3 June 2026..
…Tap… tap… tap…
The sound of leather shoes echoed, tightening the air with tension. A man—around 6'9", towering and intimidating—paced back and forth in a steady rhythm. He wore black goggles, a blue shirt, white denim jeans, and a golden analog watch.
The two witnesses sitting in front of him struggled to keep their eyes raised to his tall, unsettling presence.
Tall Guy (slow voice, drifting like smoke): Are you okay?
Witnesses: Hmm.
Tall Guy: Drink some water before we start.
One Witness: No, sir. We're okay.
Tall Guy: Good. I am Kasi Kashyat, Head of the IBII Council Research Body.
The witnesses sat frozen—not because they didn't want to speak, but because Kasi's personality was naturally intimidating. Still, they were eager to explain what happened. After all, they were among the 72 survivors.
Kasi: Tell me everything you witnessed.
Mr. Shyam, send the others in one by one… or two by two when I say.
Mr. Shyam: Yes, sir.
Kasi: Alright, you two may begin.
Witness 1: Sir… I can't explain what I felt. I'm a journalist—you know that? I've written many articles about kidnappings like this. According to earlier reports, these people kidnap, torture, harvest… and kill brutally. When that thought hit me, my blood froze. I thought it was the same organisation.
One by one, the witnesses shared what they had seen and felt.
Witness 2: I had no idea what was going to happen next… then suddenly that girl came and unlocked my chains like it was nothing.
Witness 3: She handed me a key and told me to free others.
Witness 14: I was worried about my family… then she appeared like an angel.
Witness 25: She said she was scared too, but she believed someone would definitely help us.
Kasi: Do any of you know where she got the key?
Witness 1: No idea, sir.
Witness 2: She said a guard gave it to her.
Witness 3: She said the guard was old… but very human.
Witness 29: A guard gave it to her.
Witness 35: A guard gave her the key.
Kasi: Did you notice anything unusual? Anything strange?
Witness 1: Nothing.
Witness 13: I don't think so.
Witness 26: Yes.
Kasi: What was it?
Witness 28: Gunshots.
Witness 29: Loud and terrifying.
Witness 31: I thought they were going to execute the prisoners.
Witness 38: Some guards ran toward the direction of the shots… but never returned.
Witness 42: I thought an execution was happening. All the guards were heading there.
Kasi: Are any of your relatives still missing?
Witness 25: No.
Witness 32: Everyone I know is safe.
Witness 38: I think… no.
Witness 42: Absolutely not.
Kasi: Anyone know anything about the girl? Any relative of hers?
Witness 1: Yes, an old man. I think her grandfather.
Witness 24: His name was Teer Jwala.
Witness 33: Yes… they kept calling him Teer Jwala.
Kasi asked every witness the same set of questions. But at the end, he selected five specific witnesses to question again: Witness 3, Witness 6, Witness 23, Witness 35, and Witness 40. They waited outside the cabin nervously.
When Witness 42 came out, the five were called in. They entered the cabin and stood still—like polite students facing questions from the subject they feared the most. None of them dared to make eye contact with their examiner.
Kasi sat on his chair with one leg crossed over the other, his arms stretched casually along the chair's backrest.
Kasi: Please sit. Don't be so nervous. I don't want any of you to speak out of anxiety.
The witnesses sat down. Kasi told them not to lie and to speak freely—only the six of them were inside the room, so they could say whatever was weighing on their minds.
Kasi: The girl gave five of you the bundle of keys, right?
Witnesses: Yes, sir.
Kasi: Uhhuh… good. Then she is Detective Teer Jwala's granddaughter. Detective Teer—well-known investigator and founder of Teer Investigation Pvt. Ltd.
Witness 3: As far as I know, yes, she is.
Kasi: What about the rest of you?
Witnesses: Yes, she's his granddaughter.
Kasi: Did anyone see anything more serious?
Witness 6 slowly raised his right hand.
Kasi: Yes, go ahead.
Witness 6: Sir… when I went downstairs to unlock the prisoners, the last door was locked with those thick heavy chains used on our feet. I don't know why, and I didn't have its key. So I left it. But… I didn't feel like anyone was inside.
Kasi: Hmm. So that's how it was.
Kasi: Can anyone tell me who unlocked Teer Jwala?
Witness 3: I didn't.
Witness 6: I didn't unlock him either.
Witness 23: I don't remember if I unlocked him or not… so I'm not sure.
Witness 35: I unlocked only one person, so not him.
Witness 40: I don't remember if I unlocked Teer Jwala.
Kasi: So that means… maybe Annu unlocked him—
Witness 23: No, she didn't. After everyone gathered, she looked upset that Teer wasn't there. She kept asking who unlocked him.
Kasi took a long breath.
Kasi: Uuuhmm… alright. You can all go now. It was good talking to you.
—
Inside his cabin, Kasi compiled all the clues the witnesses had given. After a few hours, he walked to the Investigation Officer-in-Charge's cabin. When he entered, he saw a large high-back chair facing away from him. A young woman was sitting in it, smoking—only her arms and crossed legs were visible.
Kasi: Ma'am, this is the full report of what happened inside the prison.
The woman spoke without turning, her soft voice carrying a strange mixture of intimacy and seriousness.
Woman: Well done, Kasi. You never disappoint. But this was the smaller part of our investigation. Fifty-four passengers of the steamer are still missing. The organisation moved them somewhere else, and we still have no clue where. I believe you already know that.
Kasi: Yes, madam. But by evening, four more people will be summoned from Kinal Sekdi Port HQ.
The woman exhaled smoke.
Woman: Hmm. I'm counting on you. We must rescue the remaining fifty-four passengers.
Kasi: Yes, madam. We will.
Woman: Good. Now, Kasi… proceed with the information you've gathered.
Kasi straightened himself, inhaled slowly, and opened the file in his hand.
Kasi: So… here's what we know so far…
[Chapter 8: Investigation — Part 1 Ends]
[Chapter 9 will come soon]