THE SILENT SHOT THE FALL OF THE SYNDICATE

Harshvardhan Rao

INDI A

SINGAPORE

M A L AY S I A

Notion Press No.8, 3rd Cross Street CIT Colony, Mylapore Chennai, Tamil Nadu – 600004 First Published by Notion Press 2021 Copyright © Harshvardhan Rao 2021 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-63714-691-0 This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

Chapter 1

The Problem

B

iting my nails and drumming my fingers, I was sitting on the chair outside the meeting room named Aravalli. The meeting rooms in the office were named after the origins of rivers or their places of origin, like Gangotri and Chamba. Many days after joining, I came to know that Chamba was the origin of the river Ravi. Before that, I assumed this name was spelled as Chambal, a place most famous for notorious criminals, which always surprised me. I wondered why someone would choose the name Chambal for a meeting room. My first sales success was sitting inside Aravalli, the meeting room, waiting to originate. It would be decided based on a sales presentation on which Rajagopal and I worked for three months. Day and night, burning the midnight oil for almost 12 weeks. No weekends, no holidays, and I was not picking up Rishika’s calls for two days. The last one was no joke. Not picking up Rishika’s phone was a tsunami in waiting. I didn’t have lunch or breakfast, but there was no sign of hunger on my face. I was sitting there on almost five tall cups of Americano. That’s too much caffeine for a body. 3

The Silent Shot

I started sweating slowly now. The sweat dripped from my sideburn, and passing through my neck, it rolled down my spine. The room temperature was 20 degrees Celsius; still, it gave me chills from time to time. I was ignoring almost everything—food, chills, and even looking at my phone. I could hear the wall clock ticking every second and also my heartbeat. They were in sync. Every tick-tick was multiplying my heartbeat. I started drumming my finger again, getting impatient. Suddenly, I heard the door unlocking. I swiftly looked at the meeting room. Mr. Shastri, the PA to the defense minister, came out. Mr. Rajagopal, my boss, followed him. They stood near the door, and Shastri whispered something in Rajagopal’s ear. Rajagopal solemnly nodded, looked at me, and asked me to go to him. I rushed to them, and they handed me a red color file. I did not leave after receiving it, waiting for further instructions. He nodded again, indicating I should leave. As I was about to resume my spot on the chair, both looked at me. Rajagopal nodded again. I understood and quickly stood up. In my hurry, I took a wrong turn and reached a washroom. I turned back and went to my cubicle. It was apparent Rajagopal wanted to show Shastri that whatever they were discussing was between them— utmost secrecy. This meeting was about the sales pitch of the RMcar assault rifle that was to be sold to the Indian defense. This deal was in two phases. First phase: 4

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50 assault rifles would be given to the army to use for six months, and if the army finds it suitable, it will go into mass production, which was phase two. I was working on drafting the presentation deck in terms of charts and commentary for phase one. Rajagopal was the brain behind the slide presentation. He knew which topic should go where so that the flow looked effortless and convincing. If the army approved the RMcar rifle, which was phase one, phase two consisted of mass production, and it was a win-win situation for the government. The manufacturing was expected to be done at an Ordnance Factory in India, which the Indian government will always want. The French company was expected to get 35% of the sales cost if this went into production, and it was to be for the next 20 years. So, they were cautious about this deal and were offering the best support for it to convert. After 10 minutes, Rajagopal walked past my cubicle and asked me to see him in his cabin. I was very nervous and anxious. I simply followed him toward his cabin with zero thought in my mind, like a zombie. I entered his cabin, following him. “Sit down,” Rajagopal said to me, pointing to a chair. I sat and quickly took out my notebook and pen. “Keep that aside and listen to me.” Rajagopal pointed his fingers to the table. 5

