SYED Rezaul Karim
Kolkata, West Bengal
Part 2: The Plan to Capture the Fugitive
Near the Gangasagar bus stand, the police have set up several large camps. Inside the fairground is the Gangasagar police station. In front of the temple is Gangasagar. Pilgrims bathe there and then line up to enter the temple. A massive police control room has been set up there. From that control room, police assignments are issued, detailing who will work where. Based on their ranks, police officers are housed in different places. A small control room has also been set up at the bus stand.
Police from various districts of West Bengal have gathered at the Alipur police line. From there, they are transported by buses and trucks to the Gangasagar fair. They are instructed to report to the district police or, more specifically, to the senior officer in charge. They report at the control room at the bus stand. This year, the officer in charge is the Additional SP of North 24 Parganas, Bipul Nanda. Accompanying him are DSP Kapil Kar, Inspectors Chandranath Mukherjee, Satinath Acharya, Kamalesh Gop, Pushen Barman, Dil Kishore Chhetri, and many others. So far, around ten thousand police officers have reported for duty, with more expected to arrive.
Typically, around five thousand police officers are deployed each year to ensure the fair runs smoothly. They manage traffic, ensure that pilgrims can worship at the temple without any disturbances, and prevent thieves, robbers, and pickpockets from stealing the belongings of the pilgrims. However, this year the force has been increased from five thousand to ten thousand. The reason is the fugitive dacoit. Through sources, the police have received information that the fugitive dacoit may come to take a holy dip at the fair this year. Whether he comes for the holy dip or for some other purpose, the police administration is well-prepared based on their vast experience.
The police administration is in quite a dilemma over this fugitive. The opposition is raising a clamor in the state assembly. Their relentless questioning has left the Chief Minister harassed. Several meetings have already been held with the Superintendents of Police from various districts. But nothing has worked so far. The fugitive remains elusive every time. The Chief Minister has personally called SP Raut of South 24 Parganas and expressed his concerns. SP Raut, along with his team, is making every effort to capture the fugitive, hoping to at least shield the Chief Minister from the opposition's venomous attacks. But all his hopes, dreams, and expectations have turned into a mirage. SP Raut has been in charge of South 24 Parganas for two years now, yet the dacoit remains uncaptured. The issue remains unresolved to this day. This has worried not only the police administration but also the general public.
The uproar by the opposition in the assembly has a valid reason. Exactly two years ago, on the 31st of Poush, the day of the Gangasagar holy dip, around noon, their MLA Manas Acharya was murdered by the fugitive at his home on James Long Sarani. Not only that, but the fugitive has also committed several other murders and robberies, continuing his rampage without any hindrance. The police have failed to solve even one of these cases. Despite repeated complaints, lawlessness and terror have persisted, unchecked. The opposition has repeatedly questioned why the police cannot find any trace of the fugitive. But they have received no satisfactory answer.
As a result, SP M. Raut is feeling desperate. His promotion is imminent. If he does not accomplish something significant, he will be transferred to North Bengal as a DIG. Therefore, he has only one dream in front of his eyes now: to stay near Kolkata, he must capture this fugitive, no matter the cost.
He has received information that the fugitive is currently in Gangasagar. The information is accurate, confirmed by modern technology. Sources are also confirming the same. Therefore, he has requested an additional five thousand police forces from the Chief Minister and the DG. Along with this, he has procured modern equipment. Consequently, he has barricaded the entire area of the Gangasagar fair. No loopholes have been left. Simultaneously, searches are ongoing. If anything suspicious is found, immediate messages are sent to the respective sector via wireless communication. Besides that, mobile phones are also used to relay information. As soon as they receive any lead, the affected area is immediately barricaded. Superior officers are quickly deployed to the scene. They thoroughly investigate, asking, "Who is this person? What is his identity? Where and when did he arrive? Who came with him?" Simultaneously, the police of various states are notified to verify the information.
Not only that, the superior officers have been instructed to shoot and injure the fugitive if necessary. They have been ordered to ensure that the fugitive cannot escape from Gangasagar by disguising himself as a pilgrim. For this reason, police officers have been stationed every ten steps. Searches are being conducted everywhere—in boats, cars, and no matter what means of transportation is used, the fugitive has to face police checks at least ten to twelve times. Although people are getting annoyed by this, the police administration is paying no heed. Moreover, CCTV cameras have been installed at various places, and the footage is being monitored by experienced personnel from the control room. If anything unusual is noticed, the information is immediately relayed to the control room.
