Akhil and Sanjeev Srivastav, a doctor friend who lived in New York. A dejected Akhil called Srivastav from India after Akhil's family blamed him for his father's heart attack.
THE STORY SO FAR
DEA agents working their biggest online pharmacy case find a smoking gun: a brazen PowerPoint presentation made by Temple grad student Akhil Bansal, outlining his entire pill network. Today's installment begins as Akhil flies back to India, where his father has suffered a heart attack. It is March 2005.
AGRA, INDIA
For the flight from New York to Kiev to New Delhi on Ukraine Airlines, Akhil Bansal numbed himself with his favorite prescription: 30 milliliters of Black Label, 6 ounces of Coke, and 5 milligrams of generic Valium.
Usually, Akhil flew home via London on Virgin Atlantic, but when his father suffered a heart attack, he rushed back on the first available flight.
The Temple graduate student landed in New Delhi 30 hours later in a medicated, jet-lagged haze. He pushed past a throng of taxi drivers to find the chauffeur his mother had sent to ferry him the final three hours to Agra.
When Akhil arrived home, he expected a warm welcome. Instead, he was greeted with hard stares from his mother, Kamlesh; sister Julie; and her husband.
Julie thrust her finger at him.
How This Series Was Produced
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"This is because of you!" she said. "You've become so arrogant with the money."
They were blaming Akhil for the heart attack! All those arguments over the phone, they told him - the way Akhil browbeat Brij to collect from deadbeat clients - had pushed the father over the edge.
Stunned, Akhil retreated to his room. When he returned, he took his mother by the hand and led her to his father's bedside.
"Papaji," he said. "I'm not doing this for the money. I'm doing this so you don't lose money. I have my classes and summer internship."
Brij said nothing. Kamlesh tried to explain: Akhil's control of the bank accounts had made his sister suspicious.
"Why don't you transfer them to your father?" Kamlesh said.
"Fine," Akhil said. "I don't even think of the money."
Akhil returned to his room. He closed the door, switched off the lights, and began to cry.
CHINATOWN
Even now, a year into the case, the numbers astounded DEA investigator Carlos Aquino.
It wasn't just the money. It was the volume. At the end of each week, Carlos totaled the spreadsheets DEA had intercepted and calculated the Bansal inventory.
