Winning Pursuit ✔

|| 23: Missed Details ||

Bhumika

The briefing room buzzed with quiet energy as the new team of officers settled in, their eyes sharp with focus. For the past three days, they had been vigilant, keeping a close watch on the suspects and their routines, adapting to the shifts in strategy that Bhumika had laid out. While the investigation had already seen some breakthroughs, it was this fresh set of eyes on the case that had just uncovered something potentially game-changing.

Officer Manish, one of the new recruits, stood in front of the room, detailing the team's findings to Bhumika, Bhasin, and the rest of the core team.

"At first, everything seemed routine," Manish began, pointing to a photo on the projector showing Dilip, Daksh's coach, entering a café. "Dilip stuck to his usual schedule—practice, meetings with his players. But two days ago, we noticed something odd during the afternoon, outside of his regular hours."

Bhumika leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she listened. Manish clicked to the next slide, revealing a grainy but clear image of Dilip standing in a back alley, in conversation with a man.

"This was just after lunch. Dilip met with this man, who we later identified as one of the drivers of the MPV we've been tracking," Manish continued, pointing to the screen.

Murmurs rippled through the room. Bhumika exchanged a quick glance with Bhasin. The SUV surveillance had always felt like a piece of the puzzle they couldn't quite place, but this—Dilip, a trusted coach, meeting with one of the drivers—was a link they hadn't expected.

"What happened next?" Bhumika asked, her voice sharp with curiosity.

Manish nodded and continued. "After the meeting, the driver left, and Officer Shweta followed him. At first, it looked routine, but then the driver switched vehicles—he got into one of the MPVs we've been tracking."

He clicked to the next slide, which showed the MPV driving into George's residential area. "The MPV then headed to George's residence. The driver picked up George, and from there, things got even more interesting."

The officers leaned in as Manish clicked to the next slide, showing the MPV making several stops.

"The MPV made multiple stops, picking up several of the Brutal Hyenas players along the way. After picking them up, the vehicle headed straight for George's private training ground."

Bhumika exchanged a glance with Bhasin. George's training ground had been on their radar for a while, but this was the first time they had observed something like this—players being picked up and transported in the MPV, outside of their regular practice hours.

"Once they arrived at the training ground, they went inside. We couldn't get close enough to see what was happening, but we've marked this as a significant point of interest," Manish continued.

Bhumika's mind was already working through the possibilities. Why would George use the MPV to pick up players? Were the players involved in the operation, or were they being manipulated in some way? And how did Dilip fit into this? Was he involved willingly, or was something else going on?

Bhasin broke the silence. "Do we know if the players are aware of what's going on? Or could George be using them without their knowledge?"

Manish shook his head. "We're not sure yet. But the fact that they're being picked up in the same vehicle linked to the surveillance is suspicious."

Bhumika tapped her pen against the desk, deep in thought. "We need more eyes on George's training ground. If he's using it for more than just Kabaddi, we need to know. And we need to figure out where Dilip stands in all of this."