Episode 31 · The Missing Kamala Devi

Episode 31

Meghla and Ananya standing at the door of Kamala Devi's run-down house

The Missing Kamala Devi

Even after reaching the office in the morning, Meghla's mind wasn't on work.

Kamala Devi's phone was switched off.

She hadn't joined her new workplace either.

This couldn't just be a coincidence.

Meghla called again and again.

Every time, the same response— "The number you are trying to call is switched off."

Around noon, Meghla gathered her courage and went to Rajat Dutta's cabin.

— "Sir, Kamala Devi hasn't come to office today. Has anyone tried to contact her?"

Without looking up from his computer, Rajat Dutta said,

— "Is keeping track of a cleaning staff now your job?"

— "She could be unwell..."

Rajat Dutta said coldly,

— "HR will handle it. You focus on your own work."

Meghla realized she wouldn't get any help here.

In the afternoon, the audit team head Amitabha Chakraborty came to the office again.

He noticed unusual worry on Meghla's face.

— "Is something wrong?"

Meghla stayed silent for a few seconds, then said,

— "An employee has suddenly gone missing."

— "Missing?"

— "Yes... she was here until yesterday. There's no trace of her today."

Amitabha-babu took the matter seriously.

He simply said,

— "If you have any contact information for her family, give it to me."

After office hours, Meghla and Ananya set out for Kamala Devi's house.

A small, run-down house on the outskirts of the city.

The door wasn't locked.

As they stepped inside, an elderly woman came out.

— "Who are you looking for?"

— "Is Kamala Devi at home?"

Tears welled up in the old woman's eyes.

— "Yesterday afternoon, two men came saying it was about the office and took her away. She never came back."

Meghla's chest tightened.

— "Did you recognize the two men?"

— "No, dear. But they said she needed to sign some urgent company papers."

Ananya and Meghla looked at each other.

The same question was on both their minds— who had called Kamala away?

Just then, the old woman pulled a small envelope out of the cupboard.

— "Before Kamala left, she gave me this and said, if a girl named Meghla ever comes, hand it to her."

Meghla's hands began to tremble.

She slowly opened the envelope.

Inside was a small piece of paper.

It had just one line written on it— "Check the sweet shop's accounts... the truth is hidden there."

Below it was another number— Locker No. 17

Meghla was stunned. Which locker? Where?

At that very moment, the sound of a motorbike was heard outside the house.

Two unfamiliar men stopped in front of the house.

One said to the other—

— "We're too late... looks like the envelope has already reached them."

Meghla saw the two men through a gap in the window.

She felt that this was no longer just a fight for the truth — it had become a fight to save her own life too.

To be continued...

Episode 32

Meghla holding the sealed envelope at City Co-operative Bank

Locker Number 17

As the sound of the motorbike stopped outside, Meghla quickly tucked the paper into her bag.

Ananya whispered,

— "We need to leave through the back door."

Just then came a loud pounding on the door. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone shouted,

— "Open the door! We're from the company."

Kamala Devi's elderly mother, trembling, started moving toward the door.

Meghla stopped her.

— "Don't open the door."

Meghla and Ananya slipped out through the narrow back lane.

The two of them quickly got into a rickshaw and left.

Sitting in the rickshaw, Ananya asked,

— "What does Locker Number 17 mean?"

Meghla took out the paper again.

Another small note caught her eye. "C.C.B." — she hadn't noticed it before.

— "What could C.C.B. mean?"

Ananya thought for a moment and said,

— "Maybe it's the name of a bank."

The next morning, Meghla reached the office and said nothing to anyone.

She went about her work as usual.

But Rajat Dutta sensed a strange confidence in Meghla's expression.

He told Sanjay,

— "She must have found something. Keep an eye on her."

During lunch, Meghla left the office and went to a nearby old bank.

Seeing the bank's name made her heart skip a beat. "City Co-operative Bank" — CCB for short.

She realized the "C.C.B." in Kamala Devi's note likely meant this very bank.

She approached a bank officer and said,

— "Is there a Locker Number 17 here?"

The officer, surprised, said,

— "There is. But we can't share any information except with the locker's owner."

Meghla didn't say anything more.

Just then, another elderly officer was passing by.

