Framed ID

On a fine summer morning around 6:06 am a man named Elias Zaman wakes up in his apartment to the noise of someone knocking on his door. He goes to the door to see who it is, only to find that it's the police. Before he could even begin his morning, he was arrested for charges of murder of Sara Khatun the night before. When he asks the police on what basis they are arresting him, they show him the evidence they found on the crime scene. It was a government issue ID card of Elias. Seeing the ID card, he quickly rushed inside to look for the ID, but to no avail. He couldn't find it anywhere in his house, meaning this was indeed his ID. The case was immediately closed due to no more need for further investigation. As it was labeled as an open and shut case, it was only the first of many the police would come across in the near future. But a side of the story that nobody knows is how Elias was framed for a crime he had no knowledge of. He did not even know Sara Khatun personally. But he was convicted due to his ID card being found on the scene of the crime. It would've been his fault if he was the one to lose his ID in the first place. But it was gone before he could even find out. There is a law in the states that if a person loses possession of some form of identification, that person must file a report to the nearest police station immediately. This is to ensure that the person is innocent if that ID is somehow found at a crime scene. That report acts as evidence in favor of noninvolvement in the crime. Most people of the country are unaware of this law, and those who are aware are highly ignorant of it. This is the reason a person who knows the law well enough can manipulate it to his will. That very person has arrived and he had chosen to do exactly that. That person is known and feared in the underworld as a force known as The Framer. He never shares his real identity with anyone. He goes around by a different ID every time. What he does is he acquires the IDs of everyday people and sell them to the criminals who have the same physical appearance. He does his work with absolute precision. That's the reason he has never been caught in his life. He doesn't just steal ID cards, he also steals other forms of identifications such as; passports, driver's license, library cards, club membership cards, medical prescriptions, hotel bills, bank slips and even something as simple as a registered accessory. He does his research down to every small detail and he leaves no stone unturned. He so far got away with an array of crimes regarding identity theft. How can anyone catch a criminal with no identity? Open and shut cases like these stirred up quite the discussion in the detective agency. Detective Nizamul of the intelligence department soon heard of these cases increasing day by day. He suspected that all these cases can't simply be the acts of carelessness alone. So, he dropped his current case at hand to deal with this one. He gathered all the details of all the convicted people in these cases. To his as well as everyone's surprise, none of these people had any past interactions with the people they were charged with killing. Some of these people weren't even in the country for a really long time. Some of these people weren't even connected through friends and family. So, he was sure there was something off-putting about all this. He quickly called in his secretary Tasnim and told her to arrange a private session with these convicted people. Before going she asked him, “Sir, do you really believe these people have nothing to with any of those murders?" to which detective Nizamul replied, “Yes, my dear. I believe in it as much as I believe you are beautiful. Now, quickly go and arrange the meeting." Hearing this Ms. Tasnim quickly arranged an appointment with said convicts as instructed by her superior. Mr. Nizamul asked each of the framed victims on their opinions on the matter. Each of a different point of view on the matter at hand. They each expressed for frustrated they felt for being framed like this. None of them were ever given a chance to prove their innocence to the police.
Nizamul asked them, “Do any of you recall when and how your ID or some other papers might've been lost? It would really help me a lot so that I can help you." hearing this one of convicts named Khalid replied, “Sir, I may have an idea on how I might've lost my driver's license but I cannot specify the way exactly."
Nizamul said, “No need for details you don't remember. Just tell me how you lost it."
Khalid: Sir, I was on my way to returning home. I was passing by the pond on the way to my house and some kids bumped into me while playing and I accidentally dropped my bag. The bag fell near the edge of the pond where a bunch of men where bathing. One of them volunteered to fetch my bag. Before he brought it to me, he dived into the water one more time to wash off the soap on his body. Meanwhile, he handed the bag to a kid that was sitting near the water. I think that's the time he took out my driver's license without me finding out.
Nizamul: Why didn't you check your bag whether or not anything was missing?
Khalid: Sir, I was in a rush and I didn't find that man to be suspicious. I only realized that here in the last couple of months.
Nizamul: Can you recognize that man if we take you back to the location?
Khalid: Sir, it has been months since I last saw him. Not to mention the fact, I was arrested the day after. I barely even saw his face as it was covered with soap and shampoo.
Nizamul: Well, that is a real shame, but at the very least now I have a clue as to how I should approach this case.

