Kolkata, a crumpling metropolis filled with a mix of ancient heritage buildings and skyscrapers vying to capture the skylines, held within its depths the stories of both dreams fulfilled as well as shattered. It was in this city of contrasts that DCP Rudra, recently relocated to Lalbajar, Kolkata on promotion from Bhubaneshwar, found himself at the centre of an intriguing case.

It all began with the disappearance of renowned business tycoon, Arindam Banerjee. The news sent shockwaves through the city, leaving the public, media and the police force alike scrambling for answers. Arindam Banerjee was a man of immense wealth and power, his influence reaching every corner of the city’s political and business class. It was rumored that he was particularly close to some relative of the Chief Minister and therefore enjoyed immunity from the laws of the land.

Rudra, a seasoned investigator with sharp intuition and analytical bent of mind, was immediately assigned to lead the case. As he delved into Arindam Banerjee’s life, he discovered a web of secrets and hidden agendas…the tycoon had built his empire through questionable means often using political clouts, leaving a trail of disgruntled associates and bitter rivals who would love to see him dead.

Rudra engrossed in thoughts was driven back to his home in Salt Lake City, a sprawling 3000 sqft apartment on the 10^th floor of newly constructed building. He had bought the apartment when the construction started 4 years ago purely as an investment and now lived here for past 5 months since being transferred to the city of joy. Sravani opened the door and said, “Look who’s here”. Rudra was pleasantly surprised to see his friend Aniket Mathur, the banker turned author. He was in the city on assignment to do a coffee table book on Kolkata’s changing skyline. He had checked into ITC Sonar and called Sravani who had very vocally insisted that he check-out from there and live with them at their new apartment. It had 4 bedrooms and enough manpower to look after his needs and comfort.

Over dinner, Rudro told them about the new case he has been assigned and informed his intent of visiting Arindam Banerjee’s home in South Kolkata the following morning. Aniket asked if could join him as he had planned to visit that particular house for research for his assignment.

Arindam Banerjee’s mansion was an opulent palace nestled in the heart of South Kolkata. The house oozed luxury right from the electrically operated ornate gate and the lush green lawns that wrapped the main building. However, as you enter the hallway, the tales of treachery and deceit whispered in the air. Rudra met Arindam’s wife Sunanda, a woman whose beauty hid a steely determination. She insisted that Arindam’s disappearance was not a mere vanishing act but a carefully chalked out plan, a sinister design.

Rudra started questioning the household staff to dig out any hint of foul play or clues. It was during his conversation with the butler, Sukhdev that he learnt about the existence of Priya Chauhan, national beauty pageant finalist, also the personal secretary of Banerjee and their clandestine affair. A few days ago Priya had suddenly turned up at the house late evening and Anirban had a heated argument with her in his study after which she was summarily sacked from the job. He could not elaborate as to the conversation which was in (English) language beyond his comprehension.

Rudro’s investigation led him to the humble abode of Priya in the residential block of Kasba. The apartment was ransacked, suggesting that someone or a bunch of people had been searching for something important but it was not clear if they were successful. There was no sign of Priya, either she had fled before the thugs arrived or have been kidnapped by them. The latter possibility became evident when Rudro discovered a stack of confidential files from a hidden compartment of Priya’s wardrobe. The files unveiled a sinister network of corruption and illicit dealings with Banerjee at the centre besides revealing the names of few ministers and officials in the state government. It was very hot property; he needed to see the commissioner urgently.

Mr. Arjun Singh, the commissioner with vast experience at the top level understood the gravity of the information and told Rudro to keep it under the wraps before more evidence is available, especially from the media. Both officers had had forgettable encounters with the media and had developed pathological dislike for them, so the media waiting outside simply got a “No comments” from Rudro as he emerged from the commissioner’s office.

As he was getting into the car, he received an anonymous call asking him to meet the caller at a seedy bar in China Town. He told the driver to take him there but drop him few blocks beyond of the spot. He wanted to check out the place from a distance before approaching.

As he entered the dimly lit bar which was thinly occupied at that hour, a plumpish guy from the corner table rose to wave at him and introduced himself as Ashim Kundu, former employee of Galaxy Enterprises, the flagship venture of Arindam Banerjee. After assurances from Rudro that his identity will remain a secret, Kundu revealed that there exists a powerful organization simply known as “The Syndicate”, a very shadowy group of influential people operating in the city’s underbelly, manipulating events from behind the scenes. The Syndicate was not only involved in betting rackets but every other kind of criminal activity, they are the modern day mafia, fearsome and more powerful than the govt.

