CHECKMATE

Chapter 41

"You'll can't come here without a reason. I'll sue you." Shouted Aakesh as soon as he saw the inspector.

Yukti calmly held the arrest warrant in front of the man's face saying, "Your under arrest."

"What for?" He snapped.

"Yesterday night, you had someone try to murder Pratap. That fellow is our guest at the police station and...we traced the number...to you."

Aakesh gulped the lump in his throat and immediately made a dash making the inspector look at the constable asking, "What's with the villians trying to run when they know they can't!"

"I don't know ma'am." Mumbled the old constable. "It's become their habit. But aren't you going to catch him?"

"Commissioner Khan is right around the corner." Reassured the inspector and then marched into the house instructing the constables to seize and search the entire house.

Aakesh ran, thinking that he wouldn't get caught; just like any other criminal who thought they could evade the cops and live a free life.

He continued running and turned to see if the inspector was following and then chuckled to himself seeing that there was no one. He turned and a hard punch knocked him down to the ground.

Looking up he saw commissioner Khan smirking at him saying, "You are under arrest...for...I think you know why otherwise you wouldn't be running like that."

Aakesh stood up and shouted, "I demand my lawyer."

"Aren't you yourself an advocate?" Asked commissioner Khan in astonishment.

"I..mean...I'll fight my own case." He snapped.

"Good luck to that, scoundrel." Taunted the commissioner and shoved him in the police van.

"Sir we've found a lot of garbage at his home." Said Yukti. "And...bags and bags of black money."

"I suggest we all party with all that money." Laughed the commissioner as they got into the van.

As soon as they reached the station, the inspectors, the constable and even the commissioner himself were drowned in the sea of paper work while Aakesh kept protesting aloud to be released.

Of course no one payed him any heed and the next day he was presented in court.

"Will you...be defending yourself Mr. Khatri?" Asked the judge.

"Yes." Replied Aakesh glancing at Pratap for a moment.

"Prosecution begin please." Ordered the judge.

"Mr. Khatri is charged of attempt to murder, tampering with case evidence and charged of corruption."

"Do you Mr. Khatri accept these allegations?" Asked the judge.

"No your honour," he replied, "I have done no corruption. Also the case, Mukesh Chauhan vs. Pallavi Yadav, I fought the case based on evidence my lord."

"Objection." Snapped Pratap. "You tampered with the evidence just the way Dr. Ranjan Marwadi used his licenses as a doctor to frame the ex CM."

"Dr. Ranjan clearly stated that the victim was raped and based on those tests I fought that case." Said Aakesh in a rather confident voice. "Mukesh was out, near the victims house while asking for votes on his election campaign."

"Your honour I'd like to call upon a witness." Said Pratap looking at the judge.

"Granted." He stated.

Immediately a man entered the court alongside inspector Yukti who made him stand in the witness box. The man took the oath and nervously looked at Pratap.