Poacher (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Alan Sir.
Hi, Sir. I didn't know
you were coming.
Everything we are
about to discuss here?
Sir, I am deaf.
Better.
What do you have so far?
Sir, I've already started
analysing the phone numbers.
I can see some patterns emerging,
but I'll need a couple of days.
As of now, we have nothing.
So anything you do find is a bonus.
Yes, Sir. What about
this Morris Finn?
I'm waiting for a report
from a second interrogation
they have just performed on him.
It seems that Morris would
buy raw ivory from Raaz
for about 30,000
rupees per kilo.
And his main buyer
is our big fish.
Someone named
"Poonam Verma".
She owns an art gallery in South Delhi
posh, sells ivory to select clients.
Likely pre-ordered
from China.
So there's got to be
a log of it somewhere.
Correct. The other big fish
is the dealer for the clients
someone named
"Ravi Don".
Morris gets each tusk carved
by artists in a workshop
which is being raided
as we speak.
After the ivory is carved,
then it's looked at as an art piece.
Its value appreciates into thousands,
sometimes hundreds of thousands.
This racket is unlike anything
we have seen in the past.
But right now, we have to
find Raaz and his gang.
Before they totally disappear -
assuming they're still in Kerala.
Then we have the carriers,
the money-changers, the gunsmiths
- likely all locals.
- And the big fish?
My experience is the main buyer
is not going anywhere.
She has much to lose
to just up and flee.
So the key is to secure all the
evidence against her first.
What about all your
high-level contacts?
That, I can only use as my last resort,
and we are not there yet.
See, if I ask for too many favours,
people higher up will take notice.
Things will get complicated,
political - they will tie my hands.
So first thing's first, just
right now, crack the call logs.
- Yes, Sir.
- Stop the car.
Take a taxi to Thattekad.
Keep all the receipts.
Also, if you ever have to
meet me again in person
just carry a folder with
turtle-related documents in it.
Like any studieslike
the data on the status
of turtle populations.
- Why, Sir?
- Just do it.
Okay.
Your entire team should
be 'need-to-know'.
That includes anyone
else you get on board.
- Yes, Sir.
- Understand?
And thank you for
this opportunity
- Hey, Gils.
- Hey, Alan. How are you?
All good. Can I use your bathroom?
I just landedneed to freshen up.
Sure, around the back.
Drop everything!
Move iteveryone out.
You're all under arrest!
These handicrafts are being seized
by the Kerala Forest Department.
Everyone out, now.
Quickly!
Ma'am, I've never seen
so much ivory.
- Add this too.
- Okay.
- How much?
- 500 rupees.
- Is that okay?
- Achala.
I just saw Alan.
- My Alan?
- Yeah
in my shop -
he was in a hurry.
Great, see you around.
Here, Sister.
Hey, what's up?
What kind of husband
returns to his home town
and doesn't even
tell his family?
The kind that barely has
two minutes to spare.
I wanted to come home, but I'm stuck
at Thattekad Bird Sanctuary.
I was going to call tomorrow.
What are you doing there -
photographing birds?
Yeah, some big assignment,
before they migrate.
I'll be home this week.
- Before the PTA meeting on Friday.
- For sure. Just arriving here, I'll call you.
- Everything okay?
- Yeah, all good.
Welcome to my hell.
I'm at the end of my rope, no idea
how to unscramble all of this.
Your forestry degree won't help you with
the kind of pattern analysis this requires.
You need a computer
programmer to do the job.
Here, if we break it down one
piece at a time, we can crack it.
But it's all about submitting
the right queries to this software.
Like 'help us catch these fuckers?'
Look - for each suspect's number,
the CDR gives us:
The details of all outgoing and
incoming calls and text messages.
And the IMEI numbers -
as in, the hardware ID of each device.
Also, every correspondence's time,
date, and mobile tower location.
Now, we need to know who
Raaz is calling. So we inquire
From this number
Raaz's number.
In the last few months, which number
has it called over 20 times
and also received calls from,
at a similar rate?
There - this is either a
family member, or colleague.
- Or lover.
- Perhaps.
Now, if we observe the patterns,
we can develop a plausible story.
- Yeah, Harish, tell me
- I have something, for the usual price.
- Fine, but tell me now.
- If I tell you now, what about my
Fucking tell me.
I just heard something,
the information is sound.
Raaz's right hand - Poyya -
has relatives in Elanji.
- But I don't know where, exactly.
- That's not far.
- And my money?
- You'll get it.
