The breaking news blared through the television, filling Chief Nitin and his team with a sense of dread. DEVNAGAR's citizens were living in constant fear, and the police department's inability to catch the criminals responsible was being held up as a failure.
The public's anxiety was palpable, and the stakes had never been higher.
The Chief gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over. "This criticism is unwarranted. We are working tirelessly to protect this city, and yet we are still met with skepticism and doubt. It is not as simple as catching these criminals. They are cunning, elusive, and always one step ahead of us."
He let out a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "But we must take this seriously.
The safety of our citizens is our top priority, and we will do whatever it takes to bring these criminals to justice."
The room fell silent as the Chief's words sank in.
He knew that the pressure was on, but he also knew that his team was up to the challenge.
They were the city's last line of defense, and failure was not an option.
"We will not rest until we have caught these criminals and restored peace to our city," the Chief declared. "The public's trust is essential to our success, and we will do everything in our power to earn it back."
As he spoke, a sense of determination settled over the room.
"Where is Arun?" Chief Nitin demanded of his officers, his voice tense with worry.
He needed to follow up on the recent leads and wanted to see the reports as soon as possible.
Amit had no idea where Arun was.
He had tried calling him multiple times, but his phone was constantly unreachable.
"I don't know," Amit said, frustration clear in his voice. "Last time he ordered me to file a request so we could get a court order."
Nitin's anger simmered just beneath the surface.
Why had Arun not informed him about this lead? And why was he now missing in action?
They were already under intense scrutiny from the public, and the pressure on them was only mounting.
Amit explained everything that Arun had mentioned about the possible connection between a professor and his student, but Nitin could barely focus on the details.
His mind was consumed with worry and anxiety.
"Find him," Nitin ordered abruptly, his voice firm and commanding.
He knew they needed to act fast, and every second wasted could be the difference between life and death.
Nitin needed a suspect, someone to focus their investigation on.
It didn't matter whether the person was actually guilty or not;
What mattered was that they had someone to present to the public to alleviate the mounting pressure and to show that they were making progress in their investigation.
He understood that they needed to handle the situation carefully.
With the discovery of twelve corpses.
Determined to investigate the case personally, Nitin made the decision to head for the farmhouse where the bodies had been found.
As he set out on his mission, the sky darkened, and the winds picked up speed, heralding the approach of heavy rain.
Located in a sparsely populated area, far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The isolated farmhouse provided the perfect cover for criminals to carry out their heinous deeds without interruption.
The eerie calm that surrounded the place only added to the sense of foreboding that Nitin felt as he arrived on the scene.
He stepped out of his car and went to inspect around but after a while, Nitin gazed up at the sky.
He noticed something strange happening - birds were falling from the sky like raindrops.
Bewildered, he crouched down to inspect one of the fallen creatures when suddenly another plummeted from above and shattered its neck against his car window.
He was left utterly speechless and a gnawing sense of fear began to rise within him.
He knew he couldn't stay any longer at this place.
The extreme weather made it even harder for him to concentrate, with strong winds nearly knocking him over and obscuring his vision.
Nitin couldn't fathom what was causing this bizarre phenomenon, especially coupled with the extreme weather that had suddenly descended upon them.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, his phone rang, and he quickly answered it.
Amit's voice on the other end informed him that they had found a suspect.
"Sir just the moment you left, a strange person appeared at the door of our department and he claimed himself as the murderer"
Nitin was taken aback, his mind racing with questions.
With a sense of urgency, Nitin hurried back to the office, where a man of around forty-four years of age, was handcuffed and surrounded by officers.
They were trying to interrogate him, but he was behaving strangely, which only added to the mystery surrounding the case.
After half an hour, Chief Nitin arrived at the department and was met with the sight of officers shouting at a man who was sitting silently.
Nitin entered the interrogation room and ordered everyone to leave except for Amit. Calmly, he posed a simple question to the man, asking why he claimed to be a murderer.
The man, with deep patience, responded after a three-second pause, stating that "I'll only talk to Officer Arun"
When Nitin tried to talk to him instead, the man remained insistent on speaking with Arun and nobody else.
"Bring Officer Arun, I will talk to him in private"
Nitin grew increasingly frustrated, warning the man of the serious consequences of wasting their time, but to no avail.
Despite the absence of Arun, the appearance of this strange figure made his presence all the more important, and Nitin repeatedly asked Amit about his whereabouts or activities.
Yet, Arun's phone remained unreachable, adding even more heat to the already tense atmosphere.
Nitin's frustration was palpable, and he was on the verge of losing his cool and hitting the man.
His constant request of his made them annoyed and filled their mind with several questions.
As evening approached, there was still no sign of him.
Amit went to his house to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
They had no idea where he could have gone after he left the morgue.
Bizarre occurrences were becoming frequent throughout the city;
The lights flickered incessantly, and the strong winds, which were a rarity in these parts, had suddenly become commonplace.
Some people believed that the world was entering a new dark age, while others surmised that divine wrath was the cause of these disturbing events.
Amit was still overcoming his recent experience and trying to process everything that the old man had tried to tell him.
Lavanya and the man bombarded Arun with a flurry of questions, but he was unable to answer any of them.
The doctor suggested that Arun rests at her residence, but he declined and staggered toward his car.
His body was ravaged by exhaustion, and he could barely walk.
Suddenly, he collapsed in the middle of the road.
Despite his protests, Lavanya managed to take him to his nearby home.
He was completely unconscious and didn't even stir as she laid him down on his bed.
She checked his pulse and breathing and then began to examine him more closely.
His face was gaunt and his skin was clammy to the touch.
Lavanya knew that he needed immediate medical attention, but Arun was insistent on remaining at home.
As the night wore on, Lavanya watched over him, monitoring his vitals and administering medication to keep his fever down.
Meanwhile, the storm outside intensified, with lightning strikes illuminating the dark sky and thunder booming like cannon fire.
Lavanya began to worry that something sinister was afoot and that Arun's collapse was just the beginning of a larger crisis.
As Arun's phone began to ring, he lay still and unresponsive, leaving Doctor Lavanya to answer the call.
On the other end was Amit, eager to share a breakthrough in the case.
But Lavanya knew Arun was in no condition to talk, his body ravaged by exhaustion and trauma.
She gently explained the situation to Amit, assuring him that Arun would be updated as soon as he was able to.
However, Amit was insistent - there was a suspect in custody, and he wanted to speak with Arun directly.
Lavanya relented and promised to pass on the message, but deep down she knew that Arun's health was of utmost importance, and she would do everything in her power to ensure he received the rest and care he needed.