May 2, 2025

A car turns sharply and loses complete control. Before the driver can react, it crashes into the bridge and plunges into the gorge below. It's just dusk, and hardly anyone is around to witness the incident. News of the accident surfaces only the next day, drawing both the press and the public to gather at the bridge. It soon becomes evident that the driver had no chance of survival. Later, newspapers identify the victim as a young schoolteacher named Dinesh, from the small town of Kumpala.

To understand what led to this tragic event, we need to rewind a bit.

Kumpala is a small town located 2 kilometres off a highway that connects two metropolitan cities. The town lies on the banks of the modest Vatsala River. With a small population, the people of Kumpala have long depended on the nearby cities for almost everything.

Many years ago, the town faced the threat of extinction due to a proposed government dam project on the river. The plan was nearly finalized when the townspeople united in protest. A young man named Arjun emerged as a leader. Known for his fearless stance and strategic political moves, Arjun stirred the emotions of the people, using local sentiment to rally widespread support. His powerful protests eventually compelled the government to abandon the dam project.

Time passed, and Arjun became a respected figure in the region. His wealth increased significantly, though the townspeople never questioned its origins. To them, Arjun was a guardian—a helpful hand in times of need.

On that fateful day, Dinesh, a schoolteacher working in a neighbouring city, was running late for work. His car wouldn’t start. In a hurry, he called his childhood friend Rajesh, a local garage owner.

"Hey buddy, my car regularly needs your attention. I don’t know how it figured out we're childhood friends," Dinesh joked over the phone.

Rajesh laughed and assured him, "I’m on my way to the garage. I’ll pick you up and drop you at the stop near the highway so you can catch public transport."

Rajesh arrived on his two-wheeler, took the car keys from Dinesh, and promised to take the car to the garage. He had a few errands to run, including delivering a spare part to Arjun’s house, which was on the way to the highway.

They both reached Arjun’s home. A respectable man in the town, Arjun—now middle-aged and devout—was engaged in his morning rituals. He welcomed them warmly and insisted they stay for breakfast.

After the meal, Dinesh and Rajesh stepped out and noticed a local madman waiting near the gate. Arjun’s staff regularly fed him leftovers from the previous night—something the man eagerly awaited every morning.

Praising Arjun, Dinesh said to Rajesh, “This man really is a blessing for the town.”

Rajesh nodded in agreement. “Hmm.”

“Isn’t teacher Prema accompanying you today?” Rajesh asked.

“Nope. She’s taken leave today. Seems like she’s a bit unwell,” Dinesh replied.

Prema, a fellow teacher and Dinesh’s colleague, was his regular travel companion. As both worked in the same school, they covered the 32-kilometer journey in Dinesh’s car every day. There were whispers in town that the two were planning to get married soon.

Dinesh caught a bus and headed to work.

Later that day, Rajesh used a recovery vehicle to bring Dinesh’s car to the garage and fixed the ignition issue.

In the evening, Dinesh came to collect it.

“Your car’s ignition wasn’t working—we’ve fixed it,” Rajesh informed him.

“Thanks,” Dinesh replied, handing over the payment. He remembered he needed to check on Prema and left in a hurry.

Unfortunately, on his way back, he lost control near a sharp curve and crashed into the bridge.

The police arrived and recovered his body, which was sent for autopsy at the local health centre. Dr. Vivek handled the procedure, and the body was later handed over to the family. The grief and heartbreak were immense—especially for Prema. She couldn’t believe the tragic death of Dinesh. Their bond had only just begun to grow. She had dreams of a future with him. Now, she was left in complete darkness.

The townspeople were frightened by the incident — it was the sixth accident at that particular spot in the past two years. Witnessing the fatal accident with their own eyes deeply shook the community. The youth of the town, especially Dinesh’s former students, gathered in protest. As a schoolteacher, Dinesh had earned deep respect and affection. They raised serious concerns about the dangerous curve where he had lost his life. The townspeople accused the authorities of turning a blind eye, and their anger was justified.

A formal complaint was filed with the Superintendent of Police and the District Commissioner. A few even approached Arjun to put pressure on the authorities for a solution. Some students suspected foul play. They believed Dinesh’s death might not have been an accident—it could have been murder. 

As the protests intensified, the local MLA, Mr. Lok Pratap, and the respected town elder Arjun intervened. They assured the townspeople that the matter would be handed over for a higher-level inquiry. A senior inspector from the C.I.D. branch was appointed to investigate the case.

Inspector Gauri Shankar, a seasoned officer nearing retirement, arrived in Kumpala to take charge of the investigation. With a remarkable track record and only a few months left before retirement, he was under pressure to solve the case swiftly.

