, just like the seven of you, including Nikhil Kapoor and Ram Prasad Tiwari, did for one another, right from the beginning of your careers in the world of Bollywood and glamour; for yours was an age-old friendship, nurtured by a bond that involved cold-blooded murder. Yes, Sameer Ali Khan, Ishan Malhotra, Nyra Oberoi, Kiki Fernandez, Shanaya Raichand, Ram Prasad Tiwari and Nikhil Kapoor are the crazy seven.'

Hoshiyar then took the photograph that he had found in Kiki's flat and put it on the table in front of Kiki, who gasped in horror, then stared at Hoshiyar in disbelief.

‘Don't look so surprised, Mr Fernandez. If the only picture of you in your entire house is in a photo frame by your bedside, it's bound to stick out like a sore thumb and attract scrutiny. But unfortunately for you, this photograph wasn't the only incriminating piece of evidence that we found in your apartment,' Hoshiyar said, then gestured to Zagde, who removed the stun gun, the cocaine and the Dreamer's Dust from the evidence bag and placed them before Kiki, who stared at them dumbfounded for the next few seconds.

‘What's all this?' He then turned to the officers and asked.

‘Come on, Mr Fernandez! Those are your own weapons of choice, the ones you used to kill Nikhil, Mallika, Mule and Tiwari, whose real name we know was Shobhit. We found the drugs and the stun gun hidden under your bed, in an old suitcase. Rather careless of you to not dispose of them when you had the chance. And yes, you are also being charged for the attempted murder of Rohan Kapoor,' Hoshiyar said.

‘No! This is all wrong. I had nothing to do with anybody's death, nor did I attempt to take Rohan's life. I don't even know how this stuff got into my house. I admit the photograph is mine and I am the one who hid it in the photo frame behind my picture, but I know nothing about all this other stuff. You've got to believe me. I am telling you, you've got to believe me,' Kiki cried out as he broke down sobbing hysterically.

‘And why should I believe you, Mr Fernandez, when that isn't even your real name? In fact, why should I believe a word of what you or what your friends tell me, because everything about you people is steeped in lies, deceptions and even cold-blooded murder,' Hoshiyar remarked in a cold, impassive tone.

‘We did not set fire to Green Manor and we did not kill anyone,' Sameer suddenly said. ‘It's true that the seven of us managed to escape before the whole place went up in flames, but our only crime is in getting out alive and running away from that godforsaken hellhole,' he revealed earnestly.

Hoshiyar heard him out completely, then pondered in silence without averting his gaze from the five frightened faces sitting before him, after which he took a deep breath and spoke once more. ‘In the next few minutes, Commissioner T.L. Ghankar will arrive with his men and personally arrest Kiki Fernandez for quadruple homicide and attempted murder. Then he will lead him out of here in handcuffs, in full view of the media horde that has gathered at the front gate. After this, he will hold a grand press conference, in which he will talk about Kiki's crimes in great detail, making sure that his reputation lies in tatters even if he is innocent, apart from ensuring that he doesn't get a fair trial, because by the time the case goes to court, the media would have already pronounced him guilty, and the public outcry against him would be so great that his sentencing would be a mere formality. I might not be able to prevent all of this from happening, but I can save the remaining four of you from a similar fate, by not entering the photograph that I found at Kiki's house as evidence, because if I do and Ghankar comes to know that you people are members of the notorious crazy seven, he's going to turn your arrest into the media event of the century, and your lives and careers will be ruined for all time, even if it is proved that you're innocent. But if I am to help you, you will first have to help yourselves, by telling me the truth, right from the very beginning. In exchange for this, I guarantee that if you people are innocent of the Green Manor massacre, then no one outside this room will ever learn of your past association with that place, and if Kiki is innocent of the murders, the SCS will ensure that he is set free. But please, no more nonsense about men with scars and golden teeth. In fact, the only Bollywood villain cliché that you people missed out while describing your fictitious stalker was the part about him wearing an eight-number shoe on one foot, and a nine-number one on the other!' Hoshiyar then looked around to see which one of the five would be the first to begin.