IT Sherlock Book I - Cullinan diamonds mystery

Airports-a place of chaos and confusion

Come, Watson, the game is afoot at the airport :) 

"Wait a minute, before you start the next story I have a question. You are telling all stories that are more than 10 years old. None in the last five–six years?" asked Sheeja. "After all you have been in IT for the last 20 years."

My wife was not happy that after our marriage nothing seemed to have happened to prove my detecting skills. I could see that she felt maybe marriage started a phase in life where I was more conservative and cautious, or worse lost my skills and penchant for detection.

We had more or less whiled the day away telling stories and I was onto my fourth story. Sheeja was right, I had told mostly stories that were more than 10 years old I thought and smiled.

"Hey, have you forgotten how we solved the purse robbery of Prasanti when we were in South Africa?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I forgot all about it but then it was not solved fully, was it? We knew how it happened and we knew the possible thief but we could not prove it or find the purse," Sheeja was looking a bit less upset.

"Well there was one more on that trip while returning at Mumbai airport. It was with Raghuram Reddy the robbery happened. You remember him, don't you?" I continued. "The worst part about it was this time it was very careless on Raghu's part and mine."

Raghuram Reddy was part of the team lead by Prasanti and he was returning to give training to the offshore team. Later Prasanti would be returning and someone else would travel before that to take over from her to manage the onsite for a long term of three years.

Prasanti had a special spot in our life as she was later behind initiating the marriage proposal, introducing Amma and Sheeja's mother, resulting in our marriage. To this day, many of our friends and family do not believe it when we say we were not in love when we met in South Africa! But returning to the story, this was before the proposal. I had completed my project and was flying back. At the airport in Johannesburg, I met Raghuram who was also flying back to Mumbai on the same flight. We agreed to meet up after landing in Mumbai.

Diamonds are for ever

"It all started at the Mumbai airport's domestic terminal. Raghu and I were both in the same flight from Johannesburg and were transit passengers in Mumbai while returning from South Africa. Raghu and I both had rucksacks; only difference was he had a laptop, camera and a diamond set in his rucksack. Remember the Cullinan mine visit and his purchase for his wife as he wanted to compensate for his being away on the wedding anniversary?" I asked Sheeja who nodded.

"Cullinan visit? What was that?" Amma asked.

"The only Cullinan I know is supposed to be one of the world's largest diamonds," Achan added.

"You are right, Acha, but the name came from the name of the mine in South Africa. The mine is called Cullinan and the Cullinan diamond is not one but about seven–eight cut from a single rough huge piece. The largest one is called Cullinan," I answered.

"You visited that mine?" asked Amma.

"Yes, Amma, and you saw the picture of a huge crater and beside it, I was standing with a yellow hard hat like some factory worker with trucks on the other side of the crater on a rough road. The pictures also had Sheeja, Prasanti, and Raghu," I added.

"Oh yes, I saw the pictures. I remember now. That was along with your visit to the lions and tigers in some park in Africa and all, right?" replied Amma.

"That was later and another trip, and it ended in almost a bad situation but that is another story again. We all visited Cullinan mines and some of the guys and gals like Prasanti and Raghuram purchased diamond earrings or chains or rings. And as usual, Chettan was pointing out the production quantity of diamonds in 100s of tonnes and was asking us with this volume why are these carbon stones so highly priced as rare," added Sheeja.