The cops took Vijay with them abruptly to the station.
Anitha could do nothing but watch. She wished Arun to be by her side now. She missed him terribly.
She was standing there alone not knowing what to do next.
Her neighbor Ram uncle, who was watching this from the beginning itself, approached her and advised to call a lawyer.
As the very thought of Arun brought excruciating pain at her chest, She was blinking like a child, unaware of what he said just now.
Ram uncle understood her situation and he himself called for an advocate known to him and informed the details.
******
When they reached the police station, the station was very noisy. A group of people were standing outside the station. They went straight to the SI, who was talking to someone else. Anitha's eyes were searching for Vijay and found him standing behind the bars with his head lowered down.
When the SI finished his talking, Ram uncle introduced themselves to him. SI asked her the details about Vijay.
"Madam, are you such a fool, to allow an unknown person, stay inside your house, without knowing any details?! Haven't you doubted him a bit, before you could take such decision?!" SI muttered.
"Sir, pls.... could you tell us what's going on here?! What's the problem?" She mumbled.
"That criminal Vijay, flirted with a girl in the name of 'love', and that was gone beyond the limit. Now she is pregnant and he denies everything. Her parents filed a complaint and they want an immediate action against him".
Anitha couldn't believe her ears. The word ' pregnant' churned her stomach and she could feel the pain in every cell of hers.
"That was impossible" the words came out from her automatically.
" What?! Everything is possible in this new cell phone era madam" SI admitted.
"No..... He is innocent" she protested.
"Wait, I will show you", "305!", The SI called out, and a constable came along and greeted him.
SI ordered, " Call that victim girl, what's her name?, Yes, "Anitha! " Ask her to come inside.
The girl looked pale and completely exhausted from continous crying.
SI asked her, " tell them what happened, they are not believing". She didn't say anything, instead her mother who accompanied her, started talking loudly.....
" Our girl knows nothing, she is like a baby. That rogue convinced her with mesmerizing words and did everything, without her knowledge. He cheated her and threatened her not to tell anyone. Now he brought her to this situation and what if media came to know about this? What will happen to the future of my daughter? We, the whole family will commit suicide then..." She cried instantaneously and cleared her nose with her saree pallu.
"Watch my words!! He won't live long, he won't get any good in his future" she continued and cursed him profusely.
Anitha came near to that girl and asked softly " are you pregnant?"
The girl nodded in agreement.
"Who is the father of your child?"
The girl slowly outstretched her Rt hand and with her index finger, she pointed to Vijay who was standing behind the bars"
"No.....!!! It's a lie, she is lying", Vijay shouted.
"Shut up you raskal! SI roared at him.
"Don't bring all your drama here. We already knew every detail of you, starting from the ' theft case' in your orphanage home, then the 'assault case' in the lath factory and now this..... sexual abuse, you are such a scoundrel, good for nothing".
Anitha felt sudden weakness of her lower limbs. Each and every word of SI, stamping her ear like a beam.
She clutched the armrest of nearby wooden bench for support, and dumped herself on that bench recklessly.
A lady constable noticed her clumsiness, offered her a glass of water. Denying that, she gathered all her strength and tried to stand up. She swayed while to do so, and slowly started to go out. She felt too weak to walk.
She didn't know how she reached home. She was completely blank. The world around her, went utter dark, and egulfed her in it.
To be continued...
