Prabuddh Banerjee - Where is Najeeb? : And Other Stories of Unsolved Crimes

Notion Press Media Pvt Ltd

No. 50, Chettiyar Agaram Main Road,

Vanagaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 095

First Published by Notion Press 2021

Copyright Prabuddh Banerjee 2021

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-68509-656-4

This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

Dedicated to Anju, who left us untimely

Contents

Professor Anoop Swarup
M.Sc. MS, MBA, M.Phil., Ph.D., FZSI, FWBI, FRSA
Chairman, Center for Global Nonkilling
http://www.nonkilling

Honolulu, HI 96822-5033 USA

Foreword

Dealing with death is one of the hardest things those human beings have to cope with! However, attaining closure becomes even more complicated when a loved one passes away in the most unexpected and heinous fashion! Now imagine addressing your demons when you do not know who to blame or demand justice. To add to this, if youre hounded by media coverage and speculation, life would truly become hellish. Unsolved crime is a most challenging theme, though exciting and complex at the same time. These nine crime stories shook the nation as a whole, and to date, their perpetrators have not been caught.

I compliment Prabuddh as a book reviewer! Now and then, I come across a book that is so good that I am often left wondering why certain mediocre books sell so well, whereas deserving books dont get the popularity they should. In my humble opinion, Where is Najeeb and Other Unsolved Crime Stories from India is one such book that should be on every bestseller list because this book is indeed the one that deserves it. The authors idea of this book is to apprise the readers with similar cases where the failure of the Police to act promptly or investigate properly shook the publics faith in the police administration. Prabuddh has highlighted the causes behind the poor police administration: inadequate training of newly recruited police officials, low salary structure, lack of resources, and an ethical environment to encourage professional practices and mindset. As a result, the perfect picture of the Police doing their job correctly and efficiently fades away and keeps the reader enthralled.

The book starts with one of the mightiest scandals, the VYAPAM Scam, which is perhaps one of the largest and gory considering the deaths, admission, and recruitment corruption case in the whole world that broke out in Bhopal in 2013. The scam uncovered how several hundred undeserving candidates secured admissions and jobs by bribing the politicians, bureaucrats, and officials, in one of the most ingenious and devious scandals ever known. The story deals with the chronology and tries to bring the many layers of this complex crime to life. But, unfortunately, that had finally reached a dead end, so much so that no one to date knows who is guilty of the VYAPAM Scam. So read the book today and be one with the mystery yet to unfold to understand what happens next.

The books plot is irresistible, and multiple sub-plots keep the reader hooked right up to the end. Also, adding spice and dimension to the book is the fact that makes the mysteries all the more intriguing and complex. New clues turn up at the end of every couple of pages, making the book a compelling read. The writing style of the author, Prabuddh Banerjee, is brilliant. The book is a perfect blend of all the necessary elements required to write murder mysteries and crime thrillers undoubtedly praiseworthy. The book also has fewer pages, neither too short nor too lengthy, making it easy to read. The books last chapter is interesting, as apparent from the title, Hit List on the Internet, based on killing four rationalists and liberal thinkers killed in four different cities. Still, the investigation has not made any significant progress thus far as not a single case has been brought to its logical conclusion. Here, almost everybody looks like a suspect, which kept the reader in me confused and hooked right till the end. In the end, though, it all comes together, and the story ensures a befitting lot. The reason for the exciting title makes good sense in the future, as the question mark remains.

Needless to state, the book deserves stellar ratings. There was not a single thing that I did not like or did not enjoy about Where is Najeeb and Other Unsolved Crime Stories from India. I recommend it to all readers of short stories, especially those who love murder mysteries and suggestions and recommendations that make it unique and lead to better investigations & policing in our country. The reforms suggested in the book will also undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact and change the way Indian Police think and work, mainly to ensure and uphold human dignity rights and due justice in the times to come.

Anoop Swarup

Preface

Where Is najeeb & Other Stories of Unsloved Crimes Stories from India

Some Newspaper Headlines

Unsolved cases: In three months, Maharashtra police solve 25 of 299 cases

No headway by Mumbai police in human trafficking cases

Matters related to missing minors remain unsolved

Unsolved cases pile up in Bengaluru; experts

JHARKHAND: Control crime or quit, says DGP

Uttar Pardesh:

HC Acquits all 22 accused in Sohrabuddin Fake encounter case

JNU Student Najeeb Ahmed Disappearance Case: CBI reaches a dead-end

A Bizarre Story

While talking to Human Rights Watch (HRW) officials in Jan 2009, an Uttar Pradesh police officer Singh made a startling revelation. He said, This week I have been told to do an encounter, I am looking for my target, and I will eliminate him. If we strictly follow the constitution or human rights laws, Mr Singh should be imprisoned for misusing his authority. But he continues to be in service, protected by his superiors. As a result, the impunity that flourishes in India, the Police force, and the Polices credibility worsens.

But as the HRW officers continued their conversation with officer Singh, they came to know many other aspects of policing in India. For example, officer Singh said he had hardly taken a day off since he began working as a sub-inspector, or investigating officer, for the Uttar Pradesh police ten years ago. Ive slept ten hours in the last three days. How is a person who hasnt slept in three days supposed to behave properly? he asked. The pressure cooker will burst.

Officer Singh said his duty hours are crammed with events, escorting VIPs, investigating crime, and, he added without hesitation, fabricating police records. He said he was working on a murder case but at best had a few hours at night to devote to solving it. I sent evidence to the forensic lab five months ago, but the case is still pending, he said.

Maharashtra Police have solved 25 cases out of 299 cases registered in the last three months. The ADG Maharashtra Police has given strict instructions to attend to all those older than two years on a priority basis, especially the body offences that include murder, rape, and abduction. ADG has also advised his officers and other ranks to use the mobile forensic units and other advanced scientific methods to investigate crimes, so these pieces of evidence are admissible to the court.