After ending the meeting, detective Nazmul returned to his office to think of a way to lure out the criminal without any chances of failure. Just as he was thinking of a way to catch him, someone knocks at the door. It's a letter of appointment from the head of the agency Detective Meghla Tasnib. She just finished her current case in hand and was on a short vacation. But as soon as she heard of a new investigation, she sent an appointment letter to Detective Nizamul to meet and discuss this case as soon as possible. While reading her appointment letter his secretary Tasnim entered the room and asked what the letter in his hand was about. At first, he didn't reply, he just smiled and handed it to her to read it for herself. After she finished reading, she asked him, “Sir, how did she find out? We haven't even applied for permission from the head of the agency yet!" to which he answered, “You underestimate her too much. She may be on a vacation, but she's certainly not feeling relaxed without a case in her hands. It's actually a good thing that she of all people is showing interest because she's the only solution I needed for this entire investigation." After this exchange, they booked an appointment the day after, till then the investigation was put on hold.

Meanwhile, The Framer just received a whole new assignment on his hand. This time he needed to get a form of documentation that wouldn't garner any sort of suspicion from the cops. But before doing so, he heard the news about the greatest detective in present times has taken this case on her own hands. Hearing such news would leave most criminals trembling with fear, but it only made him more excited. He was looking forward to a confrontation with Detective Meghla. He went ahead to personally call her on the phone with an untraceable number. She just checked in at the Bureau of Investigation. Suddenly, her phone rings. She sees how the number is neither saved on her phone nor showing any relevant information about the caller. A phone call from a number without a caller ID was very suspicious to someone whose contact information is shrouded in secrecy. She picks up the phone and remains silent, waiting for the caller to speak first. The caller was none other than the notorious criminal The Framer.

Framer: Are you going to talk or are you planning to stay silent for the rest of this call? However, by any chance, if you happen to be a talkative person, I would much appreciate the silence instead.
Meghla: Who are you? And how did you get this number?
Framer: Is that any way to talk to someone you barely even know? Such rudeness does not suit a woman with such a reputation.
Meghla: Just answer my question.
Framer: How I got this number, huh? Ummm... Let's just say, I have sources beyond your comprehension.
Meghla: That answers only one out of the two questions I asked you. Now answer the second one.
Framer: Don't you mean, your first question? Because as far as my memory serves, my identity was your first question.
Meghla: Are you going to answer the question or not? If not, then I am going to hang up.
Framer: Oh no! Please don't do that. What will I do without hearing that sweet, soothing voice of yours?
Meghla: That's it. I've had enough. I'm hanging up.
Framer: Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on. Don't hang up. To be honest with you, I really can't tell you who I am, but I will give you a bit of useful advice.
Meghla: And what would that be?
Framer: Stay out of my way if you want to see your loved ones alive.
Meghla: My loved ones! Ha ha ha ha ha! What loved ones are you talking about?
Framer: Your family, relatives, and friends.
Meghla: Oh those! Sorry to break the mood, but I don't have any of those.
Framer: What do you mean?
Meghla: Sounds like someone forgot to complete their homework. You see, I neither have a family nor relatives, let alone friends. I am a loner. And my work absolutely demands it for me to operate with scums such as yourself trying to threaten me.
Framer: I know, you're bluffing.
Meghla: Why should someone like me lower herself to bluff to a lowlife like you?
Framer: You're denying the existence of your family so that I don't come after them. That's your plan, isn't it?
Meghla: My plan? I think that big head of yours is making you imagine things that don't even exist. I can't even think about coming up with a plan without a cup of green tea in my hand. And besides, I just got here after such a long time. Vacations are supposed to make people release stress, but in my case, it just seems to make it even worse. Nonetheless, now that I'm back, finding you out is just another case that's about to get added to my record of solved cases.
Framer: Don't think for a moment that I'll fall for your lies. I'll find every single last one of your loved ones and kill them one by one.
Meghla: For someone who talks this big, you sure weren't able to gather any info on me beforehand. Don't worry about it, my private number is the last thing you'll ever celebrate getting your hands on. And wouldn't you know it, you'll be six hundred and the sixty-sixth case I solve which will help me break the all-time record held by my very own teacher Detective Gustav.
Framer: Wow! Congratulations! Congratulations on dreaming of things that will never happen. And one more thing, you have solved six hundred and sixty-six cases in your six-year-long career, whereas I have committed over nine hundred crimes in the span of just five years. My records deserve much higher recognition than yours.
Meghla: Really? You think you're better than me because of the quantity of your work is greater than the quantity of mine?
Framer: Is there some other parameters of defining this?
Meghla: There is. It's called quality.
Framer: Oh don't worry! I'll show you quality. But now, I should get going. Bye! [hangs up the phone]
Meghla:  What an arrogant scumbag!