Next to the control room, a large hall has been constructed. This space is meant for essential meetings and discussions. The senior officer has called for a meeting at 2 PM. He plans to discuss law and order in detail, clarifying the tasks that everyone must perform. Officers from various districts, both junior and senior, have arrived on time to participate in this discussion. Ten Additional SPs have come from different districts. Narayan from Birbhum, Kalyan Chowdhury from Murshidabad, Bashir Ahmed from Darjeeling, Paritosh Bose from Dinajpur, and Subhashish Das from Burdwan have all arrived. Nearly fifty DSPs from various districts have gathered. Alok Mitra, the renowned DSP of CID, is also among them. Senior officers from various police stations have come with their teams. It is as if a grand ceremony is taking place around the Gangasagar fair. Even Jatin, the inspector, has not been left out of this operation.
Armed police have surrounded the hall from all sides to ensure that no unwanted individuals can enter or get near it. Measures have been taken to prevent any internal information from leaking out.
Nearly 200 officers have assembled in the hall. The entire room is buzzing with their discussions and conversations. At exactly 2 PM, the senior officer, M. Raut, entered the hall with a few others.
As soon as the Additional Officers arrived, the noisy hall fell silent in an instant. Everyone stood up to show their respect as SP Raut took his seat. Once he was seated, the officers also returned to their chairs.
There was a microphone system in the hall, but SP Raut avoided using it, worried that its sound might spread too far. But with 200 officers present, how could his message reach everyone? Modern technology could be a solution, but organizing headphones for everyone would take too much time. Everyone seemed concerned. Finally, SP Raut found a solution himself. He decided to sit in the middle of the hall. Arrangements were quickly made, and chairs were set up around the central area. This process took over half an hour, but no one complained, as such delays are common in the police department.
Standing in the middle, SP Raut asked in a loud voice, "Can you all hear me?"
Everyone responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
SP Raut began, "You are all aware of the reason we are gathered here today. Still, I must discuss the matter for one key reason. But before explaining that, let me share two things. First, we have come here from different places. Not all of us are fully informed about the events. Every year, around five thousand officers are detailed to manage the Gangasagar fair. This year, that number has doubled to ten thousand. However, these additional five thousand officers are not here just to oversee the pilgrims at the fair. They have been sent solely for one purpose: to capture a single individual who has created a reign of terror in our society. This man has been responsible for the murders of leaders, businessmen, and even his own accomplices. In addition to the murders, he has been looting openly, taunting us by evading capture time and again. Yet, unlike other criminals, he does not hide his identity. Instead, he boldly declares, 'This was my doing.'"
"Sir, is he carrying out these criminal acts like in the old days, by sending letters? How are we getting this information?" asked the Additional SP of Birbhum, curious to know more.
Hearing this, SP Raut sighed deeply, somewhat surprised at the officer's lack of awareness. Despite his frustration, he didn’t show any outward anger. With a calm demeanor, he said, "Many of you may have already read about 'Rupor Taka' in the newspapers. After committing a murder or another crime, the criminal leaves a red handkerchief at the scene. Wrapped inside that red handkerchief is a silver coin. These silver coins were looted...," Raut paused suddenly, deciding not to delve deeper into the topic. He then continued, "Not only does he leave a silver coin at the scene, but he also sends a message to explain the reason behind his crime and his target. Previously, criminals like Dasyu Mohan would send letters announcing their plans, specifying when they would commit a robbery. Nowadays, he doesn't send any such warnings. He knows that a letter can serve as evidence, and if caught, it could be used against him."
"But sir! Even if he sends messages via mobile phone, can't we use that as evidence against him?" asked the Additional SP from Murshidabad, with an inquisitive look.
In response, SP Raut said, "Perhaps we could, but don't think that this fugitive is that naive. He knows this well too. So, he uses stolen mobile phones to send those messages. Even though we can identify the customer ID of the phone, it doesn’t help us, as the person who owned the phone has no connection with the fugitive. Moreover, I doubt that the fugitive personally involves himself in these minor tasks. His accomplices probably handle such matters."
Raut paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. He sipped some tea to wet his throat and then continued, "We have reliable information from multiple sources that the fugitive is present at the Gangasagar fair. We've distributed his photograph in various locations. However, this photograph is not recent. It was taken thirty years ago when he was just ten years old, near the shores of Gangasagar. Although the picture is not very clear, it's evident enough that it's him. We don't know who took the photo, and even if we did, tracking down the negative might not yield much. Still, we are trying to enhance the image using various techniques. We've scanned it into a computer and generated projections of what he might look like at different ages. We have also created an image of what he would look like with a beard and mustache. Additionally, we've had an artist draw a picture of what he might look like at forty. We've printed large posters with these images and pasted them in various places, so even the common people can recognize him."
