It had just finished raining. The sky was pitch dark with
black clouds just hovering over and impeding the moon and stars from the night
sky. The roads were wet. The street dogs were smitten by the harsh rains and
were curled up under the chassis shelter of the cars. They had no plans of
venturing out. The streets were dimly lit up by the street lamps, most of which
were just flickering for life but failed trying. The wet tar shone back
brightly at the sky, reflecting it’s strong hard nature. After striving the
tormenting endeavor of the ruthless skies, it just smiles back at it with
complete confidence asking for more. The always busy road was still and calm.
The silence that filled the air was horrific. The occasional sound of the wind
complemented the silence and made it worse
It was a long straight road that just curved on to it’s
right and the winding path straightened and continued in a straighter line as
if it was never ending. There was a small shelter on the verge of the curve, in
a dark corner. It was just a projection from a temple wall, A dark yellow color
polythene cover supported on a pair of dark brown wooden logs. The sheet was
partially filled with water due to the rain, the logs were drenched. Under this
micro shelter was a man…
He was covering himself with a thick black rug. It was only
a few days old, but still, offered minimal resistance against the cold. He
thrived hard to withstand the chillness in the air. He couldn’t sleep. He had a
dark brown complexion and grew a thick beard that was just about to grow past
his face and downwards. The hair on the head was equally dense and was messed
up by the wind. He was least bothered. Beneath the black rug was a loosely worn
pale white shirt. It bore no holes but was pretty much archaic. Underneath was
a bluish green lungi over which the shirt just wavered. There was a pair of
hawai’s beside him. He was sitting on a pale yellow bamboo mat and his white cotton
shoulder- sling bag did the job of cushioning his head.
He couldn’t sleep. He sat, partially resting his back
on the wall, his hands curled around his knees. He was oscillating back and
forth in this position, his eyes wide open and staring at the dark emptiness.
He was beautifully camouflaged in the surrounding dark environment. He was able
to see both the roads that continued away from the curve. It was deserted, dark
and wet. Few minutes passed by and he heard a vehicle approaching towards the
curve. Few seconds passed, and he could see to his left, the bright yellow
light from the distant approaching vehicle. It was accelerating fast. It was a
Black Scorpio. He was able to see even the registration number, thanks to the
minimal scattered light from the fog lamps and the head lamps. It was inching
closer and slowed down to negotiate the leftward curve…..
His hand went to his waist and he drew out a black pistol.
He got up swiftly and simultaneously loaded the gun. He was barely visible to
anyone. He had sharp vision. He aimed and shot at the front alloy wheel,
perfectly striking the MRF rubbers. The car made a huge screeching sound.
Within seconds, another bullet was fired at the rear wheel, but this time, it
was from a different gun belonging to a different person. He fired from the
opposite side and from a higher altitude. The car just skidded and turned
almost close to ninety degrees, towards it’s right before it came to a
stop.
Our man, was already walking towards the car, and
as soon as the car came to a halt, he raised his hand, exactly in-line with his
shoulders, steady and cool, paused just for a few split seconds, and fired two
bullets in quick succession. Each claimed a life; one that of the driver and
the other that of Raj Murugan. During those few split seconds he paused, he fixed his gaze right on the eyes of Raj Murugan. He saw fear, He saw that Raj
was baffled. Raj dint know what was going on, how it all happened in a matter of
2 – 3 minutes. But soon, his eyes clearly understood that his end has come;
Raj was the most notorious criminal. There were several
cases on him on almost all sections of criminal offence. He had the guts,
energy and all that it takes to lead such a life. He ruined the lives of
several other people directly or in-directly. He disrupted peace, established
arrogance and created fear. He was young, aged just around 35 years. He was
fair, tall and had a well-toned physique. He built this black empire of his in
a breathtaking pace. He grew so fast. What made him do all this, is an entirely
different subject, but he turned into someone totally dark and evil. He was
supported by so many people in his journey, all powerful people for their
selfish desires. Raj knew very well his end would be something like this, only
that he dint expect it this soon. That’s why he was never surprised as
everything happened. He was witty enough to guess pretty soon what was
happening. And as soon as he guessed, he was proven right.
Soon five people from their hideouts surrounded the car. It
was 19th April, half past midnight. A new day has just begun, and
people would soon have a sigh of relief.
*********
All news channels carried this incident as their headlines.
It was a long planned and perfectly executed police encounter. The man who was
behind the operation was all over the channels, attending press conference and
receiving accolades. He was the man under the polythene shelter, covered in a
black rug; Mr Senthamizhan, Asst Commissioner of Police and an encounter
specialist. He along with his team of 5, worked day and night on this operation
for almost 6 months, collecting all possible info on the deceased. His son was
proudly watching his dad, his face gleaming with complete happiness.
And on the other side, there was this young boy, about 5 or 6, who was watching
TV along with his mom, and was so excited on seeing his dad Mr.Raj Murugan. He
showed to his weeping mom, with complete innocence and excitement his dad’s
photo appearing on the television. What he would grow into in future, only time knows...