He stopped upon seeing Meghla.

— "Do you know Kamala Devi?"

Meghla, surprised, said,

— "Yes. How did you know?"

The gentleman said slowly,

— "Kamala Devi came here three months ago. She said, if a girl named 'Meghla' ever came, an envelope should be given to her. But the condition was that it couldn't be handed over until her death or disappearance was confirmed."

A chill ran through Meghla.

— "Then...?"

The gentleman sighed and said,

— "I saw in the newspaper this very morning that Kamala Devi has been missing for three days. A police complaint has already been filed. So it seems the time has come."

He went to the vault and brought back a sealed brown envelope.

Written in bold letters on the envelope— "For Meghla Only."

Meghla's hands were shaking.

She slowly took the envelope in her hands.

At that very moment, a black car pulled up outside the bank.

Sitting inside, Rajat Dutta watched the bank's door through binoculars, smiled faintly, and said—

"So you finally found the locker... now let's see how far you can get with that envelope."

To be continued...

Episode 33

Meghla and Ananya stunned, holding two different copies of the tender

The Sealed Envelope

Meghla sat down in a quiet corner inside the bank.

Her hands were trembling.

Ananya said softly,

— "Will you open it?"

Meghla nodded and broke the envelope's seal.

Three things came out of it.

1. A letter written by Kamala Devi.

2. Photocopies of some documents.

3. A password written on a small piece of paper.

Meghla began by reading the letter.

"Dear Meghla, I have worked at this office for many years. While sweeping, I've overheard many things. I don't know the law, but I can recognize wrongdoing."

The papers I'm giving you aren't enough to prove anyone guilty. They will only point the way to the truth.

The sweet shop is only where the money changes hands. The real accounts are hidden in the tender documents.

Fight this the right way, within the law. — Kamala Devi

After reading the letter, Meghla opened the second envelope.

Inside were the tender papers for a large construction project.

Two different copies of the same job.

The first copy read— Project value: ₹18,75,000

The second copy read— Project value: ₹28,75,000

Meghla exclaimed in disbelief,

— "The same tender... but ten lakh rupees more!"

Ananya compared the documents and said,

— "If this is true, then the company's money has been embezzled."

Another piece of paper listed several bank transaction dates.

Beside each date was a code— GK-247, RK-115, MS-390

Meghla suddenly said,

— "I've seen these codes on the sweet shop's receipts!"

Ananya started to understand.

— "So the shop receipts are actually a signal for the bribe. Once the tender is approved, that money reaches the manager through another route."

Meghla then opened the small piece of paper.

It read— Password: MGV_2019

She returned home and plugged the pen drive into her laptop.

As soon as she entered the password, a new folder opened. "Private Records"

Inside were some bank transaction screenshots, revised tender documents, and a video file.

The video was named— Meeting_Room_Backup.mp4

Meghla was about to play the video...

Just then, the power suddenly went out across the whole house.

Her phone rang. An unknown number.

The moment she picked up, a cold voice spoke—

"Close whatever file you've opened. Otherwise, it won't just be your job... your whole life will change."

The call ended.

Meghla understood— she had reached a truth from which there was no turning back.

To be continued...

Episode 34

Meghla watching the secret video by laptop light in a dark room

The Secret Video

Meghla didn't sleep all night.

The phone threat kept echoing in her ears. "It won't just be your job... your whole life will change."

At dawn, the power came back.

Meghla shut the door and turned the laptop on again.

She plugged in the pen drive and opened the file Meeting_Room_Backup.mp4.

As the video began, it showed a small meeting room.

The video was dated three years back.

The camera had probably been placed in a corner of the room.

The video showed a contractor placing a file on the table.

A few minutes later, Rajat Dutta entered the room.

But no exchange of money was visible in the video.

Rajat Dutta only said—

"It'll be taken care of. Same as before. Just hand over the code at the counter, and they'll handle the rest."

The contractor nodded and left.

The video ended there.

After watching, Ananya said,

— "It does raise suspicion, but on its own, this won't hold up as proof in court or in an investigation."

Meghla nodded.

— "Yes. No money is visible here. Just a conversation."

She then began looking through the bank transaction screenshots.

Something caught her attention.

Every time a large tender was approved, a big sum was deposited into a specific account within a day or two.

