Who Let the Dogs Out

Inspector Imran was recently transferred to a small police station in District Badin. He was a professional police officer but did not stay at one place for more than six months. The reason was his inability to work with local political elite and his refusal to follow illegal instructions and unjustified orders of his higher echelons. He had done masters in criminal psychology from a renowned university and had solved many complicated cases in the past. He was now just killing time at a place where there was hardly any worthwhile activity, what to talk of crimes.

After getting bored for full one month, Inspector Imran found a new hobby. He always had a passion for the pets and appreciated his friends who owned beautiful thorough bread dogs. So he spread a word around that he needs a dog or two. Within a couple of weeks, a local Landlord brought two ferocious wild hounds to the police station. Although Inspector Imran did not approve of them but asked his Orderly to tie the dogs with a tree in the open courtyard of the police station and feed them regularly.

The dogs were grown and savage. They probably did not get much human interaction and hence barked violently whenever they saw any human. Inspector Imran would often sit in the veranda and watch the dogs fight and play with each other. With the passage of time, he developed liking for them. He also started feeding them. After a week’s time, the dogs allowed him to pet them. After two weeks, Inspector Imran started taking the dogs out for a walk. The dogs simply loved this activity. They would get excited at any new thing they see and try to chase it but Inspector Imran always held their leashes tight. Eventually all three of them evolved into a closely knit unit and developed a friendship bond.

It was his fifth month in this hole and Inspector Imran had started missing the lights and sounds of metropolis. Only positive of his current posting was acquisition of new skill of working with dogs. He had made plans to use it for solving crimes as well but there hasn’t been an iota of unlawful activity in his jurisdiction except for a couple of household fights in which one leg and few mud utensils were broken.

One fine day, Inspector Imran woke up early in the morning and found his dogs missing. He had come out in the courtyard to feed the dogs and they were not there. He was surprised as the dogs never allowed anyone to come close to them other than Inspector Imran and his Orderly who often fed them. The dogs by now were quite tamed but they would still bark furiously at occasional stranger who would walk into the station. Inspector Imran called the sentry at gate and inquired him about the dogs. The sentry was clue less as he had just come on duty. The night guard had already left for his home and would come back in the evening. There was no way to communicate with the night guard as there was no mobile phone coverage in that area. Inspector Imran asked for his Orderly who was still asleep. He came out after some time still yawning and rubbing his eyes. Inspector Imran asked him about the dogs and he also seemed genuinely surprised to find them missing.

Inspector Imran was deeply saddened and was now worried about the dogs. He searched all around and looked everywhere with his telescopic vision and brilliant mind but found no lead. At about 8 am, he thought of sending someone to bring along the night guard but it was already too hot and he did not want his men to get dehydrated and face any medical emergency. The nearest health care center was 30 KM away. He had one police mobile in the station but he was hesitant in using official vehicle for his personal errands. So he thought it appropriate to wait for the evening.

The police station was already operating on half the strength and more over due to incoming Eid, most of the posted police men had proceeded on leave. Instead of just sitting idle in the police station, Inspector Imran decided to have a round of his area of responsibility and may be while coming back, he would pay a visit to night guard as well. Inspector Imran thus called his driver and told him to get the vehicle ready. He also gave a key to the driver and asked him to get his pistol from armory. He then asked his Orderly to prepare breakfast and went back into his room to get ready for the drive out.  

As Inspector Imran was wearing shoes, his driver stormed in the room without knocking.  Before Inspector Imran could say anything, the driver shouted ‘Sir, all our weapons, ammunition and communication equipment are gone.’

‘What?’ Inspector Imran got shocked too, he understood what was told to him but he could not believe him.

The driver repeated, ‘Sir, there has been a theft at night in police station.’

Inspector Imran hurriedly fastened his shoes laces and walked calmly towards the armory where all the weapons and equipment were stored. His heart was beating fast but he did not want to show any panic. There were only four persons present in the police station at that time including his Orderly, a driver, a day guard and the Inspector himself. There were ten pieces of 9 mm pistol and five sub machine guns in the armory along with four wireless sets and huge cache of ammunition. A quick glance at the empty room revealed that the thieves took everything. The lock outside the room was missing too. The hinges were undisturbed which implied that the lock was not broken and rather must have been opened with a key. He then checked the key box in his office, which was adjacent to armory and found its lock intact. The key box contained keys to all the locks of police station. Inspector Imran himself held the key to lock of key box, which further meant that there must have been a duplicate key of armory which was used to open the lock.   

Inspector Imran was only angry at himself. He could not understand as to how come he kept sleeping while the robbery took place right under his nose. He also drew a conclusion that the thieves were very discreet. They did not break any lock and suddenly a light flashed in his mind and he realized the reason behind the missing dogs. The thieves did not want the dogs to bark at them and make noise when they enter the police station. Therefore, they removed the dogs from the scene.

The obvious suspect was the night guard. Now for all the good reasons, Inspector Imran had to pay a visit to the guard’s home but first he informed his DSP in Badin about the incident then compiled a written report and sent the same report to his headquarters through fax. He also lodged an FIR himself against unknown culprits. He then got into police mobile and asked his driver to speed up. His mind was working fast. He did not want to waste time and let the thieves get away with the loot.