Rudro’s pursuit of the truth took him deeper into the city’s criminal underbelly using his trusted informers. He discovered that as Kundu said, The Syndicate had its fingers in every major illegal operation from drug trafficking to money laundering as well as human trafficking. Their influence extended beyond the city limits, reaching into the highest echelons of power. As Rudro connected the dots, he realized that Arindam Banerjee had been involved in a grand scheme to topple The Syndicate, using his own resources to gather evidence against them. But his plan had backfired, may be because of treachery within his own team and he had become the target. Rudro concluded that either Banerjee has been eliminated without trace by The Syndicate or his disappearance is a self induced elaborate ploy to throw The Syndicate off his trail.

Rudro, armed with his newfound knowledge, met the Commissioner once again. Both agreed that they have to move swiftly and decided to form a team of trusted officers to infiltrate The Syndicate to find their secret headquarters and storm the place at an opportune time. The showdown was inevitable… Justice must prevail. It took the officers a week to successfully infiltrate the organization called The Syndicate and they received confirmed information that a large consignment of drugs are due to arrive at the warehouse situated near Madhyamgram which is also the headquarters of The Syndicate. There would be an auction of the drugs on the appointed day and most of the leaders of the gang are expected to be present for the auction.

Rudro, in consultation with the Commissioner, set up a team of Special Forces Commandos to storm the warehouse when it was full house. His instruction was clear, “No Prisoners”, he knew that with the clout that The Syndicate has, arresting the criminals was meaningless, all of them would be out in the society and continue to thrive in their illegal activities.

At around 5:30 pm, at the signal from his point’s man inside the warehouse, Rudro along with Special Forces Commandos stormed the warehouse. It was not clear who fired first but soon the place witnessed fierce gun battle. Rudro’s team was outnumbered by 10:1 but they were more skilled and they systematically eliminated most of the criminals and others laid down their arms and surrendered. The Supreme Leader of The Syndicate, simply known as DC was still missing but information received suggested that he was there within the warehouse. Rudro, gathered a handful of commandos and kept searching for the elusive DC. At last he found him hiding inside a toilet… as Rudro kicked open the door of the toilet, DC fired in the open gap but missed Rudro who had skillfully side stepped immediately after breaking the door. Now, Rudro fired a burst of 3 rounds which instantly killed the infamous DC who was none other than a senior minister of the state government, Durlabh Chatterjee.

The news of DC’s death in police encounter and arrest of the Syndicate members besides the large haul of drugs sent shockwaves through the city, exposing the deep-rooted corruption that had plagued the system. The opposition promptly demanded resignation of the CM and imposition of President’s Rule in the state.

Three days later, once the dust had settled, an informal meeting happened at Rudro’s home, present there were the Commissioner himself with his wife, Sunanda Banerjee, Aniket Mathur and Sravani. After a sumptuous dinner consisting of Biriyani and Korma from the famed Arsalan, Rudro began his monologue…

“Interrogating Subhan Khan, the right hand man of DC revealed that Arindam Banerjee was abducted and killed while he was going to meet a certain govt. official, the body was cremated inside the warehouse which was in derelict condition in an isolated location, and no one noticed the act.

As regards, Priya Chauhan, she was the mole planted by The Syndicate. Three days before his brutal murder, Arindam had found out about her and confronted her… she of course denied it but was sacked from her job. It was Arindam’s goons who went to her apartment to look for the confidential files and ransacked it. However, Priya sensing the onslaught fled in a hurry without the files…she was last seen at the Dubai Airport immigration counter…a look out notice has been issued against her and Dubai police is hunting her down as at this moment.

The Kingpin DC or Durlabh Chatterjee had to die for his death sentence was written at a very high office. Arresting him could have toppled the government and that was not the wish of the high command at the centre as well.”

Sunanda took a deep breath and said, “Rudro da, I would like you to assist me in dismantling the tainted businesses of Arindam in a manner that doesn’t hurt or tarnish the image of the family”.

Rudra sighed and said, “Well, I am not very good at that kind of job but I can definitely recommend someone present in this room who is both qualified and capable to do what you want. May I present Mr. Aniket Mathur, Chartered Accountant, ex-banker with creative bent of mind. I guess the only compensation he would demand is to study the architecture of Banerjee Mansion for his current project”.

Sunanda looked at Aniket expectantly who nodded his head in affirmation and smiled. Sunanda smiled back. Somewhere, someone wrote, “Perhaps it is going to be a new beginning for both”.

Months passed, Rudro’s relentless pursuit  brought the end of The Syndicate…the case became a turning point, a symbol of hope that justice could prevail even in the face of overwhelming darkness. As the City of Joy, healed from the wounds of betrayal and treachery, DCP Rudro continued on his mission to cleanse the city of its deep-rooted corruption. The battle was far from over but armed with the truth, he vowed to protect the innocent and eliminate the criminals.

Kolkata won the battle but the war is still on…