Chapter 1 — MAD DOG

 

As it is the evening time, the street is packed with people. Vehicles passed through, to escape the traffic signals of the main road. Keshav was waiting near the bakery, for an hour. Making a rough sketch of decoration he needs to make, for his wife’s birthday—tonight. He heard a voice which is not clear, but loud enough. He soon realized that was made by a horn loudspeaker, and ignored, assuming it to be an advertising campaign for festive sale. Soon the intensity of the voice increased, it is now clear to hear and process. Unknowingly he showed attention.

“This announcement is for the people of Jabalpur, kindly listen,” it was a horn speaker, tied on the top of a mini-van, playing the recorded voice.

Keshav turned back, he was taken a lot by surprise. As this kind of announcement is the second time in the past 6 months.

“People are requested to be more careful, as it is observed that a mad dog is roaming in the streets of Jabalpur, which is not traced or caught yet. As we heard, it hurt a very few people in the last ten days, more than five were attacked yesterday.”

Keshav remembered his wife telling about a dog attack that happened in the city, a few days back. Like any other, he too didn’t care about a dog attack.

“Government is taking measures in catching hold of it, and requesting you all to be more careful. And if any found a dog with black body and light brown colored patch on the lower jaw and toes, are requested to dial 5567890, and help in caging the dog as fast as possible.”

The situation is now clear for Keshav, he thought of reaching home as early as possible, just after hearing the announcement. But he had to wait for an hour, for his lovely, mixed fruit cake to get ready. In the deep thinking about the things he needs to collect for the decoration, he almost forgot about the dog and attacks

The sky became darker and darker, filling the streets of Jabalpur with people, walking between the lights of seller shops. Keshav reached home, with boxes of series lights clutched in his hands, and a cake box with a rose bouquet on the top, balancing in his right palm.

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Keshav was helping his wife in the kitchen. He quickly took long steps towards the balcony, when he heard the same kind of announcement, which he heard the last evening.

 “No dials came to 5567890, but more than 10 cases were filed last night, two of them died due to heavy blood loss.” It’s 11 o clock in the morning, the same van with the horn speaker—shouting loud. “This is a very strict notice from the higher authorities, no one is allowed to roam after 9 o clock in the night.”

There is a strict order from the government, as most of the attacks happened between 9:30 to 10:30 at night.

“I don’t know, I feel like this is going to turn out into a big thing,” Keshav spoke to his wife, who was standing at the balcony, listening to the fading away noise of the announcement.

“Why do you think so? I don’t feel anything serious.” She remarked.

“It’s more than 12 days, and no one yet traced the exact location of the dog. Only the appearance of it is known, neither its habitat nor its cause is known.”

“Keshav, you are thinking too much.” She just cut him.

“Day by day the victims are increasing, and deaths too. I don’t feel this is normal. Us, the Jabalpur people, we are just getting out of the trauma of the serial killer. And now, this dog.”

“May be the dog is hiding somewhere, in a day or two it gets caught,” she ended, “oh no, I forgot to turn the stove off,” she ran back into the kitchen.

A few days passed; the victims of the dog bite are increasing day by day. The victims are one or two less than the double-digit on each day. No dials to the tollfree, no one other than victims saw the dog. Some stayed home after 9 and others continued on their daily routine. When the situation is becoming worse, the press statement released by the police department, filled every heart with terror.

 

16 September 1989

Jabalpur: The police after conducting a heavy search in the streets of Jabalpur, the dog was not found. Continuing the search, the victims are treated and at the same time kept under observation. The saliva from the dog bite was examined and the DNA was collected from it. At the time of this testing, the investigation department found a very peculiar thing. The DNA of the dog bite was matched with the DNA collected from the urine of a dog in the previous case. The same DNA of urine was found at places of killings, helped in solving the case previously. Which was the case of the serial killer, who shook Jabalpur city. 

And when we dig deep into the two cases to find the similarities, we found another. As we know, the serial killer used a claw weapon, and to be noted he attacked the right shoulder. The same kind of attack is found in this case too. On the right shoulder, but a dog bite.