A Magical Religion

“ Sir, Crime Branch is here.”, said the short but stouted hawaldar of Bombay Police. Yes, it was bombay then- 1980!

“ How can I help you?”, asked Inspector Aditya, a thin man with a healthy beard around the chin and a long face.

“ I'm Ravi Saxena, Mumbai Crime Branch.”, said the other with the rolicking eye smearing the place. His bold arrogant jaw and the high bridged nose made him look ferocious and deadly.

“ Yes sir. I was told that you would come here, on the crime scene. We checked with the details. We got the body out of the water about an hour ago. He was shot four times in the chest. It seemed a close range shot with a 9mm pistol. Reports still awaiting.” , said the inspector.

“ Any luck on the person. Who he was? His name? Profession?”, asked the detective from crime branch.

“ We've got sketchy details. His name is claimed to be Frank and it is said that he was a street magician by profession. He used to do a lot of card tricks. Entertaining people was what gave him happiness. No family except a girlfriend living in Malad. Police are en route to her house as we speak. All these details are just the primary investigation. They need to be confirmed. “, he said and looking over the skyline at marine drive. Cloudy, Blue sky with the sun shining bright in the afternoon. The glory of it all was common for them-an everyday phenomenon. but for tourists it was magical.

The detective nodded , “ Okay, i'll take over- get the forensic reports as soon as possible. We need to uncover the......”

He couldn't complete because the inspector's wireless rang. The Police team had reached the girlfriend's house in Malad. The girl was dead. She had been shot by a 9mm too, in the same manner- 4 times in the chest.

“ Dont touch anything- we'll be there.”, said the inspector.

The detective and the inspector jumped in the Sparkling White gypsy and left immediately for Malad.

They reached there . It was a 3 storeyed building. Each floor had 2 houses. The girl lived on the second floor.

They entered the house. Everything was where it should be. It didn't look like a robbery. No sign of any kind of fight or resistance by the girl. It seemed as if the killer knew the girl.

Detective Ravi's phone rang. He went out, attended the call and came back inside. He called for the inspector and signaled him to come at aside so that he could speak to him in person.

“ Inspector- Get the forensic examinations done, verify the calls on the girl's phone. Match the number's on her phone and Frank's phone and see if you can get something. Also, there has been another call to the crime branch about another murder. I have to head to the crime scene. The body is said to be in a van outside the Malad police station. This is all planned. The killer knew we were going to come here and so he killed the girl and then he put the body outside the Malad police station only. I need your car.”

“ Sure sir. Let me know if uo need anything.”, said the inspector.

The Detective rushed to the police station. The body was removed from the van. Same thing. 9mm beretta. Close range. 4 bullets in the chest.

“ Whats the update?” , the detective asked the inspector on the scene- Kartik.

“ Sir! His name was Alfred. No family. He had a friend here in Bombay and he lived with that friend.”, said Kartik.

“ What was he doing here? Studying?”, asked the detective.

“ No Sir. He is claimed to be a magician.”, said Kartik.

“Magician?”, replied the Detective in a very instinctive tone. Very unexpected to hear that word.

Why would somebody want to kill magicians, he thought. It is very unbecoming to kill people who entertain others. They use normal printed, spotted face cards and just create amazing things out of it. They make people happy, render them speechless. They create an aura of bliss and spellbound craziness amongst the people they face. Why would somebody want to kill them? What would they hold against magicians? It is simply not worth it, or is it?

“ Okay. Do a little more detailing and let me know. Where does his friend live? I'm pretty sure he is dead by now but anyways- his house address?”, asked the detective.

“ It is in Santa Cruz. 313, Dream Queen building.”, said the inspector.

The detective went alone- he thought if he took a police team- it will take more time.

He reached Dream queen and climbed to the 13th floor. It was dingy. He found 313. He removed his gun and loaded it. The click of the bullet entering the chamber was rather loud. Sweat was every where. He didn't want to see another body. He held the gun firmly and rang the bell of the house.

To his surprise, somebody shouted, “ Coming. One minute.”

He quickly put the gun inside at the back. And hid it under his shirt.


“ Yes. Who is that ?”, said the well groomed man in a white shirt and creased trousers as if ready to go somewhere.

“ Detective Ravi. Crime branch. Can I come in?”

