By 4 PM, the area around the destroyed warehouse had turned into complete chaos.
Police barricades had sealed off the entire location. Ambulances stood lined up outside while paramedics rushed injured people onto stretchers. Media vans had already gathered outside the perimeter, reporters speaking loudly into cameras while trying to understand what exactly had happened inside.
Rangeela's injured men were sitting under police watch, receiving treatment, while the workers found inside the warehouse were also being given medical attention. The entire place looked like the aftermath of a war zone.
Naina stood near the barricade, staring silently at the wreckage.
Her uniform was still covered in dust, and exhaustion was clearly visible on her face, but her mind was still working through everything that had happened.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Ma'am."
Naina turned slightly.
It was Nitin.
"Raghu ka update?" she asked directly.
Nitin straightened himself before answering.
"Ma'am, doctors ke according uski body ki almost har major bone fractured hai. Internal injuries bhi kaafi serious hain. Honestly… doctors khud samajh nahi paa rahe woh zinda kaise hai."
Naina's expression hardened.
"Ganesh?"
"ICU mein hain, ma'am. Condition ab stable hai, lekin recovery mein time lagega. Raghu ke attack se kaafi damage hua hai."
Naina remained silent for a moment.
Then she looked around at the massive police deployment.
"Ek baat samajh nahi aa rahi. Itni jaldi itni police force yahan kaise pahunch gayi?"
Nitin answered immediately.
"Ma'am, control room ko anonymous complaint mili thi. Information di gayi thi ki is warehouse mein illegal activities chal rahi hain. Situation serious lagne par nearby police units immediately dispatch kar di gayi."
Naina frowned.
"Anonymous complaint?"
"Yes ma'am."
For a few seconds, she said nothing.
Then she spoke.
"Yeh coincidence nahi lag raha."
Nitin looked surprised.
"Ma'am?"
Nitin's face became serious.
"Internal leak ho sakta hai?"
"Ya phir kisi ne bahar information pass ki."
Naina crossed her arms and looked toward the wreckage again.
"Anjali wahan kya kar rahi thi?"
Nitin hesitated.
"Usne kuch bataya?"
"Abhi nahi."
Naina's voice had become colder now.
"Ek civilian directly active crime scene ke andar kaise pahunchti hai? Woh bhi us jagah jahan armed criminals maujood the."
Nitin stayed silent.
Then Naina asked the question that had been bothering her the most.
"Aur woh masked man?"
Nitin exhaled slowly.
"Uske baare mein kuch clear nahi hai, ma'am. Koi identity nahi. Clear footage nahi. Statements bhi confusing hain."
Naina stayed quiet.
That word wasn't wrong.
Because even she had seen enough to know normal explanation weak.
Nitin spoke again.
"Ma'am… honestly ek baat samajh nahi aa rahi."
"Kya?"
"Agar woh masked man nahi hota… toh casualties aur zyada hoti."
Naina's eyes remained fixed on the broken warehouse.
After a few seconds, she answered quietly.
"Maybe."
But the real problem was something else.
She still didn't know—
Was that man a criminal…
Or the only reason people were alive?
None of them had a proper answer.
Naina finally looked at the time and exhaled slowly. Standing there any longer would not magically make evidence confess, tragically.
"We're leaving," she said in a firm voice.
Nitin immediately nodded.
Before heading out, Naina called the officers handling the scene and gave clear instructions. The forensic team was to examine every inch of the warehouse remains carefully. Every survivor, whether worker or gangster, was to be questioned properly once medically cleared. Any CCTV footage from nearby roads, buildings, or traffic cameras had to be collected immediately.
Then her tone became even sharper.
"Aur agar koi bhi unusual cheez mile… koi object, evidence, witness statement, kuch bhi… mujhe directly inform karna. Kisi aur ke through nahi."
"Yes, ma'am."
She gave one final look at the destroyed warehouse.
Even after everything, something about that place still felt unfinished.
As if the real story had not even started yet.
Without saying anything else, Naina walked toward the police vehicle. Nitin followed behind her, carrying the case file. Both of them had to return to the station now. A formal report had to be prepared about everything that had happened that day, and considering the scale of the incident, that report was going to be massive.
Within minutes, the police vehicle pulled away from the scene.
But neither of them noticed—
The questions from that warehouse had followed them.
A few hours earlier, Krishna had returned to the News 24 office after finishing what he thought was nothing more than a favor.
That morning, Sumit had called him sounding genuinely worried. According to him, his mother's health had suddenly become serious, and he needed to rush to the hospital immediately. He had requested Krishna to please handle the assignment in his place just for the day. Since Krishna had no reason to doubt him, he agreed without making an issue out of it.
After reaching the old warehouse, Krishna had clicked as many useful photos as he could. The place had looked suspicious enough, but Krishna quickly understood one thing. This was not cultural department material. It looked more like something for the crime desk. So instead of directly getting involved further, he simply returned to the office with the camera, planning to hand everything over once Sumit came back.
There was another reason too.
If Sanjay Verma found Krishna unnecessarily poking around in something outside his department, there would be another pointless lecture waiting for him. Krishna had no interest in dealing with that nonsense today.
But when he entered the office, Sumit was nowhere to be seen.
Krishna looked around once, then placed the camera carefully on the desk beside him. Since Sumit wasn't there, there was no point standing around with it in his hand. He would show the photos later.
By then, exhaustion had fully caught up with him.
His body felt drained after the heat, the running around, and the strange atmosphere at the warehouse. He leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes for just a moment, and without realizing it, drifted into sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly woke up.
The office felt different.
Much louder.
Phones were ringing nonstop. People were moving quickly between desks. Multiple television screens were flashing breaking news banners, and the usual relaxed office atmosphere had completely disappeared.
Krishna sat upright, still half asleep, trying to understand what had happened.
Before he could make sense of anything, a shadow stopped in front of his desk.
Krishna looked up.
Sanjay Verma stood there.
For once, there was no angry expression on his face.
That alone felt strange.
Without saying much, Sanjay casually placed a folded paper on Krishna's desk.
"Isse padh lena," he said flatly.
Krishna frowned.
"Sir?"
"Sign karke baad mein de dena."
That was all.
No scolding.
No sarcasm.
No unnecessary comments.
Which somehow felt worse.
Sanjay turned and walked away as calmly as he had arrived.
Krishna stared at the paper for a second before opening it.
The moment he read it—
His expression changed.
Department transfer.
For a few seconds, Krishna simply sat there holding the letter, his tired mind struggling to process what exactly had just happened.
Because as far as he knew—
He had done absolutely nothing wrong.
END OF THE CHAPTER