"Not only that," he continued, "we have shared all the information we've gathered about the fugitive from different sources over time. We have announced a reward of one lakh rupees for anyone who can capture him. This will engage the media and the general public in the hunt as well. In short, we are making an all-out effort to catch this fugitive."
SP Raut then shared some details about the fugitive's identity. "He was born in the Gosaba police station area of South Bengal. From a young age, he was involved in various criminal activities and was arrested multiple times. However, he was repeatedly released from juvenile detention due to his age. After he turned eighteen, it became impossible to catch him."
"We discovered that he no longer resides in the South 24 Parganas. Most of the time, he stays in Sonargaon, a village in the Birbhum district. He has established Sonargaon himself, where many oppressed and neglected people live. The village operates under his protection. If he manages to hide there, it is extremely difficult to locate him. Even joint operations by the army and police have failed to capture him there. We have utilized informants from various segments of society, including thieves, robbers, and murderers, to keep us informed of his movements. Although we receive feedback from them, unfortunately, we haven't been able to act on it successfully. Despite having the manpower and resources, we have failed. Time and again, he has outsmarted us, escaping while we were left empty-handed. For this, we have faced and continue to face much criticism."
After saying all this, Raut fell silent, his face grim. His throat dry, he took a gulp of water. The hall was filled with murmurs and whispered discussions as the officers began strategizing ways to capture the fugitive.
But his intellect runs far, far deeper. With that sharp mind of his, he’s been making us look like fools. If we could have put such a smart boy to work for society, many improvements could have been made. But that seems impossible now. As the weight of his crimes keeps growing heavier day by day, escaping them is no longer feasible.
To give you an idea of Palatak’s cleverness, I must share a few incidents. In the past, Palatak used to announce his robberies beforehand. About four years ago, he informed a diamond merchant in Rampurhat that he would rob his house. "I’m coming on Poila Boishakh," he said. As expected, the merchant reported it to the Rampurhat authorities, who passed it on to the headquarters in Suri. The district S.P. made all the necessary arrangements for protection. Rampurhat town was flooded with police officers—there wasn’t even space for a fly to pass through. The entire Poila Boishakh day passed peacefully. Everyone assumed Palatak had gotten scared and wouldn’t show up. But what happened was quite the opposite.
In the evening, an elderly schoolteacher appeared at the merchant’s house. The merchant recognized him as his old schoolteacher and naturally let him in, with the police granting permission as well. The old man was carrying a stick, and his frail appearance didn’t raise any suspicions. A little while later, the teacher left. Half an hour after that, when the police spoke of tea, they were stunned to find the merchant and his family bound and gagged, their mouths sealed with tape. It was then revealed that Palatak had disguised himself as the teacher. He had hidden diamonds and gems inside his hollow stick and escaped. Naturally, despite searching him earlier, the police found nothing on him. That’s how Palatak outwitted the police, robbing the merchant’s house and escaping with the jewels.
There are many such stories. I can share them with you later. But first, we need to understand why Palatak has suddenly come to this Gangasagar Mela. What is his intention? What is his desire? There’s a rumor circulating throughout the state that Palatak has come to loot the temple’s offerings. But I believe Palatak isn’t that foolish. He wouldn’t risk carrying away bags full of money. If he steals, it would likely be the gold ornaments from the offerings. But even that seems unlikely, as the temple is surrounded by police. Whether a sadhu or anyone else, everyone must follow strict rules and enter the temple grounds in an orderly line. If there’s the slightest deviation, the police will pounce on the situation with full force. Palatak wouldn’t want to take that risk. In that case, his target would be to quickly obtain valuable goods without resistance. For that, he might target large businesses or jewelry stores. We have already surveyed that possibility. I’ve assigned D.S.P. Alok Mitra of the C.I.D. to this matter. Not only that, but I’ve also tasked him with monitoring the pilgrims and sadhus arriving at Gangasagar, observing their movements, and identifying them. Jatin Daroga and other force officers will assist him in this.
There are a few more things I should mention about Palatak. His appearance resembles that of a movie star. He can disguise himself in various ways. When committing a robbery, he dresses up in all sorts of outfits—sometimes as a gentleman in a suit and coat, sometimes as a simple Bengali in a dhoti and kurta, and other times as a laborer in a lungi and vest. He even grows his hair and beard to dress as a sadhu. In short, he can transform into any appearance. He can also speak multiple languages. Therefore, we must always keep in mind that the person next to us could be Palatak. We must carry out our duties with suspicion in mind.
(Gradually)