On reaching the hall, he found that comm. Seth was already with the prisoner in the room and went straight to join them.

A surprise awaited him, seeing no policemen or bodyguards around the prisoner. Both men sat on the sofa facing each other and talking with a frown on their faces.

"What is this? Are you not going to arrest him and question him?" he addressed the comm. as he moved into the room taking them by surprise.

Comm. Seth raised his hand stalling Bandu's protests and indicated to him to calm down.

"Sit down, Maan," he requested motioning to the seat beside him.

Although furious and bewildered he did as he was asked, throwing a suspicious glance at Ravi.

"Maan, calm down and listen carefully with a free mind and without any distrust or doubt," comm Seth said.

"Ok sir, I will listen if you say so,"

"It would be better if he told his own story," comm. Seth said looking at Ravi.

"It will be all lies...that is what he has been doing all this time...deceiving us all,"

"First listen to what I have to say and then pass your verdict,"

"You want me to trust you...when you have already broken it?"

"Maan! One last time, let me explain things. You are right in one thing and I don't deny that I am that criminal's son. That monster of the man had forcefully married my mother, who remained terrified of him as long as she lived. To his son, he was a brute, and he terrorized me as a child. One day I saw him drag my mother into the house and beat her so badly that she was about to pass out. At that moment he pulled out a dagger and stabbed her multiple times. Watching all this from behind the door, I was paralyzed to silence," Ravi had a forlorn look in his eyes as he paused. Bandu understood his pain as he had gone through a similar trauma of being a witness to his father's death.

"But why did he do it?"

"I don't know why, but while he was brutally kicking her, he was asking her, why she went there and helped them escape. He was asking her their whereabouts, but my mother did not answer any of his questions and took all the beating. She never imagined that he would stab her,"

"He didn't see you behind the door?"

"No, if he had...I would have met the same fate as my mother. He left her there bleeding. I came out and ran straight to where she lay in a pool of blood unconscious. I held her warm hands until it began to feel cold. Soon people came and carried her away, leaving me behind. I sat in the corner of the room all that time shocked. No one came to find me and I passed out of exhaustion and hunger. Later when I opened my eyes, I found myself at a different place. It was Sultana Begum, as she was called by everyone, who raised me and sent me to school. Pooja is her daughter,"

"How is she related to your father?"

"She was a victim of my father's atrocities once and was shadowing him to kill him. She took me away when she came to know what happened to my mother, fearing the same fate for me,"

"Your father didn't search for you?"

"I don't know, but was glad to be away from him and lead a life without fear,"

"When Sultana Begum died, I took care of Razia(Pooja) as I called her,"

"How did you meet your father again, then?"

"Through Boran, who was lodged in jail for the Bali murder case. He was a drug addict and I came to know that he was desperate for a shot of cocaine. He told me all that I wanted to know when I dangled his prize in front of him. From Raka to how they planned to kill Pooja, everything he spilled out. I wanted to kill him there and then, but remembered that I was in disguise and had to get out without being noticed. But before leaving I emptied his prize in his toilet and left the cell, with him crying in despair over the pot,"

"Do you know who killed him?"

"Yes. Raka's men. He wanted him dead knowing his weakness,"

"How did you know that?"

"I induced myself into his gang,"

"You what!!" Bandu exclaimed, "How did you do that?"

"I told him who I was. He did not believe me initially, but let him believe how he would benefit from me and my position in the army. He took the bait but kept tabs on me,"

"Why staked your position in the army? But why?"

"For Pooja. I wanted him to pay for his crimes,"

"Why did you deceive me?"

"I had to, Maan, I couldn't tell you about him. Because if I did, you would have run away again with his men on your heels trying to hurt you and your family. I didn't want another family destroyed, so I convinced him that I would get you to Ghatti on your own accord. You nor him, both of you ever told me why he needed you at Ghatti. I tried to ask you many times and also indicated that you were hiding something, but you wouldn't tell me anything. And if I had told you the truth, would you have believed me?"

"No, I would not have believed you,"

"On the contrary, I would have lost a good friend. I came here today to tell you everything and ask for your forgiveness"

"So all those notes...accidents and my unconscious neighbors...was that your plan,"

"They had planned to hurt Sakhi first and when I learned of it, I spoilt it for them. So they just taught me a lesson. The others were without my knowledge as then they had begun to distrust me. I had to win back his confidence again and for that, I agreed to get him a big consignment of arms and ammunition"

"But...but that's treason, Ravi. How could you do that!?"

"Don't worry Maan, I never did anything treacherous and would never do in the future. I had to dive deep to search for the length and depth of his crime world so that I could destroy him in its entirety. I went with his plans and understood that he could never harm you because you were his key to the treasure in the mountains of Ghatti,"

"What do you mean?" comm. Seth now asked.

"Only Maan could step into that place in Ghatti without a scratch because he belonged to that tribe,"

"There is no treasure in the mountains, it's all a myth," Bandu insisted

"I don't know about that, but one thing is clear for sure, only you can step into that place," Ravi said.

"If that is so then researchers might come up to you to help them" comm. Seth said.