Maya's Revenge

Opiumnomics

||**|| Dear reader, many thanks for choosing to read one of the stories written by me. If you like any part do leave comments using the small + sign that appears on the right hand side at the end of each paragraph. ||*||

||**|| Also please share and like the story if it resonates with you||*||

||**|| In case you like the story please add it to your library.||*||

Afghanistan banned opium production in 2022 after the Taliban came to power. It was the world's largest producer of opium. Since then, Myanmar has taken over from Afghanistan as the world's largest producer of opium, along with Laos. Myanmar shares its borders with India. In terms of history, opium and Bihar go a long time back, and the Britishers profited a lot by exploiting the poor farmers of Bihar. Millions were forced to switch to opium cultivation by the British and its policies like these that contributed to the Bengal Famine. But then one would question, How is it that in today's modern world, with the entire panoply of state machinery, advanced monitoring systems, and established institutions to crack down on opium and drug trades, the opium trade still flourishes? I believe the sheer versatility of the damn crop to manifest itself into products that can multiply money corrupts people down to their bone that they are ready to snuff out their empathy, suffocate their conscience, and dirty their hands to earn from this crop.

Opium has also been used to transfer riches from one geography, one economy to another, sucking out the life from flourishing economies. The strange paradox is that opium sells for roughly 400$ per KG, and knowing that one would argue that the cultivators would have made a handsome means of living out of tilling the land to grow this wretched crop, but no. The economics plays out in such a way that the illicit nature of this trade makes it possible for it to get cultivated only in those regions of the world where the gains made out from cultivating opium get negated by the inflationary nature of the impoverished and broken economy and the poverty and lawlessness of the country where it's grown. Myanmar's economy is fragile; almost 80% of the world's opium gets grown in this country, yet the farmers who grow this crop live in extreme poverty. So the growers actually get no benefit from it. So who benefits from opium? It's the traders. It's the Kumud Singhs of the world. Risk associated with trading of opium increases the price with every change of hand, knowing that the ultimate consumer of the end product, out of its sheer addiction, will be ready to pay an obnoxious price for a puff, snort, or injection. Opium trading is not for the weakhearted; in fact, it's for people who don't have a heart and who don't have a soul. Its for those who can do anything-lie, kill, steal-for the riches that come from trading opium.

And so the opposite is also true. The people who fight this web of illegal trade are also driven. They also know that their gain from this fight could at the end be a bullet that could end their lives, yet they go on. It's also not for the fainthearted, and yes, unlike the traders, who are soulless and corrupt, the crime fighters have a heart, a reason to risk their lives to halt the next consignment delivery, destroy that illegal makeshift factory that manufactures this poison. The nature of this crime is bred by such extreme greed that even though the law enforcement agencies make breakthroughs in catching a kingpin or a large trader, someone else takes the place and the trade carries on.

Maya's fearless nature made her an ideal candidate for someone to infiltrate and burrow out information about the business of ruthless opium trader Kumud Singh. She wasn't aware at all of what risk she was taking and what could happen if she failed. But Girsh, the new SHO of Birpur, knew. He knew Maya was special. Her act of defiance and courage, of hitting Kumud Singh's (the biggest gangster of the region) son for just, trying to molest her had impressed him a lot. He somehow had grown fond of her, and whatever interactions he had with her till now, told him that she would do something extraordinary in her life. Girish sometimes thought about what would have been Maya's behavior had she known that the people who were stalking her sister were Kumud Singh's son. He always came to the same conclusion, she would not have done things differently. She was fearless.

Girish came from a middle class family in Patna. His father had retired as a teacher in a college in Patna. His mother had been a housewife all along. He had two older sisters who were married. He was still unmarried, so dedicated to his job that incessant requests from his parents to settle down did not have any affect on him. He knew that there were a lot of risks in the profession that he was in, and moreover, his sisters were looking after his elderly parents whenever he was not in town due to his work. So he knew that if any day something happened to him, his parents were safe.

Girish had done some background checks on Kumud Singh. Kumud Singh had started as a railway contractor in Kolkata and had numerous charges of extortion and murder on him. He had shifted his base to Birpur after getting into opium trading around 10 years ago. He had since then been almost untouchable, the local police knew he was involved in opium trading, flesh trade, and extortion, but they never could trace any evidence against him. Kumud Singh had understood very well how to protect his interests and hide behind the legitimate businesses he had opened as a front to manage his actual corrupt businesses.

But still he wondered if opium was coming from Myanmar via Nepal and was being traded and transported; it was changing hands and people were earning. Birpur had been fairly calm and quiet in the last few years, and every month or two, a dead body used to surface up in the local river or a pond as a reminder to those who were trying to sniff around, some activist, journalist, or police informer. Now there was a silent understanding in between the lower and middle ranks of the police and the gang of Kumud Singh. Many of them were on the rolls of Kumud Singh. He used to oblige them with women or money whenever a favor was required. As such, there was a meticulously planned operation running in Birpur where dodging the police and narcotics bureau was carefully planned for every trade, every delivery big or small, money exchange, and transportation of opium. The trade was furthered and sustained by Kumud Singh using money and women when greasing was required, and he used blood, knives, extortion, threats, kidnapping, bullets, and machetes whenever there was a statement to be made, a roadblock that needed to be cleared, or a voice of dissent had to be silenced.

Girish knew a dent in Kumud Singh's operation, and evidence gathering could be made only using stealth. A slow crawl up to his neck was required while he was napping, while he was the weakest. Systematic gathering of evidence was required over a sustained period, while the noose around his neck tightened slowly. But Kumud Singh was cruel and intelligent. He had eyes everywhere. He assumed he was under surveillance twenty four by seven, and so he had a team of his own close men keeping an eye on law enforcement authorities. He had chai shop owners, small washermen, housemaids, cleaners, and plumbers also on his rolls, and they were responsible for infiltrating informally into the families of law enforcement workers to keep an eye on them. They brought him valuable information, which he could then use to protect his interests. He kept changing people who were responsible for keeping surveillance on law enforcement authorities, and any lack of trust in people led to cold blooded murders. A statement was made in the most brutal manner to make sure everyone toed the line.

Girish met at Nihal Singh's hut again after a few days. There were certain important instructions to be passed on to them before anything had to be done. He said, "Maya, you need to be very careful once you start working at Kumud Singh's house. He will surely not do anything overtly, but if he finds a way to take his revenge, he will. So you need to be careful. Go there, settle down, and win the trust of Kumud Singh. You have courage, try and see if you can somehow get some work related to his opium trade. He is very smart, he would not allow you anywhere near his trade until he does not trust you. Nihal Singh is also working with him, so chances are he will trust you over a period of time. Observe, just observe what happens in his house. Also, we will not discuss our plan anywhere outside this house. No one will ever utter a word outside this hut. Sometimes, madam will also join us via phone and guide us. God be with all of us. Jai Durge and Jai Hind. Always remember, proof is out there, because certainly opium is being traded, notes are being exchanged, and people are working, so it's just a matter of catching someone red handed. It can be done if we are smart, careful, and courageous."

Maya, who was standing beside Nihal Singh, hugged him and uttered something that surprised everyone. (Baba Humri Chinta naahi karna, tum apna khayaal rakhna). "Papa, you don't worry about me, you just take care of yourself." Girish, out of instinct, uttered (Police mein bharti hona hai maya ko?) "Does Maya want to join the police?". Maya's eyes lit up, and she nodded in excitement. Everybody, including Chanda and Nihal Singh, gave out a subdued laughter as Jigna wiped her tears of happiness.