Dating : SCAM

SCAM

1.45 AM, 3-09-2020, National Capital Region

Usually South Block of Delhi that housed the Prime Minister of India was calm and serene except for the occasional crackling of electronic beeps from the security personnel conducting their hourly checks. But the night was different. Men with their faces covered in N95 masks and men with disposable cloth masks on their faces crowded the place despite desperate call for social distancing from the wing supervisor wanted to find answers to what has just transpired.
One of the wing’s cleaning staff tried to assess the situation, a barrel chested man was shouting orders. It was barely audible and it was a mix of Hindi and English.
« Lockdown the entire wing, inform the cabinet Ministers and officers to stay in their places.
Yes, Damnit.
It’s a lockdown. Total lockdown »
The cleaning staff was confused and he was about to ask a woman, most likely a secretary woken up by the commotion, he wanted to ask her what was Mr. Mukerji saying but he stopped midway as she wore her specs it made her much more authoritative. She reminded him of his high school teacher whose only way of talking was with a 3 feet long bamboo stick.

Sensing his unease, she looked at him and translated mimicking his reactions
« Total lockdown. All staff and security personnel has been asked to gather in the B-wing. Mobile phones should be handed over. Report at once »
The Prime Minister was escorted by more than a dozen personnel to a safe haven only known to them. Rumors were abound that there is secret underground train network that is not mentioned in any of the blueprints as a safety measure. Some people say that post 2001 attack the entire parliament has been modified to thwart future attacks.

« Didi, ye sab kuch? » he was interrupted midway.

The secretary’s face turned angry and
« Put your mask on… all the time »

He hurried up and wore the mask and expected an answer immediately

She said, « PM saab’s twitter account has been hacked ».

He was more confused now.
Before he could
« Twitter?? hacking?? Matlab? »
She went on her way.

Two days ago
Kalamandir Stop, Marathalli

It was midnight and a guy wobbled his way in a dark street that had a dead end. He was singing a yesteryear song from a Kannada film featuring Rajkumar
« Chinnada Mallige Hoove Bidu Nee.. »
The guy sang loudly and when he reached the street’s end he opened his pant’s zipper and started peeing.
His singing got only louder as he relieved himself. Out from garbage pile which he was peeing into, a featureless face stood up and pounced on him.
« Potti Magane, nan mele 1 bathroom hogithivi »
It took a moment for the drunken guy to sober up and understand the situation. He just peed not just on someone but Masthan, A yesteryear gangster who led a life of glory during the real estate upsurge in Bangalore. The drunken guy heard rumors about him but the guy he was looking at was thin, scrawny and devoid of any muscle or buildup he was accustomed to and he gathered the guts to return punches.
Both of them rolled, pulled their hair and landed punches and it was not long before Mr. Sastry called the police, he was the secretary of Krishna Nagar and he had to do it.
While the men fought, Sastry was just watching but when one of them landed on Sastry’s house grill, he got out to warn them that he will call the police but what he did not expect was that the duo would pull him into the fight and three of them end up rolling over each other on the damp mud from the previous day rain.
By the time the colony people gathered he got himself out from the fight and pretended as if nothing happened

A word about Sastry, When he bought his first piece of land in Marathalli he was happy to be first one but later it derailed when the developers raised a wall owing to a dispute between brothers who owned a big parcel of land next to Sastry’s house. The unfortunate event led to the Wall and thus a person peeing on another, cursing his first mover advantage he called the police
« Sir! Namaskara. Inga. Cha Illi. Ahh. Yahan kodava jarguthe, come quick! »
They are ripping apart the place, come soon sir »
Sastry had this habit of mixing Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi in one sentence and believing that he speaks master quality Kannada. But tell it to him he never accepts.
Sastry took this time to freshen up and change his clothes pretended as if nothing had happened to him, wore his UC mask (Upper caste, it said) , his omnipresent angavastram over his bare body and walked out to a gathering crowd. Nobody bothered to break the two men apart because

« They were fearing Covid »

The action part was over soon as a disgruntled police officers arrived and picked up the two men.
The sub inspector said, « Sir. They would have gone after a while. Why call and bother me? »
The inspector was worried that he will have file a case and do much of the paperwork.
He muttered under his breath
« They won’t be worth a single rupee »..
A subordinate officer in khakhi leaned towards him and said something.
A smile flashed across the Sub inspector’s face.. He was visibly excited.

Dragging the two hungover men and shoving them into the jeep, he asked the subordinate officer.
« ee kelsa successful agi mukithu Andre, cha
Ithu work achuna unaku 5000 commission ya »

Sastry was confused with the mention of commission.

