“I am afraid that my career is at stake,” Inspector Rajesh said.
Detective James raised his drooping eyes and stared at the man who shattered his hopes of stealing a few more minutes of sleep that Sunday morning. He was alone at home. His wife had gone on a visit with their children to spend the weekend with her parents.
“Don’t tell me that your boss has hatched a plot against you.” James smiled and looked at him questioningly. Rajesh was of medium height, dark complexioned middle-aged and was wearing contact lenses of bluish tint. His face showed worry and tiredness.
“Yesterday, Mr. Natwarlal, a jeweller complained that a diamond worth five million rupees had been stolen from his Abids emporium. Taking advantage of the heavy turnout of customers during this marriage season, a professional thief replaced the diamond with an artificial piece of the same size and similar cut. The CCTV couldn’t give us any clue.”
“A professional knows how to beat the CCTV and shop detectives. The thief must be a strategist who believes in doing things in a cool way. The original was replaced to buy time, otherwise, the missing of the diamond could have been spotted immediately,” said James.
“Yes. He wanted to buy time and could obtain the designs several days ahead to get the imitation one.”
“Oh, Rajesh, it seems that you have already progressed a lot in this case?”
“No, not at all. What do you mean?”
“Then why did you say that a man had done the theft? Did you get any clue to know the gender of the thief?” James smiled teasingly.
Rajesh wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “I didn’t pay attention to those little details.”
“Obtaining the designs is not a big thing these days. Design books are made available for prospective customers and for those professionals who assess the value of the gems. We can’t make out anything from such details.”
“Yes of course.”
“Did you interrogate the staff?”
“Yes. They are all five in number. Salesman Divakar oversees the counter where the expensive diamonds are kept. Others don’t have access to that counter. Natwarlal stood by Divakar, saying that he had been working from the times of his father. He is 58 years old.
“In what way will your career be affected by this theft?” puzzled James.
“This is the third big theft that occurred this week within my jurisdiction. I must act quickly. In case any mafia is behind it, you know… My promotion is due and one of the selection committee members has already spoken against me and just one more unsolved case will drive the last nail. I thought that the earlier I came to you the better.”
James nodded and said, “I should meet a few people before I make a rational analysis of the problem. I’ll inform you of the developments in a week.”
While driving back home, Inspector Rajesh thought of James. His strength is in paying attention to minute details. He says those seemingly trivial details when threaded together will reveal the facts. He started his career ten years ago in his early twenties as a security officer in a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad. Though officially his duties were confined to the security of the industry, often he was the man that would be consulted first, whenever there was a theft or some trouble in the employees’ quarters and in the neighbourhood. In the beginning, he said he felt it embarrassing to attend to trivial cases like sleuthing to find missing chicken but gradually he realised that the simpler a case appeared to be outwardly, the greater the difficulty would be to solve it. Rajesh was jolted when he heard horns from behind. He realized that he was driving rather slowly and pressed the accelerator.
“I’m glad the case is referred to you. The police are slow,” Natwarlal said when he received James at his residence. James scrutinized him inquisitively. Natwarlal was 40 years old, thin, tall and had curly hair. His beard was closely cropped. He was wearing a cream colour- shirt and trousers and was swift in his movements. Natwarlal led him into the living room. The room was empty except for the blue upholstered sofa set and the centre table.
“I’m thinking of releasing an announcement of Rs.50000 reward to those who give helpful clues, in Hyderabad and Mumbai editions of Indian Express.”
“I’d like to have a detailed account of what happened on that day, any out of place or unusual thing, the behaviour and reactions of staff and customers, before and after the theft,” said James.
“On the last Saturday night, after the business, we made a quick verification of the stock by cross-checking the transactions on a computer monitor. By 9.30 pm the verification was over, and I thought that I should reassess the price of the expensive diamonds kept separately in a silver case. I asked the salesman Divakar to bring the case and moved to the cubicle where I usually relax. You know it was a hectic day.”
“Yes, of course, being Saturday.”
“Meanwhile I asked one of the boys to get cool drinks. My workers were in a jolly mood as I had announced a bonus. Two minutes later, Divakar brought the silver case. I asked him to get my magnifying lens. When I examined it, my trained eyes could spot the difference. Divakar too confirmed my fears.”
“Were you sure that the diamond was there when you opened your emporium in the morning? I mean something might have happened in the night.”
“No, no theft could have occurred in the night. I suspect the visitors from Gulf.”
“Visitors from Gulf?”
“Yes. That was what I heard from them. After 4 pm on that day, three visitors, two men and a woman, entered my emporium. The men went to see the diamonds. The woman didn’t go with them. She had a long discussion with me about new designs in gold ornaments and custom-made jewellery.”
“Oh!”
“I think that the lady sat with me just to keep me engaged so that I wouldn’t observe what was going on at the other counters.”
