CRAFTY KILLERS WHO ALMOST GOT AWAY!

AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI

Cover Art and Illustrations by The Author

First published by AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI 2022 Copyright © 2022 by AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI ISBN şŝşŞŞŞśŜşŝŞŝř All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. This book is the work of AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI being its Author and has been self-published. All rights in this book of whatsoever nature, to the extent available to an Author of a self-published book belong to AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI. Some stories have been written by heavily depending on various resources like Google, Wikipedia and YouTube etc. and the Author has acknowledged this fact at the bottom of all such stones under “Author’s Note”. AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free. 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. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

First Edition

CONTENTS FOREWORD ............................................................. vii PREFACE ................................................................... ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................... xi DISPENSING DEATH FOR PLEASURE .............. 13 SLIPPING OUT BETWEEN FINGERS .................. 37 THE GOLD-PLATED PARKER PEN .................. 102 A LOVER’S DEATH .............................................. 163 ABOUT THE AUTHOR ........................................ 203 OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR .................... 205

v

FOREWORD

P

ost three publications, Amit Kumar Goswami, is an established author in his own right. To his readers, he does not need an introduction. But for those who are being introduced to his writings for the first time, I would like to say at the very outset that they will meet a mind which applies a researcher’s inquisitiveness into whatever takes his fancy and sensitivity, which can turn an apparently mundane experience into a thing of lively interest. He is an indulgent onlooker of life. He had chosen materials from his first-hand experience or those of others from his immediate surroundings in his previous books. In this book, he has ventured into a completely territory different. He deals with crime and passion. And with his characteristic enthusiasm in probing deep into whatever he comes across, he invests the stories with a life of their own. As I believe that an author is best introduced by his writings themselves, it is futile to comment on them. Ultimately the readers are the best judges. I wish him all the best and look forward to many more stories from his pen. Shubhasree Tagore, Lecturer (Retd) of English Literature, Kolkata.

vii

PREFACE

T

he real-life murder stories have been attracting my interest since my school days. Even today, the details of complicated murder cases published in the newspapers always grab my attention like a magnet. I get amazed by how the Police department painstakingly investigates such cases to bring criminals to book. More fascinating is the advancement made in the field of Forensic Science. In the last story of this book, “A Lover’s Death”, I have tried to highlight the importance and role of Forensic Evidence in crime detection. To apprehend a suspect, the investigators are trained to think like criminals. Criminal psychology intrigues me. In this book, I have tried to delve into the background and psychology of criminals to find why they do what they do. In this effort, I have drawn a lot from Criminal Psychology and Forensic Science to portray characters who appear to be persons made of real flesh and blood. Therefore, this book may not be a straightforward thriller; it may prod the readers to sit back and think about the origin and development of a criminal mind. My lifelong tryst of actual murder stories has culminated into the four ‘not-so-short’ stories published in this book. These stories have been developed over real murder cases with a generous dose of my own imagination to re-create the criminals’ circumstances, locations, social, educational and financial backgrounds. Most of the other characters are the ix

PREFACE

shadows of people I have personally encountered in different times and places. I took a few lessons from Google tutorials on pencil sketching and have made an audacious effort to draw the illustrations myself. A professional will know that the sketches have plenty of technical defects. I request the readers to overlook the shortcomings. I hope my readers will enjoy reading this small book.

x

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I

wish to convey my sincere thanks to my friend, Shubhasree Tagore, who took out valuable time out from her busy schedule to read my book and write a Foreword for it. Next, I would like to thank, Ms Amrita Kirti and Ms Snehlata Agarwala. They have made genuine efforts to spare their precious time out of their demanding jobs and family commitments for doing everything necessary to publish this book. My grateful thanks also go out to the scores of readers of my stories for their unfailing appreciation. Their encouragement has been the principle driving force to energise me to write more books.

xi

“The evil you do, remains with you.”

1 DISPENSING DEATH FOR PLEASURE

H

e was known by a single name, Dr Akbar. If a new visitor in Kalpetta asked for Dr Akbar’s clinic, any person would guide him to Cross Road Mega Mall (popularly known as CRM Mall). If it happened to be a Sunday afternoon, the guide would add helpfully that Dr Akbar may be found at De Paul’s Church compound. Either he would be holding a free clinic near the entrance or delivering a lecture on some health topic in the Church Auditorium. Most possibly, the guide would end up saying with a big grin that Dr Akbar was an excellent doctor. About fifteen years back, Dr Akbar had joined the Wayanad District Hospital of Kalpetta as a junior physician. He fell in love with this picturesque hill station, north of Kerala and with the people there. Like other places in Kerala, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians lived in complete harmony here. There was even a significant Jain population in Kalpetta doing trading 13

AMIT KUMAR GOSWAMI

business. As he was a follower of Islam, the Muslim community embraced him with open arms when he joined the Hospital. Dr Akbar learned that most male members in Kalpetta were away to the Gulf countries as time went by. They earned well and regularly remitted a considerable amount of money to their family back home. Their women folk were responsible for taking care of their families and prominent commercial properties. Since he was a North Indian Muslim doctor, initially, the South Indian Hindu and Christian patients hesitated to get treated by him. Dr Akbar took this challenge head-on to break their mindset to succeed well at this distant place. The Hindu community had large agricultural landholdings, and the Christian Community had an active social life. So, he took on the Christian Community first. He offered to hold a free clinic and deliver lectures voluntarily in De Paul Church, the biggest in Kalpetta. Later on, Dr Akbar started conducting medical camps once a month in other smaller churches. He showed no hesitation in going for house calls to attend to patients in emergency situations at any time during day or night. Occasionally he would drop by to have a cup of tea with a patient or carry a birthday gift for a patient he knew well. Such personal traits are rarely seen in doctors employed in government hospitals. Naturally, his popularity among the Christians skyrocketed in no time. Eventually, the Hindu population followed the Christians to come to him for

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DISPENSING DEATH FOR PLEASURE

treatment. Soon, he became a respected member of society and a reputed doctor of Kalpetta. Dr Akbar served in the Wayanad District Hospital for ten years until he became eligible for a pension. Three months after completing the mandatory ten years of service, he resigned. The authorities were unwilling to let him go, given his tremendous popularity. Still, Dr Akbar was adamant and finally managed to get released with a pension. *** After his release from the service, Dr Akbar opened his private clinic in the Cross Road Mega Mall. His clinic had no-frill and fancy. Its minimalistic furniture included his consultation table and chair, an inspection table, a few books on a rickety rack, a cupboard to keep medicine bottles and a typewriter. He had no assistants or nurses. He worked alone and made his own medicines that he prescribed. He attracted a steady stream of patients like the Pied Piper. His old patients from the Wayanad District Hospital started to consult him in this private clinic. In no time, the clinic turned into a roaring success. At this point, no one knew, and no one even bothered to know the actual background of Dr Akbar. Before arriving at Kalpetta, Dr Akbar had a chequered life with a dubious past. It was a carefully hidden, dark secret. His father, Siraj, was an orphan. He was brought up by the Head Teacher of ‘Madrasa Jamia Arabia’, who treated him like his own son. Siraj had grown up to become an interstate truck driver. He married Fardeen Abbas, whom he had rescued on a 15