20 days earlier
BBMP office

A plump but attractive woman in her 40s with greying hair entered the BBMP complex visibly flustered.
« Madam, Akshara Madam » yelled a clerk.
« Sir is calling you »
Looking at him for more answers,
« Is it the commissioner? »
« Yes. Madam. »
She got excited and went to restroom first.
Clerk walked over to a corner and spoke to one of the new recruits
« Wait for it. It’s a open secret
I want to see her reaction when she enters the room »..

As she entered the room adjusting her saree,
« So how much did you make from selling the fishes at Ulsur lake? »
She was taken back for a moment.
His chair was facing the wall and he continued
It was not the voice she recognized.
« And the parking fee loot or should I call it violation? »
Akshara thought he was pranking her to get to his weird sex games, he liked it that way. But the tone seemed serious.
The chair swiveled and it was a different man not Joseph.
Akshara’s jaw dropped for a moment as Joseph was the one she started working with, as a BBMP commissioner he got her through the travails of bureaucracy and getting projects on ground. Hailing from an orthodox family in Udupi, Akshara struggled but Joseph mentored her and at one point her belief in truth went down the drain. And their relationship morphed from being a mentor to an outright affair.
The new guy continued.
« The money allocated for rain water harvesting, white topping, Bridges construction and the land allocation for Pourakarmikas, Wow wow. There is a bigger list. »
« I know that Joseph and you, Akshara had a relationship,
Oh! Yes. It’s an affair »
She tried to interrupt. He moved his finger towards his lips and said, « Ah.. Ah.. Let me »

« I don’t care. But I want something from you. »

He was looking at something and she realized it was her.
He snapped for a moment and said, « No. No. Money. That is what I Need »
« Sir. All of the money has been paid to the contractors, middlemen and respective Ministers. »
« It’s a reason but I find it hard to accept. Tell me something into which I can sink my teeth into. You have 30 days before the big news.  »
For a moment, she thought of calling a favor from a minister.
« All your options are open. But the Minister you are planning to talk to is a diabetic and he has been affected by Corona. So stop that master plan of yours by giving a blowjob to the Minister and getting a favor from him ».
« Don’t use those words. I am a woman and it’s a workplace. What will happen if I report this? »
« Please do. Please. But before you step out visualize the fallout of this news
« BBMP assistant commissioner Akshara tripathi is a corrupt officer with 32 crores of money looted from people. She has been suspended and Lokayudh committee has recommended her permanent removal from office and income tax officers have been asked to take charge ».
Akshara was sweating now.
« But how can I get money now. This is a crisis period. None of usual taxes are coming in and I cannot approve any projects now »
« You have been creative so far in coming up with bills, Think »

« How can I think with Corona killing people? »
« There you have it. Corona. Lot of ways to make money »
She understood what he was up to.
« Where was Joseph, what has happened to him, was he transfered »
These questions were being processed in a remote corner of her brain »
« Sir. You could have done this? But why me? Do you need a scapegoat? »
Thinking for a while he said, « Off course » And my name is « Narappa, if you haven’t labelled me as a Snitch »

3/9/2020
2.00 AM, 15 minutes after the hack

Yelahanka, Bangalore

Shiva’s cellphone rang continuously and he wanted to ignore it for a dozenth time now. But he had to pick it.
« Where the hell have you been? »
« Why am I not able to reach you on your sat phone? »
Recognizing the voice, Shiva perked up
« Sir My father has been affected by Covid, I had to find a way to admit him to a hospital »
« Oh. Sorry. I have sent you a location to look at. ».
He dragged. « Sir »
« Don’t sir me. Just do it. PM’s account has been hacked. Look after that no questions. »
« My father »
« Your mother can look after him »
« Sir.. She died 3 months back »
« Sorry about that, I should have remembered that. But I want you to get on that case now. We have a possible suspect and get him before daybreak before it hits the headlines. »
He reluctantly said, « Okay »
Convincing himself that the hospital will take care of his father he started his bike
His cell phone rang.
The inspector of Yelahanka station was calling him,
« I want you to look for a case.
A person named Masthan has escaped and I want you to catch him. Take people with you. And I forgot to tell you one thing, Masthan is a drug addict. A serial drug addict prone to violent outbursts »
Shiva cursed himself for taking the job
He was not a police officer but a police officer(a special unit who are part of intelligence assigned to work undercover to monitor state level officers for national threats under a secret oath not to reveal who they are which means he has follow orders without questioning them, be it state or central authority).
A train was crossing Yelahanka Station, he ran to the platform and yelled loudly as the train honked.
Gathering himself back and getting a new battery for his walkie, he started his Yezda bike that made a knocking noise as it came to life. The long journey began.

