00:00You can't escape by Anurani Ghosh. New Delhi, the capital city of India,
00:05is a lively urban center that beautifully combines its rich heritage with modern advancements.
00:10Crafted by British architects Edwin Lutians and Herbert Baker in the early 1900s,
00:15it stands as the political and administrative heart of the nation.
00:19The city is adorned with famous landmarks like India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Lotus
00:24Temple, showcasing a blend of colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers.
00:28As a cultural hub, it offers a variety of cuisines, vibrant markets,
00:33and important historical sites such as Humayun's tomb and Khatab Manar.
00:37While New Delhi has its allure, it also grapples with issues like air pollution and traffic jams,
00:42yet it continues to thrive as a bustling center for business, education, and governance in India.
00:48New Delhi took significant steps to tackle air pollution by creating urban forests and
00:53biodiversity parks aimed at protecting native ecosystems and giving residents a chance to
00:57enjoy nature. The Delhi Development Authority, DDA, working alongside the Center for Environmental
01:03Management of Degraded Ecosystems, SEMD, at the University of Delhi, has set up a network of
01:09biodiversity parks throughout the city. These parks are home to a wide variety of plants,
01:14animals, and microorganisms, all thriving in ecologically balanced communities.
01:19They provide numerous ecological benefits, such as capturing carbon, recharging groundwater,
01:25and offering educational and recreational opportunities for the urban population.
01:29These efforts not only help maintain biodiversity but also provide residents with places to engage
01:35with nature, ultimately improving the city's environmental health and overall quality of life.
01:40So this was a quick overview of Delhi to give you a glimpse of the setting for this story.
01:46January 15, 2013, 7 a.m. A janitor was walking through a biodiversity park in South Delhi,
01:54where the lush greenery creates a dense forest atmosphere. As he strolled, he spotted four
01:59bundles wrapped in newspaper, tucked inside four medium-sized trash bags. The bundles were ripped open,
02:05revealing some dry red stains on the outside of the bags. The police arrived and proceeded to open
02:11all the bags. Inside, they found two severed female feet, along with some toes and fingers.
02:18January 17, 2013, 1.15 p.m.
02:23In another part of South Delhi, there's an urban forest where a guard was enjoying a walk after
02:27his lunch break. As he wandered, he spotted some garbage bags tucked away near a bush beneath a large
02:33tree. Curious, he approached one of the bags and opened it, only to discover the severed head of a
02:39woman inside. Unfortunately, the face was beyond recognition, and he also found some elbows, palms,
02:45and fingers. He promptly notified the police.
02:50Later that day, while continuing their search in the same area, the police discovered additional
02:55body parts, including the upper sections of the legs and severed parts of the upper torso.
03:00January 18, 2013, 6 a.m.
03:04Dvarka, located in southwest Delhi, was once a sparsely populated region on the outskirts of the city.
03:10It was emerging as a new sub-city, with numerous expansive societies being developed.
03:16A significant portion of the area remained covered in forest.
03:20Back then, all these under-construction society apartments were typically encircled by dense jungles.
03:27One guard from one of these society apartments ventured into the nearby jungle for a moment of
03:32privacy. While there, he noticed two garbage bags tied with strings nestled in a nearby bush.
03:38He felt a bit uneasy and decided to reach out to his supervisor.
03:42When the supervisor arrived, he opened one of the bags and discovered a severed arm inside.
03:48Both of them were terrified and chose not to contact the police, fearing they might be questioned and
03:53that the authorities wouldn't buy their story and they might get arrested.
03:57January 21, 2013, 1 p.m.
04:01A group of local individuals reported a foul odor to the Dvarka police station.
04:06In response, the police arrived to investigate the area,
04:10where two guards had previously found body parts in a nearby forest.
04:14Following an initial investigation, the police learned about the two guards who
04:18discovered the body parts on January 18. The officers interrogated the guards,
04:24but their conflicting accounts raised further suspicions.
04:27As a result, the police took the two guards into custody for additional questioning.
04:32The South Delhi police and Dvarka police joined forces to determine if the body parts found in
04:37both South Delhi and Dvarka belonged to the same woman.
04:40The forensic team, along with the police, successfully established that the
04:44discovered body parts belonged to the same woman. The case attracted significant media coverage,
04:51causing public fear in putting pressure on the police to resolve it quickly.
04:55A team was assembled, consisting of the city's top detectives,
04:59with Mr. A. Paul appointed as the chief detective.
05:02The two guards who had been arrested and held by the police had been released,
05:06as no evidence was found against them. The primary task now is to identify the woman.
05:11A police artist created a potential sketch of her with assistance from the forensic team,
05:16who also highlighted the marks on her body. A key detail discovered was that two fingers on
05:22her right hand were fused together. The image and accompanying details were
05:26featured in every national newspaper. The police team was putting in a lot of effort,
05:31but they hadn't made any progress. No one stepped up to help identify the victim.
05:37The police proceeded with the cremation of the victim since no one stepped up to take
05:41responsibility for the body. As February came to a close, the team's enthusiasm for the case began
05:48to wane. With no leads or identifications in sight, it seemed like it was heading toward being labeled
05:54a cold case. March 1, 2013, 10.30pm. The weather in Delhi was quite nice, with temperatures that were
06:02just right, not too hot and not too cold. However, Chief Detective Mr. Paul was feeling under the
06:08weather, battling a cold and cough brought on by the changing climate. After wrapping up his work,
06:14he was heading home around 10.30pm. His cough had worsened, and he wasn't feeling his best.
