After reaching home, Rama first prepares some kadha (herbal drink) for herself, because while searching for Rati in the jungle, she and Mother had shouted a lot, which caused her throat to become sore.
Meanwhile, early in the morning, the villagers gather and hold a meeting in the jungle, and their discussion begins.
Grandmother is very worried seeing both her sons tied up and helpless like this. But at that moment, she is unable to do anything.
When people from Grandmother's side (her community) come to know about this, some of them arrive at the meeting. One of them quietly goes near Grandmother and says,
"Amma ji, nothing will happen by just standing here like this. If you want to free your sons, go and file a complaint with the police. Then you'll see—these people will let your sons go without any trouble. Otherwise, no matter how much you try to explain or argue, they won't listen at all.
They have a very strong belief in their customs. Once they make a rule, it's very difficult for them to step back from it. Their laws are very different from ours.
The police station is about 20 kilometers away, but that's not a problem. Even by auto, you can reach there in about two hours. Just go and file a complaint against them—the police will handle everything. Otherwise, this village chief is very ignorant. He keeps making random rules and forces everyone to follow them, and these poor people just obey him without questioning."
Grandmother finds his words reasonable. So she immediately leaves the meeting, comes back home, takes her pouch of money, and tells Rama to take care of the house. Then she leaves for the police station by auto.
Meanwhile, Mother has taken the wrong path inside the jungle.
As Mother keeps walking, many thoughts run through her mind…
"Once I find Rati, I'll tie her up with a rope so she can never run off like this again. I don't even know if my child has eaten anything or not… But she did take her school bag with her, and her tiffin was inside it—so maybe she must have eaten something.
But this jungle is so dense… what if a snake or something has bitten her?"
Just thinking this makes Mother's heart start beating very fast. Then the very next moment, she tries to reassure herself—
"No, no… I haven't seen any snake till now, so Rati must not have either. My child must be fine… but…
It rained yesterday, and it was so cold at night… what if she has caught a fever?"
Thinking this, Mother starts feeling dizzy and anxious. Wiping her tears, she keeps walking through the jungle, calling out Rati's name again and again.
Meanwhile, Rati, burning with fever, keeps moving forward. She has now reached a part of the jungle where a strange boundary seems to begin.
On the ground, there are many circular structures made of stones, and in the center of each one, skeletons are placed.
Rati has never seen anything like this before, so she goes closer to them. She picks up one of the skeletons and starts playing with it for a while.
But by now, her fever has become very high. While playing, she suddenly loses consciousness and collapses right there.
Grandmother finally reaches the police station and explains everything to them in detail. After hearing her, the police officers take her along in their jeep and head toward the village.
Meanwhile, Mother, while moving along the edge of the jungle, ends up reaching another unfamiliar village outside the forest. She knows nothing about this place, but she keeps asking everyone about Rati, trying desperately to find her at any cost.
Seeing her in such distress, a man calls out to his wife and says,
"Hey, look at that woman. I've been watching her for a while—she's going around asking everyone about someone. She looks very troubled. Go and see what's wrong."
The woman goes to Mother and asks,
"What happened, dear? Why are you so worried?"
Mother, in a choked and tearful voice, tells her everything.
The woman first calms her down and then signals her husband to bring some water. The man brings water, and after drinking it, Mother feels a little calmer.
It was already 12 o'clock. Rati was still lying unconscious near that circle, burning with fever.
Just then, some people dressed in strange clothes arrive there. Seeing Rati lying unconscious like that, one of them says,
"Who is this child, and what is she doing here?"
Then one of them touches Rati and says,
"She is burning with fever."
After that, they take Rati with them.