2 days ago
Radha Krishna Kalyana Mantapa
A makeshift Covid treatment facility

Masthan and Sadiq (the one who peed on him) were taken to Covid facility organized by BBMP under the Karnataka Government’s order. Both of them were beaten up severely before being transfered to this facility. No one questioned them about the wounds inflicted upon the duo or their exposure to so called Covid patients.
Sub Inspector Uggrasena had a laugh watching Sadiq roll on the floor when he announced covid positive, pleading with authorities « Sir I won’t drink ever again. I won’t beat my wife. I will get my kids educated ».

At the mention of Corona, Sadiq imploded but Masthan remained calm. He said
« Okay »
After a tag was attached to their wrists, they were led into a huge hall with separate beds made from sturdy cardboard and both of them were given a plate and glass. Like them there were hundreds of beds filled with covid positive people. The toilets were clean but to Masthan it felt like a detention camp.
Uggrasena was baffled by Masthan’s solo request,
« I am ready to go but
No one should call me a patient »
Considering it a passing comment, Uggrasena nodded as if he cared.
Uggrasena should not have done that.
Walking out of the covid facility, Uggrasena was happy as another 20,000 was added to his account.
Akshara walked out of a bolero that had Covid – 19 pass plastered on the front mirror.

He walked to a secluded corner of the building and she followed him.
« That’s a master plan madam.
I will bring in another 100 this week.
But what I am not getting is the economics behind this, why would you want to pay me? »
« Well. Hello first. I wanted to meet you because you insisted.
It’s a mixed bag. Every patient is allotted 6 lakhs »
« For those who are positive? »
« But these guys are negative! » Uggrasena said.
« We are the ones who know who is positive!. »
« Won’t the doctors know? « 
They are a part of this. Not all doctors. The positive ones are sent to strict doctors »
« Wow. What if you are caught? »
« That won’t happen! We have a mixed bag of patients both positive and negative. »
« Brilliant. But won’t the negative ones be infected. »

« Maybe. »
« But why are you doing this? »
« For the same reason you do. Money »
Meanwhile, Masthan was losing his calm. For the past two days, the overhead microphone blared
« Patient 15 – Adith Kumar
Patient 154 – Aarti Gururaj »

Nobody knew that every time the word « Patient » is said his brain took him back 17 years in time when he was a headhunter for a local gangster called Gangaraju. At first the blood splattered as part of his job didn’t matter but he had a photographic memory etched the horror into him forever. Things started going down when the local gangster Gangaraju turned against him and called for a hit on him. He came out as the winner and the showdown took place in front of Majestic hotel (which is now Kempegowda Bus Terminus) . After that he was called « Majestic Masthan ». Losing Majestic from his name didn’t take long as the extortion and murders he did for various parties took a toll on him affecting his mental health and rapid descent into drugs.

After the second day, as people were coughing continously, playing cricket and raising noises, he lost it completely when the announcer over the microphone said,
« Patient 163 – Majestic Masthan »
The call was for dinner. The time was 8 o clock and the mention of the word patient was the trigger.
Watching him get up from his bed, Sadiq tried to alert the guards but he gave up at the last moment and carried on with his food.

He started towards the main door. It was locked. The exit was either through toilet or the hole through which food was delivered. He went for it and made it out.

The staff were playing cards, one was drinking coffee. They did not have any personal protective equipment on them. There was a key on the table.
« If you try to come near me, I will spit on you » said Masthan
The staff were terrified.
He saw a key on the coffee table and took it.
« Whose bike is it? » Masthan asked
A petite girl raised her hand, « It’s mine »
« Registration number »
« Bike’s number »
« AP-32-7643 »
None of them dared to touch him fearing Corona and it was an easy exit for him. He was out now. He has escaped.
If he was going to be chased inevitably a scooty type bike would not help him but when he saw a Royal Enfield carrying the registration plate he was surprised. The bike soared through the streets.
Calls rang through to different parts of Bangalore. First in line of fire was Akshara, she woke up and moved away from her husband and she was utterly shocked to hear the news .
Next Uggrasena picked up the call and
« Masthan has escaped »
« The total city is under lockdown, I will inform the officials around and we will catch him in a no time. »
There was visible anger in her voice,
« You are not understanding it, he is a Corona positive patient »
« Not really »
Akshara tried to explain the situation to him,
« Yes. But according to official reports, he is a positive patient and he needs to be caught. A journalist was inside the hall, she was inside the hall. »
« Let the Covid guys take care of it » said Uggrasena

« Are you a fool? », her tone defied her calmness.
« If news gets out and media catches wind of the story, you will never get your commission,
I will be suspended and the next guy in line for the job is by the books man who will go into every detail and everyone involved in this scam will be outlawed,

Uggrasena didn’t flinch, Akshara thought she had to take the other route and said,
 » 100 people * 10000 = 10 Lakh rupees is the amount you are set to lose »
« I am reminding you again, the news should not get out, he should be caught before dawn », Akshara was clearcut with her instructions.
« It’s such a big city, ? »
Uggrasena was silent for a while.
By the time he was ready, Akshara’s car was waiting for him.
Since total Bangalore was under lockdown, it should be easy to spot him.
Akshara forgot the mask but she didn’t care, she was riding towards the convention centre. It has been half an hour since Masthan’s escape.

