Chapter 31: chapter 31

Surya seemed happy that he is going to get the evidence about Arun’s crimes and would hand him over to the police very soon. Ravi asked Surya, “Hmmm, you seem to be finally happy, huh?”“Yes, Ravi. I’m glad that we collected the evidence against Arun. He has to spend the rest of his life behind the bars!” said Surya with pride.Surya dialed Sandhya and Krishna Rao picked up the call on the other side.“Uncle, can you get Sandhya on the line, please?” he asked.“She isn’t home, son. She might have forgotten her phone and gone somewhere. I will let you know as soon as she returns home, okay?”Surya was scared and said, “What are you talking about? Sandhya isn’t home? Uncle, I’m coming home. Look for her, NOW!”Surya called the security at Sandhya’s home and questioned, “Sandhya isn’t home! Where did she go?”The security was alerted and said, “No, sir. She is at home. We are keenly observing the home!”“Idiots! Sandhya isn’t home, go search for her! Now!” he screamed. Sandhya’s parents searched for Sandhya all around but couldn’t find traces of her. Both Ravi and Surya reached Sandhya’s home. Surya hurriedly asked them, “Is Sandhya here?”“Not yet. She will come soon, don’t worry!” said they.“How can you say that? Did Sandhya inform you where she was going?” asked him.“No, son. We didn’t realize she was out until you called us!”He called security there and started searching for her. Sandhya’s parents were scared but Surya wasn’t in a position to answer them.It was almost 10 now and they were still not able to trace where Sandhya was. Surya collected the entire CCTV footage around Sandhya’s home and he found out Sandhya was talking to her neighbor around 5 and walked out of the home after a half an hour or so. He realized that the CCTV was jammed right after she walked out of the home. Sandhya went missing. They realized that it was none other than Arun who kidnapped her. Everyone was shocked.“Who is the woman talking to Sandhya?” Surya asked.Her parents noticed that she was Jyothi, the neighbor and they called her home. She was worried about coming there and Surya’s voice shivered as he asked her, “My wife went missing. You are the last one she talked to. Do you know where she is?”“Oh god! I just informed her that today is the festival of Bheeshma Ekadasi and asked her to lit diya’s in the nearby Shiva’s Temple, That’s it!”Surya rushed to the temple the next second and started looking for the traces of Sandhya. Everyone followed him but it ended up in disappointment. None of them could find Sandhya. Surya lost his calm and screamed in the middle of the road, “Sandhya!” Ravi tried to control him. All of a sudden, something caught Surya’s attention outside the temple. It was glittering, Surya rushed to the light. It was Sandhya’s necklace.“This is the necklace I had given her! It’s not that far away from the temple which means she got kidnapped here. But how could someone kidnap her in public?” Surya’s mind wandered all over the place.The Security interrupted and said, “Sir, right at the time when Sandhya ma’am walked out of the home, there was a rally of God’s idol, that’s why we didn't realize she went out!”“Rally?” Surya doubted.Jyothi interrupted and said, “Yes! Today was the marriage day of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. The idols were celebrated on the streets and guided into the temple later. I couldn’t find Sandhya in the rally. I guess she didn’t even come to the temple, I was there inside the whole time.”“Ravi, Arun kidnapped her during the rally, no doubt about that! He got to know that Sandhya will come out and he jammed the CCTV!” Surya collapsed to the ground and screamed at the sky, “Sandhya!”