"I"-Phone

 

"I" Phone 

25-year-old Ananda was a delivery boy at Flipkart company in a town. Along with work, he used to spend his free time preparing for competitive exams. One evening he went for a delivery and did not come home until late at night. Alarmed, his brother called his manager and inquired. There were four deliveries today. He has delivered three, the fourth is pending. We called his phone, he is not answering. His supervisor said that we are also worried that Ananda has not returned yet. Even in the morning, when Ananda didn’t returned to home, his brother goes to the police station and gave a missing complaint. Another complaint was filed by the Flipkart company that Anand was missing, misusing the items to be delivered and the money paid to him. After registering a missing complaint, the police  searched Ananda's cell phone to find his location. The phone was switched off.

Police called the customers who received items from Ananda. All the customers said that they happily received the items they ordered and paid  money to Ananda. The police thought that Ananda had misappropriated the company's money and absconded. It has been four days since the case was registered. No trace of Ananda could be found. On the same day, a train driver told the railway police that he had seen a bag containing a dead body at the garbage dump near the tracks. The railway police went to the place which was one and a half km away from the town. There was a half-burnt sack lying there, inside which was a partially burnt body. The deceased was a young man aged around 23 or 25 years and was wearing trousers and a shirt. His body and face were half burnt. He had stab wounds on his chest and neck. To trace his identity railway police informs the local police. Local police informed that they had registered a missing case three days ago.

The city police took the Flipkart company staff and Ananda's brother to the spot. The body was identified as Ananda's. The doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination said that Ananda's death took place four days ago and that it was the result of a stab wound to the carotid artery in his neck. He told that he had been beaten by a sharp object six times. The missing case turned into a case of murder and destruction of evidence. When the police inquired from the Flipkart staff as to whom Ananda had made the last delivery of that day, they learned that Ravi had ordered an iPhone. When the police went to Ravi's house, the smell was coming from the house, Deodorant was also used. When the suspicious police brought Ravi to the police station for questioning, he told that he had committed Ananda's murder by himself, saying: I am 21 years old. My father was a retired bank employee and my mother was a teacher. My elder sister is married in another city. I did odd jobs for some time as I did not want to study further after PUC. Then I forced my father to purchase me second hand scooter, after getting a scooter I started working as a delivery boy, I used to earn Rs.15000/-, per month.

15 days ago my father died of heart attack. ``After his rituals actions, my mother went to my sister's house. I was alone at home. I have been obsessed with having an iPhone for several years. Since I can't afford a new phone, I wanted to buy a second-hand iPhone at least, so I checked their prices on the websites. I saw a used refurbished phone on sale for Rs.42,000/- on Flipkart and intended to buy it. But I had only Rs.2,000/-, so I asked loan from friends to settle the remaining amount, no one gave. I worried about this day and night. Then a plan dawned on me. I was a delivery boy in one of these commercial companies for some time, so I had a lot of knowledge about online shopping. I placed an order for a second hand i-phone which I saw on the cart and told that I would pay cash on delivery. Ananda brought the phone to my house two days later. The next day when he came I told him to open the pocket and show me the phone inside. He said he have no rights  to do that. I want to make sure that I get what I ordered when I am paying such a huge amount. Yielding to my pressure, Ananda opened  pocket and showed me phone. Now I have less money. Sent him to come tomorrow. 

The next evening at 7 pm when Ananda came to my house I told my friend is about to bring the remaining money as I had only Rs. 40,000/- , I told him to sit here till he comes. Ananda came inside the house and sat on a chair and started looking at something on his mobile. I said I will get him water and went to the kitchen. I took a new knife that I had already bought and came out, Ananda was engrossed in looking at his mobile and didn't notice me. I suddenly jumped on him and stabbed him in the neck. Blood spurted everywhere from his neck, then repeatedly to his chest. He died on the spot. Immediately took the phone in Anand's hand and switched it off. I stuffed his dead body in the gunny sack I had bought earlier. I dragged the bag to my bathroom and sat there: I put soapy water in a bucket and wiped the blood stains on the floor and walls of the house. As there was blood on my clothes, I untied them and put them in the bag in which Ananda's body was stuffed and put on other clothes. I took the key of Ananda's bike from his bag, came out of the house, started his bike and parked it at a far place. By the time all this happened, it was midnight. That night I started thinking about how to dispose Ananda's body.

The next morning I went to the petrol station near the house and bought two liters of petrol and put it in a can and returned home. I went near the railway track to find where to dump the dead body. The people of the town had thrown garbage near a bush there. I thought that if I throw the dead body there, it will not be found. Even on the next day I was not allowed to carry the dead body. Meanwhile, the dead body rotted and the house smelled bad. I sprayed deodorant. On the fourth day after the murder, I put the body bag on my scooter, threw it near the railway tracks, poured petrol on it and set it on fire and came home. The police arrested Ravi and seized the knife used in the murder, petrol can and Anand's cell phone from his house. A CCTV installed on a town road recorded Ravi carrying a dead body bag on his scooter, it was obtained. A charge sheet against Ravi has been submitted to the court and there is no doubt that he will be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Desires are good, but greediness is bad, Raaju a greedy young boy destroyed his life as well as Anand’s life just for a I-phone. Today or tomorrow by working hard he could have purchased a I-phone, but can he bring back Anand’s life? A minute of greediness took the life away. He destroyed all the dreams of not only Ananda’s family but also destroyed dreams of his own family. Before taking any extreme decision think twice, nothing can be changed once the act is committed. 

Reference

1] Dr.D.V Guruprasad, 2023 September 10, “Iphone  geelu thandha sankata”, A Kshana, Vijayavani, Bengaluru, Page No-8

2] Image from pinterest