Akshara’s request did not go well with the staff managing the covid centre but
« He is not a positive patient.
Only 4 people were symptomatic and they were taken to the hospital directly and are kept under strict supervision. Is it enough? »
« But people were coughing? » said the petite girl
« Keep this to yourself. They are not positive cases. The man will be back by early morning. »

« But the journalist? » asked the supervisor
« Tell her that Masthan has been captured and sent to Bangalore International trade centre isolation facility for severe patients » Uggrasena completed the task and called a few policemen through a conference call.
« Maga, Vehicle registration number is AP-32-7643,
Inform local patrols and once you get this guy, report back »
Uggrasena did his part and all he had to do was wait.
And that was when Shiva got pulled into this cluster fuck.
Shiva crossed Shivaji nagar and stopped his bike for a cup of tea.
His walkie blared
« Suspect is riding a bike, AP-32-7643 » « Over »
Shiva did not care. The tea was hot and nice. It was a moment for him to forget the problems he had faced in the past 1 week.
The cell phone rang and it was a number
« Sir. Sorry But we can’t admit your father in our hospital. Can you take him to another hospital? »
« What? »
« Why? »
« I am on duty now. If you refuse to do this, I will bring your whole chain of hospitals down.
The hospital has been built on a land not meant for building a hospital with 8 floors, I have seen the soil stability reports.
And your MD says he has a PhD in Pulmonary oncology.
Believe me. No He didn’t »
The receptionist was stunned.
A moment later, the hospital’s chief medical officer called him
« Apologies sir. It was meant for a different patient.
We will admit your father. Lakshman and provide him the utmost care. »
« And sir our MD would like to meet you sometime, Will you be free for a visit? »
Shiva instantly knew that he should not have blackmailed them but it was too late, it was one of the perks of working for Intelligence.
He has pulled out the card at the wrong moment.
 » Yeah sure. Sometime Tomorrow »
He forgot his tea amid the chaos and picked it up.
His walkie crackled
« AP-32-7643 was last spotted near MG Road Metro. Officers close by watch out » The crackle continued
« A serial drug abuser. Alert all stations »

Shiva was the one close by and reluctantly rode towards the area. He did not mind to use the one way that led to MG metro station. As, he took a left and rode parallel to the metro, he saw an Enfield bike with « Covid – 19 pass Emergency services » plastered on the bike shield and number plate. Shiva thought for a moment about it and recovered immediately, it was Masthan.

Shiva crossed the barrier with a skid and chased him. Sensing trouble, Masthan skidded to a halt and took the road that went parallel to a 70 year old Coffee house and pumped on full speed.

Shiva lost him for a while but he spotted him close to Cubbon Park, standing next to the tall UB city Mall. Masthan had good control over his bike as he casually mislead Shiva and went towards the road that led to Madiwala. The white topping of the roads have been stopped and the road was full of craters but nothing bothered Masthan. The gravel from the cement that lined the white topping was filling the air and Shiva was closely following him.

It was a straight road, Shiva knew, other roads were blocked at night. The only option for Masthan was to get to Silk Board and he can call on the local police to block the main road. Shiva pretending to be stuck at one of the craters gave Masthan a lead but he was in for a shock when he crossed the Madiwala subway. Masthan had abandoned the bike. He could have gone into any of the numerous streets.
Shiva tried to call his superior but he didn’t pickup.
On the back of his mind things added up
« Masthan. Gangster. Serial drug user. A psychopath, That’s too much
Madiwala. Hotspots for Drug distribution. »
« Masthan was here for drugs »
« Fentanyl type designer drugs
They were addictive and withdrawal was tough »
Designer drugs like these are not illegal and the manufacturers are always a step ahead of the government. When the Narcotics department moves in to make it’s use illegal, these people change a molecule and rename it. Thus making it legal again. A constant cat and mouse between law enforcement and drug lords.
The problem with these drugs is they should usually contain 7grams of opium to 1 gram of Fentanyl but throughout the distribution chain cuts, cuts for making big profits reduces it quality as every step in the supply chain adulterated the mix resulting in 7 gram of Fentanyl with 1 gram of of Opium. A deadly combination as it is »

How do I know this? Intelligence people know stuff. Only the government should pull the rabbit out of the hat when they want the politicians under their control.

