The Prodigal Son (Complete)

Chapter 14

Bhaskar smiles, "Really! Then what happened?"
"Do din baad hum log Mumbai paunche. But Mumbai was scary. It was huge and crowded. We had no place to live and soon we ran out of money. We couldn't return home as we feared thrashing. Paise bhi nahi the ghar wapis janeke. So we did odd jobs to feed ourselves and we slept on the footpath. But we were together. As we got older, Ratan started talking about returning home. We took a place in the slum and worked as security guards. One day Ratan came home and told me that we could land up a role in the movie. A producer's assistant had spotted him. He was ready to give us roles but asked for 5 lakhs in return for making a portfolio. We had to do something as this was our only opportunity. So, we planned on robbing the Jewellery shop where I worked. But before we could do anything, the alarm got off. We fled the place. We were scared so we decided to leave Mumbai. Ratan took the train home and I left for Kolkata."

"Okay, so you are saying that you lived with Ratan Kumar while you were in Mumbai. But how can you confirm that this man is Ratan Kumar?"
"I used to work for a person named Nishikant Pandit. I saw a lady and a gentleman at his place with Ratan's photograph. I saw the photo and told my boss that I knew him and it was Ratan. He asked me where he was and took his address. Later I came to know that the photograph was of Sidharth Dewan who looked like Ratan. "
"Who were the lady and man? Are they in court today? "
Naresh nods his head and points at Saivi and Abhijit.

"Okay. Did you meet Ratan again in Kolkata?"
"Yes, a few days back. I work at Nirupama Dewan's house. I saw him there. He gave me some money to keep my mouth shut. But I had to tell the truth."
Sidharth mutters, "Truth? B****! He asked for money from me claiming that his wife is serious."
Bhaskar says, "I have presented the court exhibit D. There are a few photographs taken from the CCTV footage at Nirupama Dewan's house. It clearly shows that this man gave money to Naresh."

"Let me explain things properly to the court. Like we have heard before, Saivi Mehra had told the court that she and her husband had hired a detective to look for her brother. Nishikant Pandit is the same Detective. He got the information from Naresh and went to Uttarakhand. He found Ratan who pretended to have lost his memory to save himself from his father's wrath about running away from home. Nishikant took Saivi and Abhijit Mehra there and they convinced him to act as Sidharth Dewan. Rest My Lord is in front of everyone. Your Witness."

Tanushree stands up and walks to the witness box.
"So Naresh, you and Ratan lived together in Mumbai. Do you have any photos of you both of that time?"
"No. He didn't like to be clicked."
"Really? My Lord, we have heard that Ratan Kumar wanted to become an actor. An actor loves to be in front of a camera. I find it odd to know that Ratan Kumar who left home to be in movies, hated to be clicked. Naresh, you are lying to the court. You have no photos as he never lived with you. You lived with two men who were named Ram Kumar and Tribhuvan Ranna. My Lord, the registry of the local police station has the details of Naresh Singh Bagwari and Tribhuvan Ranna as they were caught in a shop theft. I have already submitted the copy of the same to the court. And it states the house number 66 was given on rent by Pintu Matre to Naresh Singh Bagwari, Tribhuvan Ranna and Ram Kumar. There's no mention of any Ratan Kumar in it. "
"Raa..am.. Ram is Ratan. He changed his name. Scared. He was scared to be found by his father."
Tanushree smiles.

"My Lord, Naresh Singh Bagwari is a liar. He is a thief and a cheater. He has already served in a juvenile home for a year and was in prison for six months. He fled his home and then Mumbai only because he was involved in robbery the both times. Is it right to consider the words of a criminal and accept my client as Ratan?"
"Miss Roy Chowdhry, what about the photos from CCTV?"
"I am coming to that. My Lord, these are a few photos as well."
She gives an envelope to the court.
"You can see Darshan and Barun giving money to Naresh as well."
"Miss Roy Chowdhry, it's Darshan's home. He can give money to his security guard. And Barun works with Darshan. He visits their house regularly. He can give a few bucks to him as tips."
"Exactly! If they could give him money, so could Sidharth Dewan. My Lord, my client was at his step mother's home for a family meeting. He was there as Sidharth Dewan, her step son. He could give a tip to a guy who opened the gates for him. Is it a crime or does it make him a criminal?"