- Poyya has relatives in Elanji.
- You know anyone there who can help?
Vijay Babu.
Isn't he under suspension
for botching the raid?
- Yeah.
- I heard he did it on purpose.
No way. He can be sloppy,
but he's not corrupt.
- Will you be okay here?
- Hmm, this will take time.
- You're up.
- Do I have to?
Just go!
- Babu, phone!
- Let it ring.
It's Mala!
- What took you so long?
- Is 5 minutes too 'long' for you?
Listen, do you still have your
political connection in Elanji?
- Yeah.
- Send me his number.
He won't talk to you -
he only trusts me.
- What do you want to know?
- I can't say.
- Then I'm not sure how I can help you.
- Meet me at Karim's at midnight.
She should be coming anytime.
- Sir
- Hey Dina, please come.
Morris Finn?
He has been remanded.
We have him for another week.
Oh, good - get him to Malayattoor.
He'll be required there.
Yes, Sir.
Andhe has filed a complaint
with the head of the Forest Force
against you and
your husband.
- Custodial torture.
- He what?!
He says you used chilli
powder in his eyes
broke his legs and ribs,
and attacked his genitals.
Sir, I have not touched him.
And my husband? He just came
to drop me food that day.
Regardless, it seems Morris Finn
is dealing with paid media
who is reporting that he's
just a simple labourer
who's been wronged by us
Whose mother was assaulted by you,
and had to be taken to a hospital.
His mother?! She faked
a heart attack and I
Sir, my informant
tells me that
Finn's been involved
not only in ivory trade
but kidnapping,
and heroin dealings.
He's a hardened criminal, and
even threatened me if I persisted.
This is all just a farce, Sir.
We cannot take this seriously.
And the media is supposed
to be our 4th pillar
- And I suggest
- Dina
We will fight this
through proper channels.
But for now, there will be an
internal investigation.
And you need to keep
a low profile 'til then.
Take a back seat
'til this blows over
and let us call you
when we need you again.
Exactly what he wanted
fucking poacher.
I was just trying
to do my job.
What have you brought?
Is this the reason you
wanted to meet me?
Yes, Sir.
This was foundalong with dozens
of other incomplete sculptures
all made of local ivory.
Yes, I read your report.
What else is there?
Sirs, we need to understand
that there are multiple statues
All 6 feet tall. And
this catalogue here
There are hundreds of samples
sent to prospective buyers.
And Aruku claims that there
were about 18 elephants
but I believe there were
way more than that.
And Sir
Notice anything peculiar
about this piece?
- Did you call the dog trust guy yet?
- No, Ma. I'll get to it.
What is it?
- Where do I start?
- Tell me
You're out for days.
You come back just to eat.
And then disappear again in the
middle of the night. What is this?
It's my work.
It's like being with
your father again.
The difference is I'm saving them,
not shooting them.
- It's just as dangerous.
- I'm fine with that.
When I think of the things
my beloved father did.
- You don't need to atone for his sins.
- No? Then who will?
How many did he kill?
How proud was he?
He provided for you,
raised you.
If I'd known the source of the money,
I'd have chosen to starve to death.
How could you live with
someone who provided for us
but didn't give a damn about
everyone else's health?
You said you were doing data
analysis on this case, that's all.
But nobody looking at call records
needs to leave at midnight.
Nothing will happen to me, Ma.
I've already lost one to that
cursed jungle, I can't
I have a big team,
I'm protected.
What happened?
Playing Kabaddi - I was trying to
take my mind off the suspension.
A suspension you earned.
A few hits to the head
might do you good.
You haven't changed at all.
Neither have you - you still
don't care about the work we do.
- Of course I care.
- As long as you get a pay cheque.
Mala, not all of us can be jungle crusaders.
Some of us just need to make a living.
Right, while letting the poachers go in
and destroy your livelihood?
Did you call me just to
kick me while I'm down?
- I can get that at my Kabaddi matches.
- Hey
I need your help.
For what?
I'm working on the case now.
Undercover, for the Chief Conservator.
Poyya has a relative, somewhere
in Elanji. I need to find him.
- Get me reinstated first.
- I can't.
Yes, you can.
You're working for
Kishore Sir
If he thinks you need me,
he can just snap his fingers.
You're the reason
we're in this mess.
Everyone thinks
you took money from Raaz.
You know that's not true - I may be
a lot of things, but I'm not corrupt.
Let me fix this.
Mala, please - if I ever meant
anything to you, help me out.
