Scene 10 - The Cop In Need

PD Satish Chandra. At 6 foot plus and 150kgs, he looked very dominating. He settled himself comfortably into the recliner at the hair saloon. As he waited for his shave, he closed his eyes, and reminisced about life till date. He felt a cold splash on his face. Opening his eyes he just glared at the barber, who cowered..

PDSC: LOWPER!!!! Bisi neeru ilva? [don’t you have hot water?]

The barber hurried away from his chair. He closed his eyes again. Being a cop had it's advantages. And being a rogue cop had even better advantages. It made people edgy dealing with you. He knew that no one used hot water to splash the face before a shave at saloons anymore. But he can demand. For he was PDSC. Everyone who mattered in his jurisdiction knew of him. Of his reputation. No one dare cross his path. He smiled to himself.

It had been six years since he became a cop. He learnt the ropes pretty fast. He was well connected and networked now. He had the Brigade Road and MG Road area under his jurisdiction now. Since a year. He wasn't complaining but he wished the bars were allowed beyond 11pm. The collections were far better if there were late nights. It was good news when the Mumbai bars closed. Most of the girls came here. They found employment here on the streets. His takes increased almost two hundred percent. Now with the news of court stay orders on the issue, the girls were in a dilemma. Though the bars at Mumbai were not functional yet, some of them had moved back. His favorite too had gone. He wished the Mumbai bars issue and the bars were closed once and for all. Just close them. Made life better for him here. No complaints anyway. Most of the traders in this area were high-margin traders. He made sure that his collections were higher. Much better than, say, being in charge of a prominently residential area. The collections apart there were freebies. Free food. Free drink. Free clothing. Free everything. Some made the mistake of asking him for money. He was swift in his actions. They knew better after that.
He knew everyone. The local political goondas. The drug peddlers. The pimps. The ones who infringed building laws, parking regulations in buildings. The local petrol bunk that continued to adulterate. He had an excellent informer network. He knew also knew who were the other cops that were interested in his jurisdiction. He felt the spray of warm water now. He smiled. There was a solution to everything. You just had to seek it. He felt the shaving cream on his cheeks. He liked this.
There was one missing bit though. He was known, but not for the right things in the inside community. He had never been featured in a good positive way. He was feared more than respected, and the respect they showed came out of fear. When you operated striking deals all the time, it was difficult to get positive publicity. He had never been in the news for making any prominent arrests. His achievements in the department records were not great. His cash balance and 'acquisitions' were great though. Best among his peers. Not that he cared earlier, but looking back, he felt this was missing. A good report in the print media. A couple of clips on E-TV or Udaya TV. It would help. Atleast with the locality. A good image. He thought it would be good to get one now. He could aspire for better after that. A good cop image will help. Who knows? Maybe he could try for a ticket in the next assembly elections. The next Sangliana? He winced a bit as he felt the razor on his neck. He hoped there would be one high-profile case where he could trade money for some image building.

His cell phone rang. Opening his eyes, he pulled his phone and looked at the number. An informer. Some trouble some place. Another opportunity. Will there be good money? He answered the call.