"So you are mrs. Fadiya?" Asked the public prosecutor.
I nodded quietly.
"And your husband Mr. Jigar Fadiya died a few days back?"
"Yes Sir. He was murdered." I replied.
He looked at me, surprised. Indian women have a different dress code after husband's death and at least till the first 12 days all relatives observe a dress code. White dress. But I was wearing a pista green polyester saree, a well fitting red blouse, had bangles on my wrists and over and above, sindoor on tip of forehead, a 'mangalsutra' in neck; the last two being only for married ladies with husband alive.
The Court was in session. I was being examined for my husband's death. I was giving my statement.
He asked the police inspector to examine me.
"You are Mrs. Fadiya?" Asked he.
"Yes Sir. Any doubt? You had called me to the police station to recognise my husband's dead body. In Fact, pieces of his body."
The Inspector and accompanying lady PSI looked again at me, from my head to toe. They found it unbelievable that I am dressed like this as a 'saubhagyavati' (a happily married woman) and there is not a line of grief on my face.
The lady PSI could not resist her from asking. "Madam, this vermillion on your forehead, these red, green bangles.. all these.." she asked hesitatingly.
"Yes Madam. I am what I look.. There is no relation between being a widow and one's outwardly appearance. Whatever grief is there, it is in my heart. I don't want to advertise to the world my widowhood.
And whatsoever I dress in, it is none of anybody's business, including yours." I stated firmly.
She was aghast.
The court asked me to be quiet and proceed with the statement.
The Inspector took oath of truth and proceeded while I came to the bench nearby.
"Me Lord, this Mita Fadiya came to our police station to recognise the dead body of her husband. She was wearing tight kurta pyjamas, had untied hair flowing and looking.. well, anyone would like to fix gaze at."
"Mr. Inspector, you are here to describe the murder and its reasons. No need to describe the lady's looks." Said the court.
Murmur of people. 'Order.. Order' of the judge.
"Me Lord, That is what I am bringing home. She was called by us to recognise the pieces of the dead body of her husband brought from morgue. Thinking that least she may break down, I sent this lady PSI with her inside. She was not the least disturbed. On the contrary, was in a good mood. She was shown the plastic bag containing hands, feet, body and his deformated head in another plastic bag. She at once recognised and also said, 'I knew this will happen one day."
Now again it was my turn. I re-entered the box and took the oath.
"Me Lord, I will say all that is the truth and nothing but the truth.
Yes. I knew, looking to his habits and frequent doings some day he will meet such a cruel fate.
I immediately recognised the body. Each and every part. It was thrown on a busy national highway and many trucks and vehicles would have passed over his body.
It was some unknown number which informed me that his car had struck the plastic bag containing the body. He saw the credit card and driving licence based on which he phoned me. It was I who informed the police. Somehow initially they suspected me as the murderer. But my sending location to police control room and forwarding his message the day before helped me.
The body was beyond recognition but that hairy hand, the hair color and remains of his shirt, pants were enough to recognise him. After all it is the body I have slept with. For a long time of over ten years!"
Again a roar of laughter and 'Order, Order..' from the judge.
"And which was the message which made you run to the police station and how did you reach the location with the police?" asked the prosecutor.
"Sir, it was raining heavily. On that night while I was watching TV, a message flashed on my mobile. It was him. The message said:
"Maybe we may not meet again. I am trapped inside a closed house in complete dark.
The rain is relentless. I hear it thrumming on the metal roof and running down the broken pipe into the mud, and I moisten my cracked lips with my tongue. I wonder if they'll bring me food and water. I wonder if they're coming at all .."
He somehow succeeded in sending his location. Surprisingly he received net connectivity which in my bedroom also I fail to receive at times."
Again that murmur and a wave of laughter. Again the sound of the hammer of the court.
"And whom do you doubt for his murder?" the prosecutor asked.
"Sir, we have received some clues which we have submitted to the honourable court. Like the blood samples, a strip of sandals, a stone with blood of Jigar Fadiya verified by the forensic department and a button matching with the shirt of the accused etc." said the Police Inspector.