He began accelerating the investigation, digging into Dinesh’s background, and checking if he had any enemies. He learned about Dinesh’s close relationship with Prema and decided to meet her.

“Did Dinesh ever mention anyone troubling him? Was there anyone he had issues with?” Inspector Gauri Shankar asked Prema.

“As far as I know, there was no one against him, sir. He never shared anything like that with me,” Prema replied.

A few days later, Inspector Gauri Shankar received a call reporting a commotion near the bridge. When he arrived, he found a woman claiming that the town’s mentally unstable man had tried to grab her. A mob had already gathered and attacked the man. The inspector stepped in to stop the chaos.

He had been suspicious of the so-called madman since his arrival in the town. The man always lingered near the bridge, often seen picking up stones and threatening passing vehicles. Several townspeople had quietly murmured about his strange behaviour.

Under growing pressure to close the case, Inspector Gauri Shankar arrested the madman for questioning. With the help of technical evidence and witness accounts, it was confirmed that the madman had been present at the scene during at least three previous incidents. Based on these findings, charges were filed against him.

The arrest brought relief to the inspector, who now felt he could retire peacefully. Arjun, the respected town figure, invited the MLA Lok Pratap to felicitate Inspector Gauri Shankar for his service. At the event, Arjun praised the inspector during his speech, and MLA Lok Pratap used the opportunity to deliver a political message. The function concluded well, and the inspector departed, leaving behind a sense of closure and safety for the people of Kumpala.

But peace didn’t last long.

One day, a college-going girl lost her life after falling from her vehicle from the same spot near the bridge. The town was stunned once again. Questions flooded in: How could this happen when the madman had already been arrested? Was it just a tragic accident?

The highway had a sharp bend, and just after the bridge, a narrow road branched off toward Kumpala town. The river below carried little water, except during the monsoon. About a kilometre before the bridge, a business complex—part of the Kumpala municipal limits—stood. Rajesh’s garage was located there, serving both the town and highway commuters.

Now, with another tragic death, dissatisfaction began to grow again among the people.

Days passed, until a new figure appeared—an elderly man with long, unkempt hair and tattered robes. He wandered through the town, sleeping near the bus stop on the highway. Locals grew suspicious and questioned him. Many wanted him gone. But dressed in religious attire, he was given food and alms by some of the more spiritual townspeople. Over time, they accepted him and called him "Sadhu." He became a harmless presence, drifting through the town.

Meanwhile, Arjun continued his annual ritual of hosting a special prayer for the protection of Kumpala. That year, the Sadhu took a keen interest in the event and actively participated, seemingly moved by the spiritual atmosphere.

Since Dinesh's death, Prema’s commute between the town and city had become more challenging. She bought a two-wheeler and began traveling daily. With little knowledge of vehicle maintenance, she relied on Rajesh for regular servicing. Rajesh, as always, helped her with any minor issues.

Over time, Prema began to smile again. It seemed like something positive was happening in her life. A marriage proposal had come her way—and, as they say, life must go on.

One moonless evening, Prema was running late after shopping for guests who were to visit regarding the proposal. On her way back, her scooter developed a minor issue. She stopped by Rajesh's garage. He fixed it quickly, and after a friendly chat, she waved goodbye and continued on her way.

As she approached the curve near the bridge, she struggled to control her vehicle on the steep bend. Her scooter hit the side barrier. Before she could react, she was pulled to safety—by none other than the Sadhu, who had appeared from nowhere. He grabbed her and pulled her aside, just as the scooter toppled over the edge into the gorge.

Prema, still trembling, could hardly believe she was alive. She was baffled—how had the Sadhu reached her in time? How could he have saved her with such unbelievable speed?

“Are you okay, Prema?” the Sadhu asked gently.

Prema was startled—not by the question, but by how fluently he spoke. She had never heard the Sadhu speak so clearly before.

“Are you the same person?” she asked, her voice filled with shock and confusion.

“Yes, I am,” he replied calmly. “But I don’t have much time to explain. Come with me.”

He led her to a bike he had parked nearby, and they rode swiftly to the police station in the next city. Once there, he changed out of his tattered robes and put on a crisp police uniform. His nameplate read: Satyaprakash.

Prema stood frozen in disbelief. She recognized the name—Inspector Satyaprakash, the renowned officer who had solved the infamous Begur Handpost murder case.

At the station, he began writing a formal report. He included a crucial detail—that Prema's scooter had just been repaired at Rajesh's garage before the accident.

His instincts were on point. Rajesh might have played a role in setting up the "accident." But the big question remained: Why? What was the motive? And who else was involved?

Satyaprakash instructed Prema to stay at the station for her own safety until he gave her the all-clear. Then, he quietly returned to where he had parked his bike, changed back into his Sadhu disguise, and made his way down the narrow path to the gorge.