After this, Detective Meghla decided to go through the files on each of the framed victims and the forms of identity that were presented as evidence. She called in Detective Nizamul to her office and asked him what he had found out so far. Detective Nizamul told her about the confessions and he might just have a clue on the matter. He opened up a case from 2 weeks ago. The convict Jafar tried to do the same with his victim Raisul. Just as he was about to kill him and frame someone else, Raisul's neighbor Ananta who was a military officer saw and captured him. Jafar's currently in jail sentenced to serve 60 years. Detective Meghla called in Jafar for an interrogation. Jafar was brought to her office within an hour for the interrogation by officer Siyam.

Jafar: Why was I brought here?
Siyam: You're not The one who's supposed to be asking the questions and I'm not the one who should be answering any of your questions.
Jafar: You know, you should be grateful to us criminals. We're the reasons people like you have a job. [smirks]
Siyam: I would've knocked that smirk right off your face, but you're about to experience something much worse.
Jafar: And what would that be?
Siyam: You'll find out in a moment.

Detective Meghla entered the office room and Officer Siyam exited. Detective Nizamul and Officer Siyam were told to wait outside at a distance where neither of them could hear the interrogation.

Meghla: Good evening, Mr. Jafar. I assume you are wondering why you're here.
Jafar: I was told it was for a brief interrogation. Where's the officer that's going to interrogate me?
Meghla: Oh! That would be me.
Jafar: You? Is this some kind of joke?
Meghla: Why? What's wrong?
Jafar: You're wearing a burqa with a niqab on your face. You look the wife of some mullah in the mosque.
Meghla: I'm sorry that you feel that way, but I can assure you that your opinions will change within a few minutes.
Jafar: Oh really?
Meghla: Yes. You have my word.

After 12 minutes inside, Jafar starts screaming on the top of his lungs. He started screaming so loud that it scared the two officers waiting outside. He stopped screaming for about 2 minutes and then started screaming again. The screaming was even louder when she came out of the room and told them that she got the information that she needed. When Officer Siyam went to check on Jafar, he saw that he was shaking and crying on his chair. As soon as he saw Siyam, he started begging him to take him back to the prison. Seeing this sight, the officer asked Detective Meghla what she did. But she only said one thing, “If I told you, you would be traumatized for the rest of your life."

The Chinese Captivity

Today I learned a valuable lesson. One I would've never been able to learn without this dreadful experience. I don't need to elaborate on the lesson, anyone who reads this will surely pick-up on it.