"Me Lord, I have no doubts but I firmly believe it is Gira Mehta and his telephonic husband. I know everything." I said.
"And how are you so sure it is them?" Asked the judge.
"Your Honour, the police recognised fingerprints on the remains of Jigar's shirt and some clues which they told just now.
I have no regrets of losing him. He deserved it. But I knew he was trapped for money he could not pay and that was the reason behind his murder by Gira and her telephonic husband." I said.
"You twice said 'telephonic husband'. What do you mean by that ?" Asked the prosecutor.
"Gira was not married so not her 'husband' to say. They both were deceived by each other and both wanted money from Jigar as again were deceived by Jigar. The man pretended to be Gira's husband just to intimidate me."
"Why?" The court asked.
"Let me explain to your honour in detail.
I was married to Jigar Fadiya for ten years.As is or may be everywhere, first two years of our life passed like two lovebirds, beak in beak and cooing like cuckoos. But I found Jigar a constant seeker of varieties, be it a dish for the meals or of love in bed. He enjoyed my varieties of dishes and to me also in varieties of ways. It did not matter if I liked it or not. I was just a dish in bed as the food on the dining table. Like the queen of arabian nights telling new stories every night to please her husband, I dressed in different ways, well, acted or allowed him to act in a variety of ways.. rest I can not say for the dignity of the court. But how can the same person give indefinite varieties?
He made lady friends on the dating site 'tinder' secretly but once I caught him ordering a birthday cake to an unknown lady. I saw the bill.
Okay. One can have friends of opposite sex. Nothing wrong. But once I saw my old college friend in a multiplex waiting for someone. It was him. With a different name. The relationship resulted in their breakup. He again turned to me for a while and now his 'ex' relation and my lost and found friend informed me of his new and new dating affairs. Everywhere he gave different names. Enjoyed the lady and vanished.
I quarrelled with him but had to keep quiet having an eight years old son.
I somehow succeeded in knowing his activities. I myself created a fake profile. After some attempts knew his tinder password.
He presented himself as a big businessman bachelor. God knows how many colours were in his rainbowed night life and from where he got the money to flirt with them all.
I came to know, he extracted money from the girls in the pretext of giving them a good job, a modelling assignment, a PRO at a corporate, whatever the lady wished. The moment he got money he changed his profile and vanished on the net. He never gave the correct phone no. or address to any of them. The money from one was reinvested in his this 'business' which he referred to me as 'ploughing back of profits'. Almost 100% profit !"
Again laughter in the court.
"Mrs. Fadiya, please stick to the point. Let the court complete the hearing fast. We have many cases pending." warned the judge.
"Sorry Sir. To bring home the point of his nature I found it necessary.
.. So he knew how to be stylish. He purchased second hand suits and fashionable looking cheap dresses. Enjoyed in a cheap hotel or once or twice in a resort and vanished.
.. And in this way he came in contact with Gira Mehta on tinder. Gira Mehta also was not her real name.
Gira was in fact a beautiful lady with a good alluring figure. On tinder she had put even a more beautiful profile. She presented herself as a company executive but was a receptionist at a small company.
Jigar had a grocery shop but presented himself as a business tycoon. His photos showed him standing with well dressed people near the posh corporate office, addressing a meeting on a dias and all that.
One of his dating relations happened to be an expert in photoshop. He took that advantage also besides that of her body. He promised her of a startup.
Here Gira presented herself as a smart girl, with a good family background, eager to marry a well to do businessman. She was in search of high profile preys.
She came in contact on one hand with Jigar and on the other with Hitarth Patel who had expertise in enjoying a lady, blackmailing her and extracting money. The Police have records of complaints against him.
Here the hunters themselves became the prey. 'Shikari khud yahan shikar ho gaya!'
Again the roar of laughter. Three sounds of hammer with 'Order.. Order..'.
Gira took Jigar as a big businessman to settle with first and to move after extracting money. Jigar took her as a prospective 'thing of beauty and joy once and never' ."