He was offered a glass of water as he sat on the sofa. It was a 2 bedroom flat. As he looked around he observed that 1 room was locked and the other was messy.

“ So- how come in my apartment, sir? Any problems?”

“ yes- Mr.....?”, said the detective.

“ Suraj, sir”

“ yes- Mr. Suraj- we've got to know that a person called Alfred lives in your apartment.”

“ Sure sir. He does. He originally belongs to England, sir, but has come here for a show. He is a magician, sir-performs tricks. “

“Mr. suraj- We had got a phone call about a murder. And when we enquired- i'm sorry to say- Mr. Alfred was the victim. Details are yet to be clear. I can't tell you more but right now I need you to do 2 things. Firstly, open the locked bedroom and secondly, give me any and all details that you have about tonight's show.”

“ I woke up late in the morning and Alfred had already left for practice. I didn't lock the door, Alfred did. You'd have to brake it, sir as I don't have the keys. And i'll get you the details of the show- it is scheduled to start at 8. I have the pamphlet. “ , said Suraj

Ravi was in this business for a long time. he knew who to believe. He believed Suraj.

As Suraj turned to get the pamphlet, Detective got up and gave a few kicks to the door of Alfred's room and then finally opened it with the push of a shoulder.

The room was clean. None of Alfred's belongings were there.

“ Alfred had a late night flight after the show tonight. And so he preferred to take his stuff, I believe. I have no idea what happened. “, said Suraj with exponential disbelief and disgrace.

Suraj handed over the pamphlet to the Detective. It was happening at a hall in IC colony, to the south of Borivalli at 8 tonight. It had 6 magicians. All of them were well known over the world. Frank O'ralph, Alfred Keisher, Sigmund Butler, Stephanie Clemenses, Fryms E'llyses and Davip Cooper. Frank, Alfred and Sigmund and Stephanie were Americans. Fryms was French and David was English.

As the Detective was looking at the pamphlet, the Inspector working on the previous murder- Inspector Aditya called,

“Sir- the girlfriend of Frank was an American female. Her name was Stephanie and she was also a magician. She was killed in the same way as Frank. Any results, sir? Can I help with the second murder?”

Detective Ravi thought to himself for a while and then something struck him- Alfred, Stephanie and Frank were Americans- and by that logic the only one left is Sigmund. It was 5 o'clock then, show started at about 8. The Detective thought- somebody was killing the Americans. The reason was unclear but that was the only lead he had. He told Inspector Aditya to go to the organizers of the show- the address of which he read out from the pamphlet and get Sigmund's address. His premonition was that Sigmund would be murdered if he already isn't.

The detective went to his car and sat back. Trying to link the 3 murders. He thought why would someone kill magicians who were Americans? The show was happening at IC colony- Immaculate Church Colony. Was their being Christians related to this? But why would somebody kill Christians. Hindus and Muslims can be thought of. But this was very unusual.

His thinking yielded no luck. He had no idea. His eyes were in utter dismay and delirium. He felt Heavy weighted as if he had a neuropathic syndrome. He wanted the day to end. An image of Sigmund kept flashing in front of him and he felt helpless not to be able to save the smile on the face. And then Inspector Aditya called,

“ Sir, he is living in hotel Renaissance. Stephanie and Frank were staying in Bombay in that flat and Alfred opted to stay with his friend. The rest of the magicians including Sigmund are in Renaissance on Juhu.”

The detective rushed to Juhu, dodging the traffic with the best of his abilities. He thought if another magician died, it will end Mumbai's magic realm and he wondered how it would affect public. But, more than that these were magic stars. They were foreign nationals. The country's reputation was at stake and he could save whatever is left of it.

They reached Renaissance hotel. He asked the Inspector to have a perimeter outside the hotel. The inspector had already arranged for policemen in civilian dresses.

“ Room 409. We have asked the hotel authorities to tell all the residents to stay inside their rooms. The authorities have confirmed on that. They have told the guests that the fire system is being repaired.”, said the inspector.

“ I'll go alone. Be with me on the wireless. I don't want any activity that might make this place feel any different or abnormal. Hear that?”, said the detective.

“ Yes sir.”

The detective entered the hotel and climbed the stairs. He reached 409. It was silent. The wooden door was in front of him. He just had to enter it and see for himself if he were any good or not. He opened the door and 2 people were talking to each other.

