Her phone rang making her stir in her sleep. She groaned and attended the call still in her sleep. But as she heard the words spoken from the other side, all her sleep vanished and she say up straight.

“Avantika! We need you and your team. There's been another murder. Same manner. It's horrific.”

“I'll be there.”

Avantika Mishra was a part of the Special Task Force appointed by the Government to deal with crimes and other situations which were too grave for the local and state police to handle.

They were subsidiary to the CBI. And recently a murder happened. The most gruesome and coldhearted murder she'd even seen.

A woman in her mid twenties. A normal, independent woman who was working to provide for her old and ailing parents. Murdered in her own house when her parents were out for their routine walk.

And it wasn't just a body that they found on the scene. They were body parts. They were all kept in such a manner that they formed the shape of the body. Like a jigsaw puzzle. Separate pieces but arranged together to form the picture.

And when Avantika performed the autopsy, she found out that not only the woman was mutilated and murdered but she was also raped before that. And if all of this wasn't enough, their killer had started chopping her alive. Most of her body parts were chopped before she died.

And the reason for death, excessive bleeding. And if another murder had been committed in the same manner and same pattern, then she was too afraid to say that they had a psycho serial killer on the loose.

Avantika reached the crime scene and looked at the mutilated body with a grim expression. She asked her team to collect samples and dnas that were available. Two of her team members carefully placed the body in a body bag.

Avantika sighed as she prepared the autopsy report.

“What happened?”

Aastha, the technical expert of their team asked as she came to sit in the conference room of their head office. The Special Task Force was not a very big force. It consisted of only 15 members but all of them were highly qualified in their jobs.

“Exactly same manner mai murder hua hai. Raped, and mutilated alive. Even dono victims mai kaafi similarities hai. Both of them were in their mid twenties. Dono hi apne parents ki only child thi. And both of them were working to provide for their retired parents.”

Avantika said and the head of their team, Khushal sir and Aastha exchanged worried glances.

“That means…”

“...we have a psycho serial killer on the loose.”

Aastha started and Khushal concluded. The grim silence fell between all the three of them.

“Avantika?”

Khushal sir called her and she looked at him.

“Yes sir?”

“Any other leads from the crime scene? Any fingerprints or DNAs?”

Avantika nodded seriously and both of them sat upright in attention.

“What is it?”

He asked and Avantika said.

“Ek DNA hai jo dono crime scenes pr mila hai. A 100% match. Yaani ek insaan hai jo dono victims ka ya toh common hai. Or he is the killer. We've even found an unknown fingerprint on this crime scene. Kisi relative ya known person se associated nhi hai wo fingerprint. It could be our killer.”

“That's great!”

Khushal said and looked at Aastha.

“Can we try running the match on our database? Maybe it's a criminal who's already on our system.”

Aastha nodded and the process was started.

“It's going to take 10 minutes. 80 to 100% ke beech mai jitne bhi matches hai, ye sabki list dega.”

All of them waited for the result, their eyes glued to the screen where the result was loading. 20% more. Avantika chanted in her mind. She hoped her discovery of DNAs found some result.

The killer was too dangerous and ruthless. Remembering the condition of the bodies sent a shiver down her spine.

“It's here!”

Avantika’s eyes snapped up hearing Aastha’s voice and she looked at the screen. A face stared back at her. The man was handsome. But alas! He was a potential psycho killer.

She read the details and frowned.

Prakhar Negi

Secret agent with the CBI 

“But sir? Ye toh officer hai.”

Avantika snapped out of her reverie when she heard Aastha. 

“You never know the truth, Aastha. There are traitors and murderers everywhere.”

Khushal sir said while eyeing the officer…ummm…potential psycho killer’s picture.

“But sir, we don't have any proof ki yahi killer hai.”

Avantika commented and Aastha turned to her baffled.

“Abhi tumhi ne toh bataya na ki dono crime scenes pr ye DNA mila hai. And it matches this guy 100%. How can you say that he is not the killer?”

“DNA plant ki kia jaa skta hai crime scene pr. What if someone is trying to frame him? I mean afterall he is an officer. Aur hum kis authority se question krenge inhe?”

She said and both of them looked at her. She was right. 

“We found an unknown fingerprint right? What of we run a match test on him?”

Khushal said and Avantika nodded. Aastha forwarded her the fingerprints of the officer that were fed in their system and Avantika ran a test.

Aastha and Khushal waited impatiently but looked at each other in confusion when Avantika frowned.

“What's wrong?”

“Match failed. The fingerprints don't match the officer. That means it is possible ki unka DNA plant kia gaya tha site pr.”

Aastha and Khushal slumped back defeated.

“There's still a chance that he could be a killer. Let's not forget that he's a well trained secret agent. What if he wants us to think that the DNA was planted and someone wants to frame him so that we don't doubt him even in future.”

Khushal said and Aastha nodded.

“But how will we question him? Agar humne saamne se approach kia toh wo alert ho jaayega. And what if he does something?”

Aastha said and Avantika answered.

“What if instead of questioning him, we approach him informally? Jaise ki we need his help with the case.”

She suggested and Khushal shook his head.