The Silent Shot

I quickly kept the notebook and pen on the table. Swiftly, I ran my hand over my tie to iron out wrinkles and looked at him. “I have something to tell you. The good news is that phase one is nearly through, and if all ends well, you will get the sales incentive by this month. How much it is? 20% of your annual salary? Never mind, should be around that.” He crossed his hands behind him and looked outside the window. As any normal human being would do in such a situation, I started to calculate what would be 20% of my annual. Rajagopal paused. “Don’t calculate whatever it is. If all goes well, there are chances that by then the rates of the product might go up. The reason is that the price is not locked yet; they will decide it soon,” he looked at me and said. “Sure, sir,” I replied and smiled. “Now the next task is to present to an army unit what we have agreed with the defense procurement department. Have you heard of Mhow? It’s a place in central India.” He looked at me, waiting for a response. “Yes, sir, I have heard of it before.” “Good, now I will make the final presentation. You don’t worry about it. Just spell out whatever is written on it. Later, if anyone asks you to complete a formality form, just sign it and don’t ask any questions. Is that fine with you?” He stopped and looked at me. “Yes, sir, I will do that,” I nodded. 6

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“See, Kabir, I understand that this is your first job, technically, so let me tell you something. We treat everyone here equally. So, don’t call me sir. It’s not your college, it’s a workplace. Call everyone you see in the office by their first name. But people here call me Raj. You can call me that,” he said. “Yes, sir... I mean... Rajagopal sir... I mean... Raj,” I fumbled. “Are you sure you will be able to handle things in Mhow?” The way Raj asked this question, I felt more nervous to answer. It reminded me of college days when my professor used to ask me questions. “Yes, sir... I mean... Sorry, Raj... I will surely do it,” I kept adjusting my tie, touching my collar. This reaction showed that I was not confident at all. Raj knew that I was getting nervous, but in the back of his mind, he had decided that he would still send me to Mhow. “Good, sit down. That’s the confidence I was looking for. Check with the admin for the details of your logistics. I will send you details of the presentation and the travel date shortly. Now you can go.” He looked toward the door. I was happy and baffled that though I was so nervous in the room, he still asked me to go. I swiftly came out of the cabin and reached my cubicle. Somehow, I felt he didn’t seem that happy with this deal. It must not be a smooth sail to convince, I thought and sat on my chair. I inclined it and looked at the 7

The Silent Shot

ceiling. All the events that happened in the last couple of years flashed through my mind. After completing engineering, the only thing that is left for most engineers is to do an MBA. So, following the tradition, I completed my master’s in business administration from a locally known prestigious college in the city. In my first job, I was a sales executive in a small firm dealing with machinery. This workplace and my college building were of the same age. Both of them were rundown buildings. They could have been the best shooting locations for a Bollywood horror movie. On my first day in my first job, I was wearing a white shirt and blue pants. I took an auto; I was so conscious about my formals that I cleaned the seat with a hanky and then sat on it. Siting like a statue, I was in the same position till I reached the location. Suddenly, the auto stopped near a building. I asked him why he stopped there. He pointed to a two-story building. He said it was the same location which I gave him. I looked at the building. The façade of the building was white, with black lines dropping from the top. These lines are usually seen on buildings when moisture spoils the coating of the outer wall and it has not been painted for ages. The auto driver looked at the building and then at me from head to toe. He said, “Sir, this is Sun Chemical, west.” He was also surprised that I was so dressed up for a job location like this. I looked at the building, Sun Chemical. I wondered why they called this gloomy building a sun. It was sheer 8

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disappointment that my branded shirt and pants were not even close to the office building. That day, I decided that before that weekend, my job would sunset at Sun Chemical. Which means I would quit. Coming to my present job, after I left Sun Chemical, I got hired a few months later in the sales role again at a chemical company that was covertly working as a middleman to sell rifles manufactured by a French company. I came to know that after I was selected. This was another surprise to me. It sounded like an exciting job. Arms, sales deals... These jazzy words were enough to keep me motivated in the role. The department in which I was working was under the flagship company called Fanklor Chemicals Ltd. I joined on the payroll of the chemical sales executive, but I was working under the arms sales, though it had no connection with the chemical business despite being under a chemical company, but who cares. On top of it, most importantly, the salary was high enough so that I could easily turn a blind eye to this. This department only used the mother company, Fanklor, as a money vehicle to support its logistics. Our department, only Raj till now, would interact with admin mostly for travel purposes. Raj and I were the two people who were under this department. Surprisingly, Raj was also the owner of Fanklor. Sometimes I wonder why Raj selected a wet-behindears kid like me for such a niche job. The government tightened the rules on the middleman, with a cap of 100 million. If any 9

