"We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope. "
-Martin Luther King Jr

Sampurnaa's pov:

Everything was black around me when I felt someone shaking me back to reality.
It was Zeenat with the other woman who apparently ran the place.
They sprinkled some water on me to bring me to a conscious state.
I woke up with a lot of difficulties. A pounding headache restraining me from opening my eyes completely.

The woman did not give me a chance to recover, she had to speak, "Listen you girl! I want you to get up and eat something before getting dressed up properly. Customers would be arriving soon. Zeenat will help you get ready and mind you, this passing out business won't get you anywhere. It is better if you submit willingly!"

She stormed out of the room while Zeenat helped me up.
She gave me some water to drink and also fed me some dry chapati ( an Indian bread) that I had trouble swallowing.
After all this, she pushed me to take a shower.

When I came out, she draped another heavy Saree that was showing more skin than a normal, decent one. She did my hair and applied some lipstick. I was sitting like a corpse all this while. Was I trapped in a way that there was no escape?
Zeenat left me after a while and locked the door again.

This time I did not break down into sobs.

Crying would never help me!

I searched for my phone and found it exactly where I had left it... Under the bed. I picked up the Saree I had worn and took out the mini camera. It had shut due for some reason.
I sighed hopelessly.

And then decided to call someone and google my location. There was no internet access here! Someone must have deliberately blocked servers so the women here have no means of contacting anyone outside.

I tried calling Senior and my teammates but the network here was not strong enough! I tried calling Mr. Chakraborty. After multiple failed attempts, I stopped.

It was 7.30 now... Was there truly no escape for me?

I could hear some noise coming from downstairs which indicated that more people were arriving gradually.

As one last hope, I dialed Mr. Chakraborty's number.
I prayed for this to work out! I prayed for my safety!
And as if by miracle, the call went through!

"Mr. Chakraborty? I am Sampurnaa! I am still here. Please send someone here to rescue me! There's something big going on here undercover! I don't want to get caught by the women here. I have to be here for gathering some more evidence! But please, do save me from being violated! Send someone from the team in disguise so I can be safe! Just don't expose my identity! I must be here and pry a bit more! I would also need a new recorder and camera! Please help me! I am not very far from Grant Road Station. Might be a 5-minute walk from there. The name of the place is Jannah!"
I spoke in one breath and then disconnected the call. I couldn't risk keeping it on for too long! The people who had blocked all servers of this area for discretion and security were more than capable of tracking my phone and tapping it.

All the lights nearby were on now. This clearly indicated that the nightlife in the darkest part of the city was just commencing!

I sat down on the floor, apprehensive about the future.

"Will I be able to escape? Is there any way I would be safe? "these thoughts rushed through my mind and I kept rooted to my place.

The night was beginning...
What would happen now???
.............................

Indrayan's pov:

I had asked the policemen to trace the location of Sampurnaa's phone whenever she got through to contact anyone. I was driving furiously but the rain and traffic refrained me from moving forward!
There was a phone call while I was sitting at the wheel.

It was Sampurnaa!

She spoke hastily and requested me to ensure that her identity remains protected so she can gather more evidence!
She also told me that there was something big going on and that it was important for her to be there to snoop around and communicate with the rest of the women and extract more information. She just wanted someone from the team to be there for protecting her from being violated!

She disconnected the call again before I could get a word in.

I glanced at my watch.
It was 7.30! There was no way I could get to the studio on time! And there was no way I could get anywhere on time with my car.
I decided to park my car in one of the roadside parking lots and then take a train to Grant Road from Dadar. It would take me around 9 minutes to reach there. The red light area could easily be accessed.

However, I needed a disguise so old criminals I had dealt with earlier wouldn't recognize me.

I grabbed a wig that I always kept in my car for such situations and put it on. The wig had bangs that hid a part of my face so I wouldn't be recognized easily.
...

On the crowded local, I managed to type in a message to the studio correspondents and even the police. I informed Sampurnaa's senior that I was on my way to Jannah and that the team which had accompanied Sampurnaa could very well try and get there before me to ensure her safety. I also told him about the young reporter's quest to unveil try facts and that she wanted to stay there.

The senior journalist simply asked me to go and rescue her and also assured me that the team would also be on the way. He did not care about the operation as long as Sampurnaa was safe.

To be honest, even I couldn't care less about the evidence. We could always come back later... But I had come to know Ms. Roy enough to know that her life did not matter to her more than this mission did. Her dedication towards her work was impeccable but her stubbornness could very well push her into more trouble.

I sighed as the train approached Grant Road station. I only hoped that I would be on time.
.........

I rushed out of the station and then walked towards the place where Sampurnaa was held.

I asked as casually as I could manage about Jannah to the weird and creepy men I passed by. Their gazes were perverted. I honestly had to salute the bravery Ms. Roy had to have set foot in here.

After about 10 minutes of walking and asking around, I finally reached the door to Jannah. Vinay and two policemen were panting at the door and I could make out that they had just reached here.

I gestured for them to come to a corner with me and then spoke,
"Sampurnaa is in there but this place is more than a brothel. No one should suspect anything! We need to act and enter in disguise pretending to be one of these men who have come to spend the night here. We will go and request new girls and I am hoping at least one of us would find Sampurnaa. Now, even though I hope that you are not indecent men, I must warn you against touching any of the women whose room you may be pushed into. This is serious and risky. All of you have informed your seniors? "

They nodded in the affirmative.
"I need you to activate your cameras and recorders but switch off your cells. Immediately! "

They obliged and we made our way in.

...

There was a woman who was dressed formally. Something which screamed that she was in charge of the place.
Several men were walking up to her and inquiring about the availability of women.

I hoped and prayed for Sampurnaa to be safe.

Finally, the 4 of us, Vinay, the two policemen, and I made our way towards the woman.
I decided to take the lead.
"We need new girls!" I told her.

She checked the list and frowned and then spoke, "I have 5 new girls in total. Two of them are untouched till now and the rest of the 3 are already in the room with other men."

I could only hope that Sampurnaa was not one of those three.

I hastily spoke out, "We need all 5 of them! We are willing to pay more!"

I felt disgusted at the cheap choice of words I just spoke out but this was no time to polish my language! We had to act fast!
The woman's eyes glinted at the mention of more money as she said,

"Please pay Rs. 5000/- and you can have all 5!"
I got some cash out of my pocket and gave the money to her. She took it and then asked who out of us 4 would be willing to go with two women.
The two policemen said that they would go together with 3 women. I knew they intended this in a good way as the women would be safe with them and could perhaps even escape with their help.
I nodded in approval.

Vinay was led to one room. He was undoubtedly nervous and scared. I patted him reassuringly and reminded him of our purpose.

Next, it was me.
The woman led me to a room upstairs which was a bit secluded. She said that the girl was totally new and that she had arrived just this afternoon.

I knew instantly that it was Sampurnaa.
Now, came the most difficult part. I had to ask for some water and pills without raising suspicion.

The woman raised her eyebrows at me and I said I needed water and painkillers because I had a headache. She nodded after some time.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.
Silence greeted me...
---------------------------------------------------------
To be continued...

A/N
I say this every day and I am saying this again today. Please do care to vote, share and comment!
Thank you for giving this book a read!
-Shubhadittya