“You may be right,” said James and took leave of Natwarlal. He drove to Srinivas Apartments in Khairatabad. on the first floor, he saw an old man in kurta and pyjamas. He appeared to be restless and was pacing up and down the corridor. He was of medium height and his complexion was dark.
“I am Detective James, looking for one Mr.Divakar.”
“I am Divakar. Please come in. This is my apartment.
It was a studio apartment without any furniture barring four folding chairs, a small table, and a TV set.
Divakar asked him to sit and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later he was back with two cups of tea.
“How long have you been working with Mr. Natwarlal?” asked James.
“For 38 years.”
“What is your opinion about the incident?”
“I suspect the Gulf visitors. After 4 pm, two visitors came to my counter. While speaking to them, I noticed that they had some knowledge in diamond cutting. They thoroughly examined the diamonds and showed a lot of interest. The woman who came with them sat with Mr. Natwarlal till the two men left my counter. I think it was a well-thought-of plan, and they somehow made off with the diamond.”
“When did you notice that the diamond was stolen?”
“At 9.30 pm. Mr. Natwarlal asked me to bring the case of the diamonds. He wanted to re-evaluate the diamonds. I handed over the case to Mr. Natwarlal. He was sitting in his private cubicle. He examined and found them to be imitation diamonds.”
“Finally, what do you say? Do you think that the diamond was stolen by one of the customers, I mean someone in traditional Gulf costume?”
“Yes. There was no burglary. There are many jewellery shops in the same street and several guards are on duty round the clock. Even the emporium owner cannot open it without being noticed.” James smiled and walked out saying goodbye.
One week later, Inspector Rajesh phoned James and said, “I have been intercepting the mail of the jewellers in the Abids shopping centre. The phones are also tapped. I believe it is a futile attempt. The mail contains usual messages like wedding – invitations and some direct mail ad stuff from Pepsi Company.
Holding his breath, James said, “Is that ad material still with you? I’ll be at your place soon.”
***
Exactly at 9.25 pm James and Rajesh walked into the house of Natwarlal. James told Natwarlal that they had some information and they thought that Mr. Natwarlal’s life would be in danger from one of the main suspects, the visitors from the Gulf.
.“As a safety measure, we have jammed the entire communication system in this area,” said Rajesh.
Two minutes later, Walia, the Mumbai-based diamond merchant entered. “Hello Natwarlal, how are you? Whenever I am in Hyderabad; I feel like visiting you.”
“Acting smart Mr…”
“He is Walia, Mr. James, my old pal. You must have mistaken him for the Gulf visitor.
James pulled out his revolver saying, “The game is up Walia. No tricks. Now Mr. Natwarlal, let us get the most expensive Pepsi drink.”
Rajesh, who got the clue turned to Walia and said, “Leave your attaché on the table and stay where you are.”
A few minutes later, Natwarlal and James returned with a Pepsi drink and an ice tray. As instructed by James, Natwarlal poured the drink into a glass and after selecting an ice cube from the tray dropped it into the drink. As the ice cube started melting, the precious stone emerged showing the spectacular reflection of light.
“Amazing! How could you infer these facts? What are those clues that escaped my attention?”
James was in a relaxing mood, “Observation Rajesh, keen observation. When I first saw the video footage, I thought that it didn’t give any clue. When I saw it for the second time, I pitied Natwarlal for the little attention he paid to etiquette. He was holding the half- drunk Pepsi drink all the time after the theft was discovered. I didn’t consider it a natural act. Natwarlal planted the seeds of suspicion by telling me that he announced a reward in just two editions of Indian Express. I thought of the possibility of dropping the diamond in the Pepsi tin. Natwarlal asked Divakar to bring the diamond case. The revaluation was only a ploy. Then he sent Divakar away on some errand and dropped it into the tin and carried it home safely.
“Oh, great logic,” said Rajesh.
“I realized that the announcement of the reward in the Mumbai edition was a hint to a trader. In response to the announcement, Walia mailed the Pepsi ad material. The ad material said, “Watch the Pepsi ad on the network TV at 9.30 pm on Sunday. I suspected that the meeting was scheduled at 9.30 pm on Sunday.”
“Why did you think …”
“Oh, dear Inspector Rajesh, at least by now you must have got the clues. I spoke to the Assets Insurance Manager Sundaresan and it filled the gaps in my investigation. I further studied the ad material. In the ad, above the words, serve chilled, a colour picture was positioned. In it, the drink was served in a glass and ice cubes were floating. In one of the ice- cubes I found a star drawn by a marker. Walia guided Natwarlal so that in case of any suspicion and thorough search of the house of Natwarlal, no one could find the diamond.”
“You mean that as planned by Walia, Natwarlal brought the diamond home in the Pepsi tin. Later, he placed it in an ice tray, poured water and then kept it in the refrigerator,” said Rajesh.
“Exactly. He wanted to compensate for the losses he incurred in the stocks by claiming insurance and Walia wanted to buy the diamond at a reduced price,” said James.