There I was in my early twenties. I just completed my graduation and started searching for a job just like all the other individuals of my age. I was never a hard worker, to begin with. I have always been the one who used to take the easy way out. I used to always look for shortcuts whereas the people around me worked with great dedication to earn their place in this world. And that was initially my undoing. I soon realized that there are no more shortcuts to success anymore. I was an adult man who went through over sixty-six job interviews only to be rejected. Each company wanted something that I lacked, and that was the experience. Everyone used to tell me how I should stop looking for shortcuts for everything in life. They used to tell how tough life is and much tougher it can get given the opportunity by not working hard. Many of my peers found a job within two to three months whereas I was getting rejected by every company I came across for about two years. My family was supportive at first, but eventually, they realized how incompetent of a son they had raised. The only one to show me the most support was indeed my best friend Nizamul. At the time he had to leave town for his training at the academy. He had a dream of becoming the world's greatest detective, just like Batman. Nizamul went to the academy to train under the finest detectives in the country. We used to exchange emails every week to let each other know of our individual experiences. Nizamul used to tell me all about his fieldwork, the cases he helped solve and his ongoing investigations at that time. On the other hand, I used to tell him all about my failures, job rejections, my family's poor financial state. My family was falling under poverty due to my expenses not meeting up to my father's pensions. After waiting for what seemed like a whole eternity, I came across an ad for high paying labor work in China. The job didn't require any sort of training or experience and it also promised to send money to my family every month for as long as I work. The job however required the knowledge of knowing a bit of Mandarin. So, I took their contact information and applied for the job after finishing a course on Mandarin for two months. I said farewell to my family and left for China to start my career as a laborer there. I found this to be the appropriate shortcut to success as I would no longer have to worry about carrying my family's burdens on my shoulders. As soon as I had reached China, they sent me off for a medical test along with several others. The medical test required blood and urine samples. After the medical test, the selected men sent off to a highly guarded facility in outskirts of the town. We were told to wait in a room as each of the workers was given a uniform and sent inside to get their designation. I was skeptical at first, but I had convinced myself had I was worried for nothing. The men that went inside didn't come out when asked the guard told us that they were sent off to their work stations from the back door. Soon it was my turn next. As soon as I went in, I saw some men carrying weapons and tasers along with some doctors who were wearing surgical masks. They told me to lay down on the bed there. I did as instructed and laid on the bed. They tattooed a number on my neck which was my serial number. I resisted for a bit but, I was knocked unconscious due to an injection on my left arm. As far as I know, I was labeled as experiment number 6366. There were countless others there just like me. I was kept in a cryogenic pod for what seemed like thirty-nine days. But as it turns out, I wasn't taken out of it every day, I was taken out every year. I didn't see any sunlight for thirty-nine years. I wasn't even fed. They used to keep me alive with nutrients injected into my body. But despite all my suffering I only had one concern on my mind and that was my family's wellbeing. They used to do lots of experiments on me every single year. Turns out, out of all the countless men brought to this place, I was the only one who's blood was compatible with the chemicals they were working on. I'm the only test subject that lasted thirty-nine times and was still alive for more. I was their most prized possession whereas the men brought along with me were long dead before me as their blood was not compatible with the chemicals. After thirty-nine years I was finally rescued by someone I thought I would never get to see and that person was none other than Nizamul. Turns out, he was investigating this case for quite a few years now. Nizamul started this case as soon as he found out I was missing for such a long time. He spent most of his career looking for me, even if it's just a dead body. He had hope that he'll one day find me and he did that indeed. When I opened my eyes in the hospital, he was standing right beside me, asking the doctor about the state I was in. When I first saw him, I couldn't recognize him at first. But as soon as I saw his smile when he saw me, I knew it could only be one person. He told me everything that happened and everything he did for me for the past thirty-nine years; taking care of my family, searching all around China, filing this case several times to keep it active. Hearing all that I only said one thing, “Bro, why did you do all that for me? I'm a lost cause. I deserved to die for always looking for the easy way out." he just smiled at me and said, “You may be a lost cause, but that doesn't mean you can't be rescued by the world's greatest detective." At that moment I realized how wise he was for having ambition and what a fool I was for trying to find the easy way out of every situation. It was a lesson I learned that I can neither deny nor forget.

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Journey to Saudi Arabia

The day was a Sunday. The date was March 13 of 2019. Our flight was at 3:45 am in the morning. We were on our way to Saudi Arabia for Umrah Hajj for the span of a single month. I along with my parents got prepared five hours earlier than the flight and progressed towards Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Fortunately, we didn't find any traffic jam on the way and reached the airport fairly quickly. At the airport, we filled out all the formalities and got on the plane at 3:15 pm. I was very excited as it was my first time traveling to Saudi Arabia. The plane took off at 3:55 pm. Approximately 7 hours later the plane had landed on Jeddah Airport. Jedda is among the developed cities of Saudi Arabia and Jeddah Airport is one of the largest airports in the world. From Jeddah, we got on a bus and headed off to Makkah. You can see trees, mountains, and desserts on both sides of the roads of Saudi Arabia. There's no traffic jam on the roads. It took us two and a half hours to go from Jeddah to Makkah. Afterward, we checked in at the Makkah Millennium Hotel where we had already booked our room. We got freshened up, rested for some time and left for the intention of reaching Kaba. Our hotel was located beside Masjid al-Haram. One million people can pray at Masjid al-Haram. The Kaba is situated inside this Mosque. Millions of people from all around the world were seen near the Kaba. Afterward, we started our Umrah. It took us about three to four hours to complete the two Fardh and four Sunnah of the Hajj. After that, we finished our Umrah and returned to the hotel. We were in Makkah for eighteen days. We visited many historical places there. Then we left for Madina by bus. We reached Madina after six hours. We were at the Dhaka Hotel in Madina. It was about eight to ten minutes away from Masjidul Nabawi. We were in Madina for ten days and during that time we only prayed in Masjidul Nabawi. In this Mosque is the Raoza Mubarak of our beloved prophet and besides that, there is the Riazul Jannat. There we did Ziarat of the prophet. We also visited many historical places in Madina. Food items from various countries of the world can be found in Saudi Arabia even the price is comparatively higher. That country has a temperature which is comparatively higher than in most countries. People from various countries come to visit here. Even though countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan, etc. have a higher population. Our flight to return home was on Sunday at 3:15 am in the morning. We traveled from Madina Airport to reach Dhaka in a span of five hours.

Written by: Md. Fayes
Translated by: Md. Rafi

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