Sinner's Game: Karma will chase! Read online

  Vyom woke up late the next day. He recalled his interaction with Yamraj clearly. Despite a detailed and involved conversation, he was still not sure about reality. He headed to his office without having breakfast or telling Alka about what had happened. He logged on to his computer and started surfing the web once again. He had heard about the dark web but had never ventured there. After his conversation with Yamraj, he was desperate to find a solution for decryption of WhatsApp messages. The dark web was too vast and beyond his imagination. He was surprised to see that pretty much everything was available there. One could buy credit card numbers, all manner of drugs, guns, counterfeit money, stolen subscription credentials, hacked Netflix accounts and software that helps you break into other people’s computers. He was now confident of finding a solution to his WhatsApp problem.

  As he was trying to find a solution, he came across a link that claimed to decrypt WhatsApp messages. A user with an alias TFD was offering a solution for the decryption of WhatsApp messages. This interested Vyom but he was not sure about its authenticity. The software had many interesting features including an ability to tap into WhatsApp by breaking its security. Vyom had nothing to lose so he downloaded the software and soon started to install the software.

  In the middle of the installation, there was prompt to enter the product key. He had downloaded product from the dark web and there was no mention of any product key. He opened the website again and clicked on the support button. The support agent identified himself as TFD and started chatting with Vyom. After explaining his problem, he received the product key through a WhatsApp message from TFD. Vyom was surprised about the name of the person but could correlate the same with hashtag TFD of the seller. He entered the product key to continue the installation of his new software. Despite high-end server, the installation was quite slow. He was quite tired and decided to continue on the next day. After locking the server, he left for his home.

  The next day after Vyom installed the application, he was excited as he was getting closer to decrypting WhatsApp messages. He logged into the server and explored software features.

  There was a button named ‘Detect Network Computers’ and in desperation to explore the software, he decided to press the same. When he pressed a button in the software, the software started scanning all devices in his office network, including servers, routers, printers and even Vyom’s own phone. They all appeared visually on his desktop. He was curious about his own phone and clicked on the same. The software started processing all information on his phone and created a report in a few seconds, summarizing all his activities including recent WhatsApp messages sent and received by him.

  The software in parallel had started a backed process that connected to all phones and computers that Vyom had hacked in the past. It started a replication process and connected with all devices in Vyom’s office. Every computer in Vyom’s office now had a copy of software installed, without Vyom’s knowledge. Each computer automatically started scanning other devices connected with them. Vyom had no clue of this. He was ecstatic with this discovery. He had finally found a way to read people’s WhatsApp messages.

  The IIM Connection

  Garima and Akshay got married five years back after their MBA. Garima had met Akshay during the orientation at IIM Bangalore. A graduate from Delhi University, Garima was from a conservative family. Her father, Manas, was a leading Microbiologist while her mother, Sushma, was a principal of a renowned school of Delhi. She played an important role in Garima’s life and influenced her. As a parent, Sushma was quite strict with Garima and always tracked her movements. Sushma was quite religious and ingrained in Garima a strong belief in God. Garima imbibed this and was an ardent follower of Lord Shiva.

  On the orientation day, during the tea break, while Garima was waiting for her coffee refill, she met Akshay who was looking for tea. He picked up a cup of tea and after the first sip left it and joined the queue for coffee. Garima, who had been observing, Akshay smiled at him. Akshay saw her and said, ‘I am sure you had also tried tea just like me!’

  ‘No I did my research about South Indian tea, before coming here!’

  ‘Hi I am Akshay, Section A; I am from Gurgaon. Nice to meet you!’

  ‘I am Garima, Section A, from Delhi. Nice to meet you too.’

  ‘So is the coffee any better?’ asked Akshay.

  ‘It definitely smells like coffee! Rest you will find out soon.’

  ‘Nothing can be worse than the tea I just had. But one thing is for sure, the weather and this campus overcompensates for good quality tea.’

  ‘You can say that again!’

  Akshay took a look at Garima again. She had neatly cropped hair, a face that did not require any make up and a slim figure visible in a beautifully draped saree. However, what caught Akshay’s attention most was her infectious smile – she was full of life.

  Soon the classes started at IIMB. Garima had always struggled with Math and this struggle continued even there. Even during her CAT entrance exams, she had a tough time with the Math section but she over compensated with her performance in reading comprehension and analytical sections.

  One of the courses at IIMB was related to Statistics and Probability. While Garima tried to catch up with the pace of the class, Akshay scored straight ‘A’ grades in all quizzes. Garima and Akshay were part of a case study that involved use of advanced statistical techniques. This led to their first formal meeting at the library. This soon followed by informal sessions at the cafeteria with bouts of coffee and Maggi. Along with Garima’s beauty, Akshay was fascinated with her sense of humor and high EQ. For him a person’s sense of humor mattered a lot. The percentage of girls in IIMB was quite high as compared to IITD where there had been just ten girls in a batch of three hundred students. Still competition at IIMB was quite high as far as Garima was concerned. Many batch mates from his section were eyeing for her attention.