Inspector Imran reached the guard’s village at about 10 am. He got hold of the guard and thrashed him psychologically before the guard confessed of letting the dogs out. He revealed that Head Constable Allah Dino who was on leave and belonged to his clan, came to visit him last night at about 11.45 pm. Head Constable Allah Dino convinced the guard that dogs are making the area unclean and need to be removed from here. The night guard did not know about Inspector Imran’s strong association with the dogs or else he would have ignored Allah Dino’s instructions. The dogs were familiar with the night guard because he had been looking after them at night and occasionally fed them as well. The guard thus helped Head Constable Allah Dino in taking the dogs out and letting them free at some far distance. Head Constable Allah Dino then warned the guard of not telling anyone about it or else he will lose his job. They both came back to police station after about one hour. Everyone was asleep so the Head Constable Allah Dino also spent the night with the night guard and then they both proceeded to their village together at 6 in the morning. The guard swore of not knowing anything about the robbery at police station that night.

Inspector Imran realized that the night guard was used unwittingly by Head Constable Allah Dino but why would Allah Dino do such a thing as he would be caught very easily. Inspector Imran was still not very clear about the role of Allah Dino and his suspicion got confirmed when he reached Allah Dino’s house and talked to him about his last night’s adventure. Allah Dino simply refused to have gone to police station at night. He even denied of having met the night guard for past so many days. He had his complete family members ready to testify that he did not leave his home last night.

Inspector Imran made Head Constable Allah Dino sit in the mobile and they headed back to night guard’s house which was just at half an hour’s distance. Inspector Imran feared that the night guard may have disappeared but he was surprised to see him sitting outside his home. Inspector Imran got both the men confronted. The night guard still maintained that Allah Dino came to him last night whereas Allah Dino plainly denied to have even left his home. Inspector Imran watched both the men leveling allegations at each other for a while then he put both of them in police mobile and brought them back to police station.

At police station, DSP Akram received Inspector Imran. DSP had come from Badin to inquire about the theft as his superiors were worried about the missing weapons which could be used in any criminal or terrorist activity. Inspector Imran briefed him about the progress of the case which had been stalled by the statements of both the suspects. DSP left after sometime instructing Inspector Imran to recover the weapons at all cost.

Inspector Imran them started his formal interrogation. He asked the guard to narrate the last night activities in details. Inspector Imran told him to repeat it many a times and asked several questions. There were lot of discrepancies in the guard’s statement but he still maintained that Allah Dino came to him last night. They both took the dogs out to other side of the canal, left them there and then came back to police station. They both then left early in the morning before the day guard arrived. They both departed on motorbike of Allah Dino which he had parked at some distance from police station. Allah Dino dropped him outside his village and then he walked to his home. The night guard changed his statement couple of times but kept insisting that Allah Dino is the culprit. Allah Dino on other hand had many witnesses at home who confirmed to Inspector Imran that he never left his house at night.

The whole matter had gone mystified. Inspector Imran kept thinking that why night guard is insisting that Allah Dino came to police station last night whereas Allah Dino has a solid alibi. A weird thought came in Inspector Imran’s mind that there is a possibility that both the suspects are involved in this theft together and are now deliberately trying to discredit each other. Inspector Imran then devised a new interrogation strategy. He thought of pitching one against the other.

Inspector Imran kept both the suspects in two different cell rooms. He first called Allah Dino, talked to him for an hour and then locked him back to his cell. While passing in front of night guard’s cell, Inspector Imran thanked Allah Dino for cooperation and assured him that he will be helped as far as possible. Inspector Imran also held a file in his hand. Allah Dino seemed a little confused as to what Inspector Imran is saying but said nothing. Inspector Imran made sure that the night guard heard this conversation.

After locking Allah Dino back in his cell, Inspector Imran brought the night guard out and took him to interrogation room. Inspector Imran placed the file on the table and straight away told the night guard that Allah Dino has divulged everything. There is now no use of hiding the facts.  Inspector Imran further pressed the guard that Allah Dino has given a signed confessional statement, which is placed right here in front of you. After listening to this and with a little drama before, night guard got deceived. He held his head with his hands and blurted out that he was afraid that Allah Dino will break under pressure. He however said that the plan was made by Allah Dino who also invited him to be part of it. Night guard also told that it was Allah Dino who made duplicate key of armory, which he did so last month but due to presence of dogs their plan was delayed. They feared that dogs would start barking after seeing suspicious activity at night. Their actual plan was that the guard will first feed the dogs and then take them out for a walk towards the canal. After an hour or so, he will bring back the dogs to police station. During this timeframe when dogs are out, Allah Dino will rob the armory and disappear before arrival of dogs. Their plan got blown away when dogs ran off behind a rabbit and the guard could not hold them. The guard hurriedly came back to police station without the dogs, to stop Allah Dino from the theft as it would put whole blame on them but by that time, Allah Dino had already taken the stolen things. Allah Dino had brought a large bag, which he had tied on back seat and hence took everything conveniently on his motorbike. The guard then walked back to Allah Dino’s village. He reached there after two hours and informed him about the situation. It was wee hours of the morning by then and they could not take the risk of going to police station so they decided to put the things back in armory on next night.

Inspector Imran recovered all the stolen things from the house of Head Constable Allah Dino. He locked both the men behind bars. He then rang his DSP and gave the complete report on telephone and faxed a written report to his headquarters. Then he went to his room to consume his uneaten breakfast of the morning. He still had to go out in search of his dogs.

Written By: Nadeem Alam

Other Short Stories by Same Author:

Afsana: Tere Dar Per Sanam 

Afsana: Intezaar 

My Million Little Pieces

Twenty Four Seven