21
"The Fall of JD's family"
Life’s
troubles always pour in one giant storm. Raj proved to be yet another obstacle
for Sameer’s path to happiness – just when his personal life was in turmoil, he
struck at his professional life too. He set the plan in motion to release the
adulterated cement under JD’s name in the market, at a time when the demand for
JD’s cement was high.
Within a
few weeks, builders and contractors, and companies began to complain of the low
quality. A case was filed after a construction collapsed in Mumbai and four
died, and another case in Ahmedabad where ten were killed. The state government
intervened in the matter, and Sameer found himself in legal trouble. He was
stunned to find poor-quality cement under his father’s name and wanted to find
out how this had happened.
***********
When the
Commission from the government finished their investigation, they found the
JD’s cement was the real problem and was a mix of half fly ash. Raj, satisfied
but hungry for more, wanted to see Anjali and Sameer separated and Sameer
totally destroyed.
Anjali, on the other hand,
was dealing with the shock of seeing her month-old husband arrested, and did
not know what to do. Her parents came over, and she wept like a child at her
series of misfortunes.
“The bad times will pass
over. Don’t worry, my child, I am with you.”
Mr. Colonel did everything
in his power to help and supervised the legal proceedings, consulted with the
lawyer, and arranged for bail.
“God and truth are with us, Anjali, don’t worry. Everything will be all right,” Mrs. Colonel said.
“I can’t take all of this
at once.”
“You will have to be patient; in the end, everything will be all right.”
The next
day, Sameer appeared in court. His family was there, but so were a hundred
strangers and the whole of the media. He hadn’t known such a situation, where
he would be brought to shame publicly. He missed his father dearly, but was
glad he didn’t have to see his son go to jail.
He had neither the time nor the luxury to
even shed a few tears. When Sameer crossed Anjali, his eyes spoke to her,
tearful, sorrowful, and distressed. Anjali saw innocence in his eyes and her
love for this brave man became stronger.
As the proceedings for the bail
began, the state prosecutor provided evidence and motive enough for the bail to
be refused. This saddened Sameer and Anjali, who had hoped they would at least
have each other during these times. But prison would keep them apart.
“I’m sorry, Anjali, I really am. I am putting you through all this,” Sameer said.
“It’s not
your fault. Not your fault, Sameer.” Anjali didn’t want him to lose his
confidence. Sameer was silent for a moment. He asked her then.
“How are
you? Have you been eating properly?”
“Food is
the last thing on my mind.”
“Take care
of yourself, for me. I’m going to be out very soon. Did you speak to the
lawyer?”
“Yes, Nandani
and her father had come today. They have assured me that they will handle the
case going forward. He is moving the high court for your bail now.” They held
their hands and found comfort in the touch of their love.
“He’s a
good lawyer. Trust him. ”
The bail
was accepted, but Sameer could not travel abroad. All seemed to pause for a bit,
but more troubles were waiting for them.
22
"Veil of Betrayal"
The
business was at an all-time low because of the scandal. Most of their customers
had defected to the competition, and it was very difficult to get new ones. Sameer
worked hard, went personally to meetings to convince the contractors, but met
with little success. The factory was shut for a while, and the shouts of the
investors and workers had never been louder. There seemed to be no way out. He
felt like a fish suddenly taken out of the water, living, but suffocating.
************
No matter
how Sameer looked at the matter, he could not find what went wrong. The samples
taken from the factory were perfectly fine, so he couldn’t figure out how it
had happened. Someone was conspiring against him, but who?
The answer
presented itself partly when the three-member investigation team he had set up
came back with its reports.
“Sir, the
statistics are absurd. The week your father was in New Zealand, we sold five
lakh bags. That’s it. From the same cities where the construction mishaps
occurred. It can’t be a coincidence. And these purchases were all made in
retail.”
The other
officer continued, “When we began inquiries, retailers told us that around the
time Senior Sir passed away, there was a sudden supply of our cement at fifty
percent of the original cost.”
Sameer
thanked them for their efforts and vowed to think about this further.
He hired a
private investigator to find him further answers.
The forty-year-old had a sound experience and assured him that reveal the identity of the
conspirator soon. If he found that out, he had a strong case when he reappeared
in court. The fee was steep, but he had to risk it. If he succeeded, things
would be a lot better for him.
Rahul and
Raj were talking in his cabin.
“You’re
pure genius, Raj.” Rahul was all praise.
“Didn’t I
tell you? We should toast to this,” Raj said proudly.
“Not yet.
There’s something I need to tell you. Sameer saw me at the bank today. He had
come with a file and was speaking to the manager about a loan. An employee told
me,”
“He plans
to start his business again? What a fool. Hasn’t even properly recovered from
the recent losses.
“Well then, Rahul, there’s
only one thing left to do. Speak to the manager.” And Raj went to explain
everything to Rahul.
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