Lily and Reena met when Lily first came to the capital city. She didn’t know anyone there and had no relatives or friends to stay with. Reena warmly welcomed her and kindly took responsibility for helping her settle down. The two soon became roommates.
Lily worked every day to support herself, while Reena stayed at home preparing for competitive exams. Back in those days, their friendship was strong. But things began to change when Lily decided to move out and live separately. Later, it became clear that she moved in with her boyfriend. Despite their separation, Lily and Reena continued to maintain a good relationship. The lovebirds, Lily and Jona, often visited Reena, and the three of them would eat meals together. This strengthened the bond of trust and friendship between them.
Jona, who worked at a reputable software company, acted not only as a friend but also like a big brother and guardian to them. They consulted him for even the smallest of problems. His reliability earned him their trust and respect.
Lily had lost both her parents many years ago. She and her two sisters survived through hard work and small earnings. Reena, on the other hand, was well known to a shopkeeper named Raju, who owned a store from which she frequently bought goods—especially around Christmas. Sometimes she even carried goods from his shop back to Manipur and sold them there. She would pay Raju after returning. This arrangement worked well and built a good customer-shopkeeper relationship. Over time, Lily also started buying from the shop and became one of Raju’s regular customers.
Both Lily and Reena were trusted customers from the Northeast. Since Jona was introduced to Raju as Lily’s "brother" (Bhaya), the shopkeeper never suspected that they were actually in a romantic live-in relationship. Like many other Northeasterners living under the same roof in the city, Lily continued her studies alone. Her only disturbance was when the electricity went off while she was trying to read the many books piled on her table. Despite several attempts at competitive exams, she hadn’t yet succeeded. But she continued to hope that one day she would become a bank officer.
Then came a turning point in 2009. Around Christmas time, Reena bought some items from Raju’s shop. Lily, too, picked up goods worth Rs. 7,000 on credit (called ‘baki’). She promised to repay the amount after the New Year. She even asked Raju for his bank account number in Reena’s presence, and Raju agreed to give it to her. Later, Lily called Raju to confirm and asked for the number again. Raju gave it willingly.
Things took an unexpected turn when Jona found out about Lily’s unpaid bill. He offered to pay it on her behalf. Lily was shocked and overjoyed. She compared it to the joy of hearing the good news of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. She believed it was a divine answer to her prayers. Grateful and proud to be Jona’s sweetheart, she expressed her deep love and appreciation for him.
Raju gave his bank account number to Reena, who then passed it to Lily the same day. Everything seemed fine at that point. Shortly after, Jona deposited Rs. 7,000, plus an additional Rs. 1.5 lakh into Raju’s account, saying the extra money was meant to purchase a vehicle in Delhi. Lily informed Raju about the deposit, and Raju was satisfied that the promise was fulfilled.
However, Jona then began pressuring Raju to return the money. Raju, who knew Jona only as Lily’s brother, eventually handed over his ATM card. Jona withdrew Rs. 50,000 from Punjab National Bank at night. The next day, Jona, Raju, and Reena withdrew Rs. 1.5 lakh from the bank using a cheque. That evening, bank officials launched an investigation after noticing suspicious activity.
They discovered that illegal money had been transferred into the account. The account holder (Raju) lived in the area where the bank was located. Two bank officials and Raju visited Reena at her room and asked her to reveal the identity of the person behind the suspicious transfer. Reena was extremely shocked and nervous upon hearing the unexpected allegation. She trembled under pressure, but the investigators found her to be innocent. They reassured her that this would not damage her reputation or affect her future career.
From that day, Jona’s phone remained switched off. He vanished—no visits, no calls. He even moved out of his place in the capital and could not be located. Everyone contacted claimed not to have seen him recently. The situation worsened.
As the account holder, Raju had to repay the money to the bank, even though he claimed it wasn’t his fault. Now, Raju turned against Reena. He accused her of being involved with Jona and Lily. He scolded her and warned that he would file a police complaint (FIR) unless she agreed to repay Rs. 2,000 per month until the full withdrawn amount was recovered. For the past four months, Reena had been paying him under pressure. But she continued to be harassed and threatened, as she told this reporter on the night of March 31, 2011.
She now lives in fear and says she needs legal help. Earlier, Raju had asked her to pay Rs. 20,000 twice to settle the matter, even though she had already given all the needed information. He still insists that she repay the money.
Recent reports suggest that Jona is currently in Manipur. His father, a pastor, works among the Meitei community in the valley. The family relies on his daily income, as Jona is unemployed at the moment. Lily, who works in a private institution, lives with her two sisters. She is the middle sibling. Her elder sister is bedridden. Lily, an innocent and hardworking young woman, is the breadwinner of the family. But she now has many questions in her heart about the man she once loved. Her sweetheart has turned into a sour-heart.
Lily had no idea about all this until her former roommate Reena, who had cared deeply for her when she first arrived in Delhi, shared the full story. Lily broke into tears upon hearing it for the first time.
Did her lover betray her? What does Reena have to say now?
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
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