The river below was nearly dry due to the summer heat, with just a trickle of water running through it. As he carefully descended, he noticed a small, isolated house nearby. Its lights were still on.

He crept closer and overheard voices inside:

“Did the woman fall? We had confirmed information she’d hit the bridge,” one man said.

“Yes,” another replied. “The bike’s down there, but there’s no sign of the woman. We were waiting here, as we do in the earlier incidents. does she escape from the top?”

“How do we explain this to the boss?” the first man murmured. “The doctor’s already left. We need to dispatch the ambulance now. The whole plan is falling apart.”

The two men sounded frustrated and confused, unaware they were being watched.

Suddenly— “Hands up!” Satyaprakash burst in, gun drawn.

He tied both men to chairs and confiscated their phones. He began interrogating them.

“Who are you working for?”

At first, they refused to talk. But after some forceful persuasion, they broke down and confessed.

The next morning, a police team arrived at the gorge and retrieved Prema’s scooter. Several police vehicles rolled into Kumpala as the townspeople began their day.

The temple loudspeaker echoed with morning Suprabhata, and the town slowly came to life, unaware of what was about to unfold.

A cloud of dust rose as Satyaprakash’s vehicle, followed by PSI Mohan and two backup vans, sped through the narrow lanes. Curious and anxious, the townspeople watched as the convoy came to a halt at the gates of a luxurious mansion.

The officers surrounded the house.

It belonged to none other than the town’s most respected man—Arjun. 

“You are under arrest,” said Satyaprakash as he stepped inside Arjun’s palatial home.

Arjun, seated calmly in his living room, didn’t even flinch. With a cold smile, he replied, “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

But Satyaprakash, unfazed, leaned in and whispered, “I know exactly who I’m talking to. And you don’t have a choice. I personally monitored your crimes—while undercover. Your two men are already in custody, held in your own farmhouse below the bridge.”

Moments later, Arjun, still silent, stepped into the police van. As it rolled away, Satyaprakash turned his vehicle toward the Primary Care Centre. A restless crowd had already begun to gather, many protesting the arrest of Arjun—their so-called nobleman.

Ignoring the commotion, Satyaprakash walked straight into the hospital and asked Dr. Vivek to accompany him to the station. Then, turning to the crowd, he addressed them:

“Please come to the city station by 5 p.m. Bring some of the town elders with you. I will hold a press conference and reveal everything. You deserve to know the truth.”

By evening, a large crowd had gathered at the city station. Reporters, news cameras, and live telecasts were all in place. The air was thick with anticipation.

Satyaprakash stepped up to the podium.

“The six deaths in the past two years may have looked like accidents,” he began, “but they were anything but.”

He continued:

“When Inspector Gauri Shankar was first assigned to the case, his findings didn’t fully convince the higher authorities. That’s when I was asked to be on standby—and eventually take over. Inspector Gauri Shankar arrested the town’s madman, but something didn’t sit right with me. The method was too calculated. Too consistent.”

“I reviewed every case file and noticed a pattern—all incidents happened during summer, when the river’s water level was low. That’s when I decided to go undercover—as the Sadhu.”

He paused, looking around at the stunned faces.

“From that vantage point, I discovered a lone farmhouse just below the bridge—owned by Arjun. The only recurring activity there was the occasional arrival of an ambulance from a city-based multi-specialty hospital, known for organ transplants.”

Satyaprakash’s voice sharpened.

“I dug deeper. Almost every vehicle involved in these so-called ‘accidents’ had been recently serviced at Rajesh’s garage. Given the curve and the slope, even if brakes were applied suddenly, the vehicle should have skidded—not plunged directly into the gorge. That confirmed my suspicion—brake failure was being engineered.”

The crowd gasped.

“What followed was a grim chain of events:

• The vehicle crashes.
• Two of Arjun’s men retrieve the body from the gorge.
• Dr. Vivek, with full knowledge, removes vital organs at the farmhouse.
• The body is returned to the crash site, staged to look like a tragic accident.
• The ambulance, already prepared, delivers the organs to the hospital.”

He let the horror of it sink in before continuing.

“Rajesh played a key role—he tampered with the vehicles on Arjun’s orders. In Dinesh’s case, there was a personal motive. Rajesh was in love with Prema. He saw Dinesh as an obstacle. Eliminating him, he thought, would bring Prema closer to him. But when she remained indifferent, he plotted to kill her too.”

Satyaprakash paused and looked down solemnly.

“In this cruel world, one has to live at the cost of another’s death—that’s the reality this case revealed.”

Note from the Author:

The 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries. Amid various theories, the dark reality of illegal organ trading raises chilling possibilities. This story sheds light on that underworld.