Again a wave of laughter.
So she dated Hitarth. He wanted money for expansion of his factory till a bank loan is arranged. From Gira. Gira from Jigar, presented as Mr. Jatin Mevada."
Intervened the Inspector. "Sir, Gira even offered her as an escort to high profile people and for that asked for some advance money. The moment money was received in her account she removed her name and number. So was Hitarth. He ran an employment agency and the moment someone paid money, removed his name. And both wanted money from Jigar Fadiya alias Jatin Mevada."
I continued.
"Once Jigar was looking in tension for over a long time. On asking he confessed to me of the trouble. They wanted 20 lacs initial help from him. He could not say no as he had taken them to a land calling it proposed site of his factory on someone else's land. He himself had demanded ten lacs from Gira and Hitarth for licence, land clearance, bribes etc. and thinking about the future partnership they had given Jigar rs. one lac. From that one lac, for the first time he brought me a diamond set and this green saree and red silk blouse and all that. His last gift, after a long time as no one was in his net.
Now, a person who has not even 20 thousand, how can he pay 20 lacs? He might have arranged 4-5 lacs had he some time to trap 3-4 other ladies in his net.
Time was running out for Hitarth to be with Gira. He asked to hurry up with Jatin Mevada.
They called Jigar to the seaside resort. Jigar told me that he is going to a far off place to see some 'maal' (goods). I knew which 'maal' (good looking lady) he is after. But I let him go.
Again laughters, 'Order, Orfer'.
"Gira offered herself fully and once Jigar appeared satisfied, raised demand for 20 lacs thinking it was not a big deal for him. Jigar now refused to give anything before seeing Hitarth's business.
I phoned him at 9 pm. He messaged 'in meeting.' Again at 12 night, not lifted. I laid awake. It was a night of heavy rain. I rang him at 3 am and it was cut. At 6 am. I received phone call from Hitarth, the telephonic husband of Gira; that my husband had tried to rape his wife at a lonely place and to settle with just rupees ten lacs else they will go to the police. I told them they were free to do what they liked. And then around 10 am the message. I knew something unpleasant is about to happen. I sent the location to the police and we went there. No one was found. Only some remains showing struggle and some fight.
By the time I reached home, I received that phone call from the person on the highway with whose car the remains of Jigar's body had struck. Jigar, in such times, had tried to fool them asking them to let him go home for his chequebook. They took my number and tried threatening me.
Then while I was in the police station, a lady said she is the fiancee of Mr. Nrupesh Kamdar, CEO of .. co. and one Gira and Hitarth patel are blackmailing him. If she can arrange rs. 5 lacs she was to give for staging her drama, He will see to it that the tickets are sold and an eminent minister inaugurates it. I don't know if it was Jigar or after killing him Hitarth was asking her the money.
They had murdered Jigar before we reached there."
The inspector got from his chair and seeking permission, said that they had already received complaints against Jigar Fadia for cheatings and impersonations.
"Your honour, We were already for an opportunity to book him. Then we received a complaint of Mita Fadia.
Sir, Jigar did protest with a knife but it was one being used for cutting vegetables and could not cut into Hitarth.
The spots of blood vomiting due to hitting near the site, pieces of Gira's clothes, broken ladies sandals band belonging to Gira and near the highway buried a spade used for cutting jigar's body - all are presented as evidence by us. "
Then I completed the confession saying,
".. So Me Lord, this is my statement submitted to you. It is good that I went to the police first. Else I was myself suspected for the murder.
He may have been a husband only in name but as a faithful wife I have performed my duty to book those cutting him into pieces. These are the last rites I am performing for my husband's soul. To rest in peace at least there without running after apsaras."
I broke into tears. Crying for a husband who was not mine since long. But I remained his faithful wife, as the Hindu religion says. I can not dress as a widow. I have no sorrow of losing which was never mine. But doing the last rites for the husband's departed soul is the duty of a faithful wife.
-Sunil Anjaria