The Silent Shot

purchase of weapons above this price tag was done, then the government would directly contact the government of the counterparty. For lower amounts, middlemen were the option they preferred. There are a couple of reasons why the middleman is preferred; one of the key reasons is he arranges the supply of specialized services—for example, training and maintenance—and the middleman also takes complete accountability for any issues with these arrangements. We, at Fanklor, had direct contact with a few experts from the French government to help us with the demo of the equipment. The major thing was the monetary gain via brokerage which any middleman gets by arranging the money flow through complex systems. Obviously, this kind of process sometimes promotes kickbacks. But overall, these deals are a very secretive process. My visit to Mhow was to help demo the RMcar rifle and to explain about the product, training, and other services that come with it. Coming out of my flashback, I straightened my chair and opened my inbox. Raj had sent the presentation. It was his way of working: he always modified the presentation just before the meeting. So, I ensured to request a copy from him. I opened the mail and quickly closed it. Later, I started to search for the admin contact. In the Outlook address book, I saw the admin’s number. The admin office was one floor above mine. People who usually travel for business 10

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meet them frequently. This was my first time meeting them for travel purposes. I went up to talk about logistics. After a brief chat with the admin, I went to the café in the building. I ordered an Americano tall mug again and walked toward the glass wall to look outside. It was pouring since morning. The raindrops were hitting the window so hard that the noise could be heard inside through the thick glass wall. It was my sixth tall Americano mug since I entered the office today. I looked at my watch, took my first sip, and my phone rang. “Hello... Kabir... Hello…” I picked up the phone, and before I realized who was on the other side of the call, the voice faded out and the call dropped. It rang again. I picked up the phone. “Kabir, is it you? Hello,” the voice on the other end of the call said. “Yes, Kabir here. Who is this?” I replied. “Lieutenant Colonel Arjun,” the person replied. I heard the words “Lieutenant Colonel” and thought the call was about the RMcar rifles deal. So, I thought it would be safe if I gave him a Rajagopal reference. “Sorry, sir. I mean, apologies, Mr. Arjun, for any office work, please contact Rajagopal,” I fumbled. “Hey, you idiot. Even today you can’t recognize my voice!” 11

The Silent Shot

“Arjun! Is it you? I thought it’s for Raj, my boss. How come suddenly it’s Lieutenant Colonel Arjun? Well, nice joke, I must say. You got me!” I chuckled. “Joke! It’s not a joke, brother. Your friend is a lieutenant colonel now. Doesn’t this surprise you?” he replied. “Surprise? Come on, if this is true, then it is more of a shock than a surprise.” “Then get shocked. The sudden news of the success of a best friend is always a shock.” He giggled. “What do you mean? Are you a lieutenant colonel now? Come on, no way!” I frowned. “Yes, buddy.” “Seriously, are you serious, Arjun?” “Obviously I am serious.” “If that is true, then you made my day, Arjun. Today all my planets must be in the right position, that’s the reason I am getting good news back-to-back since morning. Well, a piece of news for you. I almost got my first deal today. Arjun, I am on cloud nine.” “Then do one more good thing in your life: take a flight to Udaipur, get my blessing, and stay for two days with me. Let’s rock Udaipur,” Arjun said. “That is a brilliant idea. But as a true friend, I will have to ditch you.” I laughed and continued, “Sorry, brother. I will have to travel to Mhow next week, so I might need to work this weekend, but mark your 12