“ Detective Ravi Saxena. Crime Branch. Dont move. You're safe. Who is sigmund?”

Sigmund lifted his hand up.

Ravi ordered the other person, wearing a white robe, to close the window and draw the curtains.

“ Who is he?”, Ravi asked Sigmund.

“ He is a priest in the Later Day Saints church. He claims to have been sent by the organisers of the IC church. He just came in 15 minutes ago.”, said Sigmund- his voice trying to control shiver, his throat suffering from draught.

Detective Ravi nodded. He told Inspector on wireless that Sigmund was safe. He asked the Inspector to go check the other magicians also. After a while, he got the reply that all of them were safe.

Ravi thought it'll be best if they waited in the room. He didn't tell Sigmund anything about the other murders. Sigmund and the priest, meanwhile were silent expecting Ravi to tell them what he was doing there and what was expected of them.

Ravi was still expecting the killer. He put his gun on the bed and just looked around. He then noticed something puffed under the priest's robe.

“ Father- what do you have under that robe.”

“ why? Nothing son. Nothing...nothing-at-all.”, said the priest, a little anxious now.

“I need you to open the robe and tell me whats inside. “, said ravi- as he suddenly stood up, now holding his gun with both hands and the barrel at the priest.

Suddenly the priest removed the gun from under the robe and tried to shoot Sigmund. 1 bullet was shot. It missed him. Ravi immediately shot the priest in the leg and he was wounded. Sigmund was asked to go wait in the bathroom till asked to come out.

Sigmund was safe.

Detective Ravi then wired for backup and told the inspector to come up.

“ Why did you do that? You only killed the others, didn't you? Why?”, asked Ravi with sheer anger. His eyes blood red and eyebrows contracted.

The priest still had the gun in his hand. He pointed it towards Detective Ravi.

“ Bloody Bitches! They call themselves Mormons..... Oh! Sorry. You are Ravi- a hindu- how would you know? Frank, Stephanie, Alfred and Sigmund were American Mormons. Mormons are a seperate group that believe in Lord Christ and worship the church of the Jesus Christ and the later day saints. We were active since 1820. All of these dead magicians were Mormons.”

“ So- you killed them because they are Mormons? What logic is that?”, asked the detective.

“ Mormons are barred from playing Spotted face cards. Its a sin to do so. It is against God's will. And these people were not only playing it but making a living out of it. They were deeming it more popular and rendering no respect towards their religion. We talked to these so-to-speak magicians so many times but they wouldn't listen at all. They would start talking god-knows-what-not and they kept justifying their stance. This created a divide in the sect. Some people left the sect because of this. The number of people leaving the sect was growing and the followers kept questioning the authority and kept blaming them for not being able to follow the doctrines. We had to do something about these 4 people. “

“ So you thought of killing them? Wow? You think you're doing any good to your religion?”, asked Ravi still holding his gun upright.

“ Me? You think I did this? I got a call from Utah to get rid of these magicians before tonight. Utah is the Centre of Mormon Influence. It is the highest authority. None of us priests can over rule them. God knows I did the right thing. Someone has to take initiative and I now I will lay in peace. “

The priest concluded and immediately turned his gun towards himself and shot through the head. Ravi could just watch. Ravi couldn't do anything.

Ravi was engrossed in the thoughts about sincerity of the priest towards god. He wondered, if god didn't want this to happen, it wouldn't have happened. But no one could tell, could they.

Inpector Aditya came in with his team and took charge of the crime scene.

Ravi walked down the steps of Renaissance, the only hotel in Mumbai then- back in 1980.

He was thinking about what he had done towards religion, towards Hinduism. He was greatly moved by the priest and his devotion to god. Ravi quit the crime branch after that. Speculations were that he had gone to Mahabaleshwar, his hometown and he followed a guru. But who knows what actually happened.

In the later years- around 1985-1987, bombay witnessed a series of killings where beggars on the road lay with their head smashed with stones and chandan all around as if somebody had worshiped the body. The city witnessed 12 killings around Sion in Bombay itself. The man was finally caught. He was declared a psychopath and in n-number of interrogations, he said only 2 things-

First that whatever, his guru would say- he would perform those sacrifices and keep his relegious beliefs alive for the benefit of the relegion.
And the second that he was a part of the Mumbai Crime Branch.

Nobody would believe the second part.

The court declared him to be hanged to death.