But the account name was partially hidden. Only the last four digits were visible— ...4582

Meghla wrote the number down in her diary.

Just then, her phone rang.

It was the audit team head, Amitabha Chakraborty, on the other end.

— "Miss Meghla, I'm coming to the office again this afternoon. I'd like to discuss some documents."

Meghla thought for a moment and said,

— "Sir, I have some information. But I'm not sure how significant it is."

Amitabha-babu said calmly,

— "Very good. Remember, assumption and proof are not the same thing. Just show me what you have. We'll verify the rest."

These words gave Meghla courage.

Meanwhile, Rajat Dutta was sitting in his cabin.

Sanjay rushed in and said,

— "Sir, I got word. The audit team is coming again this afternoon."

Rajat Dutta stayed silent for a few seconds.

Then he said slowly,

— "If Meghla meets with them, the trouble will only grow. Today, we cannot let her reach the audit team, no matter what."

Sanjay asked,

— "What will you do?"

Rajat Dutta answered with a cold smile,

— "Not in the office... today, an accusation will come against her that will keep her too busy proving her own innocence."

That afternoon, as soon as Meghla walked into the office, she saw—

A new notice had been put up on the HR department's noticeboard.

"A departmental inquiry has been launched against an employee over allegations of leaking confidential documents."

Below it was written— "The employee concerned must appear before the inquiry committee today at 4 PM."

Seeing the name on the last line, Meghla's heart pounded. It was her own name.

To be continued...

Episode 35

Meghla standing before the inquiry committee, proving her innocence

Facing the Accusation

Four in the afternoon.

Standing outside the conference room, Meghla took a deep breath.

The accusation against her— "Attempting to leak confidential company documents."

Meghla knew the accusation was entirely false.

But she also knew that if she couldn't prove the truth, everyone would believe the lie.

As she entered, she saw a departmental inquiry committee already seated.

Three members. The head of HR, a representative from the legal department, and a senior company official.

Rajat Dutta was present too — as the complainant.

Auditor Amitabha Chakraborty was also sitting in the back row.

He wasn't saying anything, just observing.

The HR head said,

— "Miss Meghla, a complaint has been made against you that you took copies of confidential office documents outside. What do you have to say?"

Meghla answered calmly,

— "I have not illegally taken any confidential documents outside."

Rajat Dutta immediately placed a paper on the table.

— "Sir, last week she went outside the office multiple times carrying audit files. Many employees have seen it."

— "I never took the original files outside the office."

The legal representative asked,

— "Do you have any copies of company documents in your possession?"

Meghla stayed silent for a moment.

The documents and pen drive Kamala Devi had given her were still in her bag.

She realized that revealing everything now could put Kamala Devi's identity and the entire investigation at risk.

She answered,

— "I have some information that was given to me personally. But I don't want to accuse anyone without verifying its source first."

Whispers started around the room.

Rajat Dutta seized the opportunity and said,

— "You see? She's admitting herself that she has company information in her possession."

Meghla responded immediately,

— "That's not what I said. I only said some information has reached me, whose authenticity hasn't been verified yet."

Amitabha Chakraborty spoke for the first time.

— "May I ask a question?"

Everyone on the committee agreed.

He asked Meghla,

— "Have you used that information for personal gain?"

— "No, sir."

— "Sold it to anyone?"

— "No."

— "Disclosed it to anyone?"

— "No."

Amitabha-babu nodded.

— "Then the authenticity of the information should be verified first. It wouldn't be right to make a decision based on accusation alone."

Just then, an office assistant rushed into the room.

In her hand was a sealed envelope.

— "Sir, this came by courier. It says— 'For the Inquiry Committee'."

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

The HR head opened the envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

It was typed— "If you want to know the truth, examine Madhumoy Sweet Shop's bank transactions for the past three years. You won't find the truth by questioning employees alone."

No name. No signature. Just one line at the bottom— "A well-wisher."

The mood in the room shifted instantly.

The color drained from Rajat Dutta's face.

Amitabha Chakraborty stared intently at the paper.

He said slowly—

"It seems this investigation will need to be widened."

Rajat Dutta realized... for the first time, the situation was slipping beyond his control.

To be continued...