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calendar this month, after my presentation, I will fly to Udaipur.” “Mhow? What will you be doing in Mhow?” he asked. “Nothing much, I have some official work there,” I replied. “In that case, here’s another shock for today: I will also be in Mhow. Our unit has selected a few people to be in Mhow next week. It looks like God wants us to meet officially,” he smiled. “Yeah, that’s good, Arjun. Then Mhow it is,” I said, and we continued talking for an hour. Out of all my childhood friends, Arjun and I spoke often. But Madhav and I didn’t speak much, maybe only around three or four times since we left Patna. Madhav’s family had left the apartment and shifted to a new place. After that, we still kept in touch. Arjun often spoke to him, but I was completely out of touch. Arjun always told me that Madhav always asked about my whereabouts. I usually got a chance to speak to my mom and dad at least once a week. In these last 3-4 months, working on this proposal had eaten up much of my time. I hadn’t spoken to Rishika in a week. If I did not call her tonight, then for sure it was a disaster waiting to happen. Most of the time, if I couldn’t reply to her message, I would simply reply “I love you,” and she would understand that I was busy and couldn’t text 13

The Silent Shot

her back. I owed Rishika a lot. She was very supportive when I was struggling in my career. I decided that whenever I would propose to her, I would make it such a memorable moment for her that she would not forget it in her lifetime. I called my father and told him about the sales deal that almost closed today. It was my first achievement in the job. He was not aware that I worked as a middleman, so the rest of the story was untold. As per company ethics, I was not supposed to disclose these confidential deals even to my family. According to my father, I was still a sales executive in the chemical company, and an IT job, from his point of view, was the best job today in the world. And like my childhood, I was just circumscribed to be less brainy. He said, “Chemical is a job which has no scope. What chemical you will sell to earn that kind of money? Why don’t you listen to me? Get a job in an IT company. Start from basic. There is also a sales role there. See your aunt’s son Akhil, he is in IT and working in the US for the last two years. He is also in some kind of sales.” “It’s pre-sale, Papa.” “But it has the word ‘sale’ in it, right? That must be lucrative. This young generation always underestimates old people. We also know something about this IT world now.” That reminded me of one of the telephone calls I had with Akhil a couple of months back. His 14

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dictionary was filled with the most abusive words. Four to five in each sentence was common. Sometimes all the words in his sentence were so abusive that the complete sentence didn’t make any sense. No object, no subject. He challenged the concept of sentence formation. Akhil told me once that to make both ends meet, he worked at a gas station sometimes. I knew that fact, but still, I was silent about it while talking to my father. The main issue was me getting compared to someone else’s child even at this age. But now, I accepted it as an unresolved issue in my life. It will never go away. Compared to any relative’s child in the world, I was always a big dimwit. “I have spoken to your aunt; she will give me his email id. You drop him a mail and see if he can help you place there,” my father said. “Okay, Papa, I will do it. I will email my resume to him. Hope rest is okay at home,” I replied. “Yes, all is good. Send me some money. I have to buy some ornaments for your sister’s marriage.” “I will transfer this month-end. Papa, do not worry about expenses. I will send money for her also,” I said, and we hung up. I called Rishika. Her cellphone was not reachable. After calling 3-4 times, I kept the phone down. If she got to know that I didn’t tell her the news about my first sale, she would kill me. I thought of going to the florist shop to pick up some red tulips, white roses, and 15

THE SILENT SHOT Kabir, Madhav, and Lieutenant Colonel arjun are childhood friends. Lieutenant Colonel arjun finds an issue with the new assault rifles the army wants to introduce: rMcar. He gets injured by terrorists in an encounter due to the rifle and wants to present a solid case to the higher authorities to stop the rMcar arms deal from going through. Kabir is behind this deal and wants it to happen because a huge incentive is attached to it. after an unfortunate incident, Kabir realizes that the deal should be stopped, but he finds himself helpless. Madhav, who has worked with politicians, comes to know about rMcar. Kabir and arjun try to convince Madhav to aid them in stopping this deal. Madhav is adamant that he will not help arjun and Kabir. Can they come together and stop this deal from happening? does the army use these weapons and face more causality? Harshvardhan rao is a first-time author, and this book is his first attempt in the field of writing. Harsh works in a bank as a data scientist in the financial crime field. Writing a book has been Harsh’s dream, and he has been waiting for it to come true. Harsh is an avid book reader and mostly reads fiction, Indian history, and inspirational books. apart from this, he is an active biker and has traversed many fascinating locations like Leh, rajasthan, and other parts of India on a bike. He likes to write and tell his story to people. He gets his inspiration from real life and keeps improvising. Price 240