  In the beginning, Akshay did not succeed in gaining Garima’s attention. However, as their interactions increased Garima started showing some interest in Akshay. Akshay’s cool demeanor impressed Garima as she never saw him under stress at any point of time. Garima had always worried about her anxiety issues and Akshay’s presence comforted her a lot. As the days passed, they got very comfortable with each other.

  IIMB was famous for its campus parties and Garima hated these parties - mainly because of the loud music. On the other hand, Akshay loved them. He was a good dancer and enjoyed his drinks. He always had fun at the parties and mingled with many girls of his batch. Garima started accompanying Akshay. In one of the parties, Sonia, a batch mate, was getting too cozy with Akshay while dancing. For the first time Garima felt uncomfortable but she did not know how to react or intervene. She wanted to say something to Akshay but could not find the right words. Akshay saw her looking at them and waved at her. Garima who was feeling uncomfortable left the party.

  While walking back to her room, she reflected about her reaction and her feelings for Akshay. She was extremely confused. Both of them had been spending so much time with each other and she loved being around him.

  She thought, ‘Why am I feeling differently today? Even if Sonia likes Akshay, this should not be a problem for me. Liking someone is one thing but being possessive is a whole new different feeling. Am I in love? No, it’s too soon for that.’ As she was lost in her own thoughts, there was a knock at her door. Akshay was standing outside.

  Garima was pleasantly surprised to see him. ‘How come you are here?’

  ‘You left the party suddenly, so I wanted to check if everything was fine with you.’

  ‘I am fine, you very well know that I don’t enjoy very loud music and it was tiring me out. So, I left. I could have told you about it but you were busy.’

  Akshay recognized some level of sarcasm in her voice. ‘Well Sonia was little a high today – more than her usual for sure. We started dancing like any other party. But today was different, she was more into me and was getting cozy.
I didn’t want to make anything obvious but couldn’t find it easy to walk out. When the song ended I politely excused myself for a getting a drink.’

  Garima headed towards her desk, further away from Akshay and said ‘Hmm I noticed that. She is around you in most of the parties. Did you notice it for the first time?’

  Akshay moved closer to her ‘I didn’t know that you were keeping a record of all parties.’

  She sharply replied ‘Well I am quite selective though!’

  Akshay got the drift but he wanted to be sure about it. He had feelings for Garima but he was not sure about her feelings. ‘Look Garima don’t misinterpret me from the campus parties. I have no feelings for Sonia. Actually....’

  ‘Actually what?’

  As she said this, Garima’s heart started racing. She wanted to hear it from Akshay but she wasn’t sure. Akshay came forward and said, ‘Nothing, we can talk later. I am feeling a little high myself right now… I don’t want to confuse you.’

  Garima was disappointed but at the same time, Akshay was being logical. She said, ‘Well sober up. Let’s talk to tomorrow.’

  Akshay did not say anything even on the next day. They didn’t discuss the incident at all. However, they started spending more time together.

  After the first year, they opted for the same city, Mumbai to do their internship. This gave them ample time to understand each other better without any campus pressure. Mumbai gave them the space away from campus and they decided to live together. Akshay’s parents knew about this temporary live-in relationship and didn’t intervene. Garima’s parents were far from liberal and hence they didn’t mention this to her.

  When Garima told her mother about her internship in Mumbai, she got anxious. She said, ‘Beta Mumbai is worse than Delhi. How will you travel in Mumbai Metro? It is so crowded.

  Garima said, ‘Mom what are you saying? Mumbai is quite safe and girls of all age travel freely even during odd hours. You must not worry. My batch mate Akshay is also here along with some of my other friends. We will help each other.’

  ‘Who is Akshay?’

  ‘My batch mate, I just told you.’

  ‘You mentioned only his name and forgot about others.’

  ‘Mom we are in the same section at IIMB. Are you doing your policing? Please stop. I think I can take care of myself. Were you with me during my first year at IIM Bangalore?’

  ‘You were living in the campus at IIM Bangalore and your campus is quite good and safe. Where will you be staying in Mumbai?

  ‘I will be in Bandra area and this place is quite safe. Please don’t worry about me.’

  ‘OK take care and don’t forget your daily Puja there.’

  ‘Sure Mom! Please take care and do not worry. Love you.’

  ‘Bye beta. Take care. I love you too.’

  After this conversation, Sushma’s video calls became more frequent with Garima. Whenever Garima’s mother called her, within seconds, there were no traces of Akshay in the background.

  Once Sushma decided to visit Garima, without informing her. During a surprise visit to Mumbai, she called Garima.

  Sushma said, ‘Garima beta can you tell me your address?’

  Garima was in her office and was surprised at this question. She said, ‘Why do you need my address? This is a temporary place.’

  ‘Garima Beta we have reached Mumbai and we want to come and meet you. Your father had a conference and he dragged me along with him.’

  ‘I know who dragged whom mom! Let me send you my address. I am at the office but can reach there in an hour.’

  Sushma said, ‘We have not even collected our luggage. It will take more than two hours to reach, so take your time.’

  Garima was rather pissed with her mother’s move. She immediately called up Akshay and said ‘You need to pack your stuff right now; my Mom and Dad are at the airport. Just leave.’