Otherwise, I'm going to keep getting my
head bashed in until they reinstate me.
I'll help you catch
these fuckers.
I'll vouch for you, on your assurance
that we keep it purely professional.
I'm your senior officer, and I may
keep you in the dark at times.
This is not an excuse to get
back togetherrevisit old times.
Understand?
Call your guy.
I already did.
Matthew
- This is Mala, the range officer.
- Hello.
- This must be serious, meeting here so late.
- It's a matter of life and death.
- Do you have the list?
- Yeahhere.
- What's this?
- Local voter's list.
Poyya's relatives
are likely on it.
PoyyaI know that guy.
Yadu is his relative. One minute
- How did you know I'd need this?
- You needed my political connection in Elanji.
And urgently. I figured you
were on the hunt for someone.
Here he is, Yadu.
Do you know where
this house is?
I know the area, and someone
who can help us there.
Brother, what's up? We need
you to help us find this guy.
That's Poyya's relative's place -
the house with the stairs.
- Lots of people come and go.
- You've seen Poyya there?
- Of course I have.
- Are you sure?
Yeah.
Likely, Poyya will be waiting for us to raid it.
And he could slip away in the commotion.
- And how do you know that?
- I arrested him once.
He's capable of anything. He always carries
a knife - it'll be a bloodbath if he gets violent.
Then we fish him out.
Where are they going?
Most men around here
are day labourers.
They're probably going
to the quarry nearby.
- What?
- Are you looking for work?
We need men
for the quarry.
- How's the pay?
- 1000 rupees a day.
Are there other men here?
- I mean, other eligible workers?
- How many do you need?
How many can you get? We have
to finish the work in a week.
- There are 5 men here.
- Bring them all.
Come today, and your job is guaranteed.
A truck leaves from the bus stand in 3 hours.
If what Dina's discovered is true,
then we have a big problem.
But Sir, this information needs to be
verified by the last criminals in the chain.
By those who sell the contraband.
This Poonam Verma, and Ravi Don
who I don't even think
is in the country.
If it's true, it means
a complete policy shift.
It changes our understanding of
the entire wildlife trade, Neel.
I couldn't sleep.
Sir, we are on it. Hopefully I'll have
some good news to report to you soon.
Good luck.
Sorry, Doctor. It was
a matter of life and death.
Well, it's the same here.
There are radiation therapies
I can recommend
but it would mean
taking time off work.
- What if they don't bite?
- Then we raid them.
- And if he slips away?
- Hey
That's the truck.
Come
- 2 more guys are joining.
- Fine.
- Is this the transport?
- Yup.
- And it's 1000 a day, per head?
- Yup. Get in, everyone.
Stand by.
Help him up.
Go ahead.
Let's go, Brother!
All clear, go.
Yeah, tell me.
Only women and children
left in the house, no men.
We've secured all phones.
Fine, don't let them
out of your sight.
Stop, stop
stop the truck.
Everyone down, now!
He's not here.
- What's going on?
- We're looking for Poyya.
Are you police?
Poyya isn't here.
- Forest Department. Where is he?
- Can forest officers do this?
Yes, we can do this.
We can arrest you too!
- Where's Poyya?
- No clue.
He came and stayed for
a few days, but ran off last week.
He never tells us anything.
- Has he done something wrong?
- So there's no quarry job?
Alan
- Any luck?
- You?
Actually, yes - I've figured
out a few things.
Morris used to call
Raaz frequently.
And logic dictates that
if Raaz possessed ivory
like any poacher, he would
want to offload it immediately.
Morris called Raaz here, and then travelled
the next day, to this cell tower location.
Throughout Morris' journey,
they were in contact.
My guess is they exchanged
ivory at these five locations.
Three times in Peringazha,
in the Muvattupuzha region.
Once on the roadside,
somewhere here.
And one time in
a hotel, in Kalladi.
Now according to these CDRs,
Raaz has four numbers
all switched off from
May 25th onwards.
But the interesting thing is
I rechecked all of Raaz's IMEI's
Yesterday, one of Raaz's phones was
re-activated, according to its IMEI number.
So there's a new SIM card in one of
Raaz's phones, in Peringazha
in a place where Raaz
met with Morris, thrice.
I sent someone I trust
to Peringazha.
But we only know that it's this
cell tower, which covers this region.
We need to be cautious when we approach
the area, as Raaz could be there now.
Another thing - the most common
number Raaz calledis this.
It could be his wife, if he's married.