« Why am I telling this?  » Shiva shook the thought and
« Masthan, I need to capture him »

Shiva went into a street that housed a most of the drug packing units. Not one of them were there. The lockdown has forced them to return to their native places or a recent crackdown by the police made them flee.

He had to look elsewhere. He though he saw Masthan on one of the rooftops. Crossing the Lakeview hotel, Masthan perched onto a nearby home’s roof awaking the residents.
Curses and expletives followed. Shiva followed him and almost fell but managed well and continued with the chase. The homes were built close to each other and it was easy for Masthan to run. He hopped, jumped and ran.
Shiva did not understand where he was going or Masthan was just driven mad by his obstinate part of the brain driving him towards fulfilling an addiction.
There was a blindspot for 3 seconds and Masthan went missing. Shiva lost him. All the hopping, running and pulling himself over a ledge was in vain.

Now he had to search for him in every single house or root him out. The units he called for from Madiwala police station were still waiting for Masthan. Too late to call them.
The news reached Uggrasena, Akshara and other officials. They panicked. Press has got wind of the situation. They all will be fucked.
Shiva thought calmly. He should be here. He should be here.
For a second, light was switched on at one of the houses, it was the topmost floor and it had a single room with a big balcony.
Shiva hopped and jumped and got close to that house. He took his gun out without alerting any of the residents.

A boy in his 20s stood inside a house shivering and he saw him. From Shiva’s vantage point he saw a knife. Asking the boy to be calm through hand gestures, Shiva barged in.

Masthan was on the floor snorting a batch of white powder.

The room was filled with a three monitor setup, the monitor tab had a string of numbers, symbols and the logo featured a website called Silkoad 2.0. Shiva came across it in one of his previous cases. He had to capture Masthan before he escapes, it occupied his mind.
The boy was terrified and looked at Shiva as a savior, he pleaded
« Please help me. Please help me »
« Did he bring the Drug? »
« Yes. Sir »
« Don’t panic, I will take care of him »

Masthan didn’t flinch
« Inspector ah. 420 ah. Wait a minute. I will come »
Shiva waited for him to finish. He knew how compulsive drug users will be. He let Masthan savor the moment.
Masthan stood up and came towards Shiva.
« I told them not to call me patient »
« They did »

Shiva walked him out and then his cell phone rang
« A rerouted Delhi number »
« Did you check out the location I asked you to? » It was the state intelligence head
« Sorry sir »
Shiva cross checked the address and without waiting for a moment he ran back towards the boy’s room.

Shiva ran back and pointed the gun at the boy
There was a crack in the wall, the boy was thrusting packets of white powder inside,
« Why did you do that? »
« Where did you get these drugs from? »
The boy’s face turned ashen
« You were the one who hacked PM’s Twitter account »

The boy said, « First Tiktok, Now PUBG, next they will ban Whatsapp? »
« This is Tyranny »
« They should be kept under control. Do you think we have Freewill to choose?  » The boy was not shallow
Case solved.
Mukerji the man handling PM’s security detail received a call
« Sir. We have the suspect. Services will be restored in a while ».
Shiva was lost in thought as the numerous security personnel and ambulances clogged the narrow street.

That was just the beginning.

While escorting Masthan to the centre, a very happy Masthan said
« The drug I had was for Corona »
« Do you know? »

Shiva did not bother.
His FIR did not feature any of the drugs seized and any mention of the dark web. He thought
« When there is an opportunity, use it »

The next day as the news of the scam got out,

Akshara and Uggrasena were suspended, as a security measure they were asked to report for Covid tests

Within the day, the report came
« Akshara – Patient 32 Covid positive »
« Uggrasena – Patient 33 – Covid positive »
« Sastry – Patient 66 – Covid positive
« PA.. there was a pause. Masthan – Covid negative »

Most of the staff and patients inside the hall were reported covid positive, including the journalist. She thought she had the story for life.
Akshara and Uggrasena’s jobs were saved for the moment as the patients were reported positive.

Nobody could find the one who was the first positive patient through contact tracing.

The scam was buried for the moment.

Shiva knew. Masthan told the truth.
He carried the drug to administer to his father. Well past his 70, his father needed the vaccine or the so called Illegal drug.
The hospital lights were flickering.

Did the Chinese Fentanyl traffickers discover an actual vaccine?
Or was it a pure accident?