  Akshay was in the middle of a meeting but due to the urgency of the situation, he reached their small apartment to pack everything within 15 minutes. The entire situation was hilarious. Garima’s parents stayed for a week with her and her mother could not find any reasonable evidence to argue with Garima. Akshay on the other hand, had to stay at a hotel for the week.

  After they left, Akshay shifted back and joked about the visit, ‘You could have introduced me to your parents at least.’

  ‘You know she panicked with a mere mention of your name. It was better to ignore you completely,’

  ‘Well then I need to surely meet her!’

  ‘Akshay right now let us focus on our internship. This can wait.’

  ‘Sure Garima.’

  During their remaining time in Mumbai, they often spoke about their future and their families. The internship ended after two months. By that time Akshay and Garima became interdependent and spent most of their time with each other. One day, during the last week of their summer internship, Garima asked Akshay, ‘Where do you want to take this relationship in the future?’

  ‘Garima, we are spending most of our time together and there are no secrets left between us. From my side, I am ready for the next step whenever you are.’

  Garima didn’t say anything but her eyes spoke volumes.

  After the internship, Akshay and Garima returned to the campus for their second year. By then most students were talking about pre placement offers.. When two months had passed, from the time they came from Mumbai, when Akshay proposed to Garima on a Saturday night. They would go outside the campus for dinner every Saturday. On that particular Saturday, Akshay and Garima reached their favorite restaurant. Akshay ordered some starters and drinks for Garima. Akshay ordered a Vodka instead of beer. Garima was a surprised but she did not know reason for ordering a strong drink. When he ordered a second round of Vodka, Garima knew that there was something wrong and she was concerned about Akshay now.

  She wondered whether he had a bad day with one of his professors or had an intense argument with his parents. She asked, ‘Everything ok Akshay? Do you want to share something with me?’

  Akshay didn’t say anything for a while and Garima looked at him worried and perplexed. ‘No, no I just want….’

  ‘You just want what?’

  ‘Washroom’, said Akshay.

  ‘Washroom?’ ‘Yes, I need to go to the washroom’, saying this Akshay headed for washroom. He took out the engagement ring from his pocket and looked at it again. He smiled at it as he remembered buying it at shop in Mumbai, exactly four hours before their flight back to Bangalore. He was proud of his action that day and was even prouder today. He spoke with the server before going back to his seat.

  Garima was still confused with his odd behavior. Gathering all her patience, she waited for him to start talking. Akshay did not say anything and called the server for the check.

  Garima was both irritated and confused. She said, ‘Akshay I have never seen you drinking so much. You aren’t even speaking much. I hope everything is fine. I am worried about you.’

  Before Akshay could reply, the server had come with the bill.

  Akshay passed the bill to Garima and asked her check for any inconsistencies.

  Garima picked up the bill and started reviewing all line items. Everything was in order except the last line item that read, “Will you marry me?”

  She smiled, surprised and happy and said, ‘Yes.’

  ‘But why were you drinking Vodka?’

  ‘Who was drinking Vodka? This was all part of my plan. We can order real drinks now!’

  Both of them laughed for a while. It was now Garima’s turn to order her favorite wine. Their celebrations continued until late hours at the restaurant and later at the campus. All close friends came forward to wish them. Most of them were genuinely happy!

  Garima and Akshay now had to plan for their wedding. Akshay told his mother about Garima, who discussed the matter with his father. Akshay’s parents were quite excited and they wanted to settle down as soon as possible. His mother started dialing all her relativ
es and she was very proud about prospects of having an MBA daughter in law.

  ‘Beta, we are fine with your choice but would like to meet Garima’s parents.’

  ‘Mom, her parents are quite conservative and she needs more time. She has to meet her parents in person to get their blessings.’

  ‘Fine, so should we call them from our side?’

  ‘No, mom you need to be patient right now.’

  ‘Alright beta but I have told all our relatives about Garima.’

  ‘Why couldn’t you wait, mom?’

  ‘I am excited, beta. You keep me posted.’ She disconnected the call.

  Convincing her parents was not easy for Garima. Sushma had preconceived notions about Delhi’s culture and Gurgaon included. When Garima told her about Akshay in detail, Sushma was not convinced. She wanted her daughter to focus on career at this stage of life. Garima finally decided to fly to Delhi to meet her parents and discuss her plans. Manas was patient with his daughter and listened to Garima’s viewpoints. He came to know that Akshay was in Mumbai and they were staying together during their summer internship. He understood the situation and tried to convince Sushma.

  Sushma said, ‘Fine now both of you have already joined hands so let us call Akshay. I would like to meet him before meeting his parents. The decision will be taken only after meeting his parents.’

  ‘Sure mom you are a darling!’

  Akshay then visited Garima’s house to meet her parents. Garima’s father liked Akshay in their first meeting. Sushma grilled Akshay with all possible questions and created some difficult and unnecessary scenarios. She was just testing his patience and maturity as these two traits mattered a lot of her. Akshay handled every question with maturity and patience and Sushma gave her approval. Akshay and Garima got engaged within a week after Akshay’s visit. Both of them were happy and thrilled about their future together but remained apprehensive about the campus placements.