Detective Diaries: Case 001
Follow Detective Virat Rao as He Solves His First Unusual Case
Can you solve the case before the detective does? — Step into the world of Detective Virat Rao, a retired criminologist pulled back into the game by a case that’s anything but ordinary. This is not just a story. It’s an interactive crime puzzle that puts your deductive reasoning to the test.
When Virat Rao turned 50, he promised himself two things: morning tea without urgency and a life free from late-night crime scenes. He had spent 27 years in law enforcement, cracking some of the country’s most complex cases. But peace, as it turned out, was short-lived.
It started with a phone call. One of those short, clipped ones that leave more questions than answers. “Sir, we need you at Valley View Apartments. Top floor. Something’s... off.” The voice was anxious — not the kind that calls you for a burglary. Something darker lingered behind the words.
Virat sighed, left his half-read book on the side table, and picked up the tan leather jacket he hadn’t worn in months. “Alright,” he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. “One last time.”
Clue #1: The victim’s wristwatch was set to 3:12 AM, but the power outage in the building had occurred at 2:55 AM. So who reset the watch — and why?
Apartment 702 was nothing like a crime scene from the movies. It was quiet. Too quiet. No broken glass. No forced entry. The woman — around 30, pale, and frozen in time on the sofa — looked peaceful. Except she was very much dead. Cause? Unknown. But there was no visible wound, no sign of struggle.
Detective Rao looked around the room. A vinyl record was still spinning on the player. Soft jazz played in loops. A cup of tea on the center table had gone cold, untouched. A half-burned candle flickered by the window, hinting the power hadn’t been out for long.
The officers had done their initial sweep. No one had entered or left. Security footage from 2:30 to 4:00 AM showed no activity. The building had only one staircase due to renovations — and it was monitored the entire night.
Clue #2: A second cup of tea was found in the kitchen sink, still warm. So someone else had been there — and left without leaving a trace.
Virat noticed something strange about the victim’s slippers. Only one was on her foot. The other was by the door. A small detail, but details are where the truth hides.
“What’s the victim’s name?” Virat asked.
“Anika Mehra,” an officer replied. “Freelance writer. Lived alone. Neighbors said she mostly kept to herself.”
“And this record?”
“Apparently it was playing all night. The neighbor downstairs complained but thought it was just one of those lonely nights.”
Virat looked at the tea again. Jasmine — the expensive kind. The kind people don’t waste on themselves.
Your Challenge: How did the killer enter and exit the flat without being caught? Why was the second tea cup in the sink? And what’s with the 3:12 AM time stamp?
Over the next few hours, Virat pieced together Anika’s final day. She’d ordered takeout at 9:15 PM. A neighbor saw her pick up the package at 9:45. Then silence.
The post-mortem later confirmed she died at around 3:00 AM — the same time her watch had been mysteriously reset. Toxin screening showed traces of a rare sedative often used in veterinary clinics. Not easy to get, unless you knew where to look.
Her laptop was open to a document titled: “The Final Confession.” But the document had been wiped clean. Not deleted — wiped. Professionally. Virat knew then, this wasn’t just about Anika. She had stumbled onto something — or someone — dangerous.
Then came the breakthrough. A smudge of something oily on the record player switch. Not fingerprints — just enough to run a chemical scan. It turned out to be residue from industrial grease. The kind used in elevator maintenance.
Final Clue: The building elevator was under maintenance. The repair log showed one technician checked in at 2:00 AM — but not out. No technician was on duty that night. The ID used belonged to someone who had resigned a month ago.
It was all starting to make sense. The killer had used a stolen ID, slipped in as an elevator repairman, used the maintenance key to access the apartment, drugged Anika’s tea, and left during the chaos of the power outage.
But why reset the watch?
To confuse the timeline. To delay discovery. Or maybe... to leave a message.
The phrase on her laptop desktop wallpaper stood out: “Time reveals everything.”
That was no coincidence. Anika was telling the truth — even after death.
In the following days, Detective Rao tracked down the origin of the sedative. It led to a private clinic shut down months ago after a whistleblower went missing. The same clinic Anika had been researching for a new exposé.
Her unfinished draft, recovered from a cloud backup, pointed fingers at several powerful names. Names with reasons to stay hidden.
The case wasn’t just about a single death. It was about silencing a voice. And that made it personal — at least for Virat.
Want to Know More? Detective Diaries will return with Case 002 — a follow-up to Anika’s investigation. Subscribe and stay notified. And if you think you’ve solved Case 001, comment your theory below. The most accurate ones will be featured next week!
Thank you for joining this journey. At Twist & Solve, we don't just tell stories. We build mysteries you can feel, think, and solve. Share this case with fellow mystery lovers — and stay sharp. Because the next case might be tougher than this one.
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