06:21He decided to stop by a chemist shop to pick up some medicine for his cold and cough on his
06:25way home.
06:26While driving through the South Extension area of South Delhi, he spotted two chemist shops.
06:32One was closed, but the other was open. He requested the driver to pull over and went
06:38into the open shop to purchase some medicines. The shop was in a rather shabby state, with nearly
06:43all the shelves bare. A man was seated at the counter.
06:48Mr. Paul requested some cold and cough medicines. The man asked him to hold on while he searched
06:54through the shelves and the cupboard. The man informed Mr. Paul that they were out of
06:59cough and cold medicines. Mr. Paul was quite taken aback and inquired why such essential
07:04medications were unavailable. The employee explained that there wasn't much he could do
07:09about the stock situation since he was just working there. He mentioned that the owner hadn't been
07:14around for a month, which had never happened before. Mr. Paul exited the shop and returned to his car,
07:21where the driver began to drive away. As he sat there, Mr. Paul couldn't shake off the thought of the
07:26shop owner's month-long absence, which, according to the employee, was unprecedented.
07:31This revelation surprised him, prompting him to ask the driver to make a turn and head back to the
07:36shop. Mr. Paul visited the shop and inquired with the shop employee about the owner's address.
07:43After noting it down, he returned to his car.
07:47An experienced detective's sixth sense is their finely-tuned intuition,
07:50a gut instinct that helps them detect inconsistencies,
07:53sense deception, and notice subtle details in a case.
07:57This skill often stems from years of experience and keen observation,
08:00allowing them to feel that something isn't right, even when there's no solid evidence to back it up.
08:05It's essentially the knack for sensing that something is amiss without being able to pinpoint
08:10exactly why. It seems that this sixth sense prompted Mr. Paul to return and investigate the
08:16reason behind the owner's absence.
08:18March 2, 2013
08:21Mr. Paul visited the home of Neil Roy, the chemist shop owner, located in a middle-class
08:26neighborhood of South Delhi. Upon arrival, he found the house locked from the outside.
08:32Curious about Neil Roy, he inquired with the neighbors, who informed him that Neil Roy's
08:37wife, Aruna, had been admitted to RM Gupta Hospital due to typhoid.
08:42According to the neighbors, this was the information Neil Roy had shared with them.
08:47For the past month, they hadn't seen Neil Roy or his family, who have a four-year-old daughter.
08:53Doubt intensified.
08:54The police team regained their motivation and headed to RM Gupta Hospital to inquire about Aruna Roy.
09:01Upon arrival, they discovered that no one by that name had been admitted during that time.
09:05This led the team to believe that the victim could indeed be Aruna.
09:10They set their informants in motion across the city.
09:14One of the informants reported that Neil Roy had another residence in South Delhi,
09:18just two kilometers from his current residence.
09:21However, he was unable to provide the exact address of this second location.
09:26Plainclothes police officers were stationed all around the area.
09:30March 4, 2013, 4.30am
09:34A constable stationed in the area spotted a man wearing a hoodie leaving a house.
09:39He approached the man and inquired if his name was Neil Roy.
09:43The man, appearing to be in his thirties, glanced at the constable and confirmed that he was indeed
09:48Neil Roy. On that particular day, Neil Roy found himself at the police station.
09:54When questioned about his wife, he revealed that she had run away with her lover.
09:59He felt unable to share this information with anyone, fearing it would bring disgrace to his
10:03family, which is why he had left home. When inquired about his daughter, he mentioned
10:08that she was staying with one of his friends. He mentioned during questioning that his parents
10:13had died. His wife's parents reside in a quaint town in North India.
10:19Police arrived at the location where Neil Roy was believed to be keeping his daughter.
10:24Upon their arrival, they discovered a lovely woman residing in the apartment.
10:28It turned out that she was a close friend of Neil Roy.
10:32The police needed to confirm whether the victim was indeed Aruna Roy.
10:37They decided to publish her picture along with the details in the newspapers,
10:41this time specifically naming her as Aruna Roy.
10:44Neil Roy firmly denied knowing the address of Aruna's parents,
10:48claiming that they disapproved of their marriage and had severed all ties with her.
10:52Therefore, he was unaware of where his wife's parents lived.
10:55A few days later, Aruna's parents contacted the police, who requested them to come to Delhi.
11:02Upon their arrival, Aruna's parents recognized her immediately.
11:06They noted that their daughter had conjoined fingers on her right hand.
11:10The police began to apply pressure on Neil Roy to reveal the truth.
11:14After several days of relentless questioning, Neil Roy finally broke down and confessed to his crime.
11:20He explained that he was deeply in love with his special friend and wanted to marry her.
11:25However, Aruna was unwilling to grant him a divorce.
11:29Compounding his troubles, his business was struggling, and he was facing a significant financial crisis.
11:36He viewed Aruna as a burden.
11:39In a chilling revelation, he admitted to planning Aruna's murder.
11:43His special friend was completely unaware of his marriage and had no involvement in the crime.
11:48He presented his daughter to his friend as his far-off niece.
11:52If Detective Mr. Paul had ignored his gut feeling that day,
11:56the crime might have stayed unresolved and eventually become a cold case.
12:00As the saying goes, intuition doesn't always tell you what you want to hear,
12:04it tells you what you need to hear.
12:06Disclaimer.
12:07All the characters in this tale are entirely fictional.
12:11Any similarity to actual individuals, whether alive or deceased, is purely coincidental.
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