It was a usual at the police station with the officials busy with their work
Madhubanti sat in the dimly lit police station, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her faded pink scarf. The creaking of wooden chairs and the low murmur of the officers’ conversations filled the air, yet it all faded into a murky backdrop as her thoughts spiraled back to the events of the previous evening. Desperation clawed at her chest, and she felt a choking weight of uncertainty. The police station, with its stark, peeling walls and flickering fluorescent lights, seemed the only place where her fears could take a tangible form.

After what felt like an eternity, her name echoed in the small waiting area. An officer with a tired expression, wearing a slightly crumpled uniform, waved her in. He gestured towards a battered metal chair in front of a desk piled high with paperwork. She took a deep breath and followed him inside.

She started narrating her ordeal: Last evening she was having a walk on the street. The street was desolate with almost no other human in sight. It had been an ordinary day, the sun sinking low behind the buildings, casting long shadows that danced mockingly in the...