But he only calls it at night, usually late.
And this number never
calls him back.
- A lover.
- I think so too.
And someone who's married, because he
calls for five seconds, then hangs up.
My guess is he calls her, tells her
to get free from whoever she's with
and he calls her back 10 minutes
later, when she's alone.
And then they talk
for 45 minutes.
I've requested that number's CDR as well,
so that we can verify all of this.
Is Morris Finn still in the
department's custody?
So we need him to confirm that these are
the 5 locations where he exchanged ivory.
And also if he knows any of Raaz's
associates or relatives in said areas.
I'll ask Neel Sir.
To crack this
whole thing open
we just need to find one
person who's close to Raaz.
Have you ever seen
elephants in the wild?
Only once, but from a distance.
I was meant to go with my father.
Just to track and see them.
But it never happened.
But now, I hope I never do.
They don't want to be seen by us.
That's true, butjust to
glimpse them in the wild.
No chains.
No human contact.
That'll be amazing.
It would be like seeing a
species from another planet.
But they're not.
They're here,
on our planet.
And every time we meet them
it's a disaster.
Do you need to go home?
I should. Achala will kill me
if I stay away another night.
Even Ma's on my case to
stop spending nights away.
Let's call it a day.
My informer
Yeah, tell me Yogesh?
I met one of the neighbours in the
area of the reactivated phone.
She told me that
Raaz's sister lives there.
Great, Yogesh.
Apparently Raaz's sister, her husband,
and their son all live in Peringazha.
- I'm texting the address.
- Send it.
So according to the map
it's a different cell-tower area from
where the mobile phone was activated.
So that's two connections
in Peringazha.
Thanks Yogesh -
stay there, we're coming.
So we have two
houses in the area:
Raaz's sister's house, and a mystery house,
where Raaz's phone was reactivated.
Why don't we call the reactivated
phone, see who answers?
Damn - why didn't
I think of that before?
I'm tired too.
It wouldn't be wise for
either of us to call.
So you leave my birthday party
before the cake-cutting.
Then leave the city
like a gust of wind.
And then I get a call
from your wife
asking if you're still in Delhi, and whether
you're having an affair with someone?
What do I tell her? That you're
sneaking around with snakes?
He prefers the company
of his own kind?
Very funny. One day I'll tell you
what this snake-charmer is up to.
But first I need your help.
Fine, but we're going to
another movie, my choice.
Total melodrama, three hours,
phones off - promise me.
The fucking sacrifices
we make.
- Hello?
- Hello.
Uh, I'm calling from Cityphone.
Do you speak Hindi?
Yeah, go ahead.
Uh, I'm very happy to tell you
that the owner of this number
has won Cityphone's
Bumper Lucky Draw!
- May I know who I'm speaking to?
- Yeah, uh, my name is Bharti.
Miss Bharti, can you confirm
your registered address?
Valavilveedu, Perumballoor P.O.,
Peringazha, Muvattupuzha.
Miss Bharti, are there any
landmarks near your house?
It will help the delivery boy
drop off your prize.
What's the prize?
The prizeuha brand new
mobile phone, earphones
and a new phone cover.
All top of the line.
We're caterers.
Neyyappams are our speciality.
There's a board outside our house:
"Ponnu's Neyyappams."
It's easy to spot.
- Did you find the mystery house?
- Yeah, I'm sending directions.
You're sure, then?
Yes, Sir. This is Raaz's
sister's house - I've been here.
You know, this information
would have helped us earlier.
Nobody asked me
about Raaz's sister.
Is that right? I wonder what other
information is rattling around in your head?
Huh? Why did you do it?
Why did you order the ivory?
And inititate the slaying of creatures
who have never harmed you?
You think I'm the one
who ordered this?
If I didn't do what I did,
someone else would.
I'm not the problem -
it's the lady in Delhi.
And the client-dealer,
Ravi Don.
- And whoever the hell they deal with.
- Tell me about Delhi - Poonam Verma.
I only know her
on the phone.
Sometimes she calls and asks me
to send her something - that's it.
- Who's ordering it, the Chinese?
- I don't know.
But if you value your
family's life, I'd be careful.
We know about the case you filed
against the DFO in Trivandrum.
If you intend to take us on,
you won't be around to see it resolved.
The DFO entered my home
and threatened my wife.
And that really
pissed me off.
But you all - it's not me
who you should fear.
Vishal told me that the wildlife trade
now funds international terrorism.
Terrorism? You mean
instead of narcotics?
What is it?