Original subtitles

(phone ringing)

(ends call)

- (door opens) - (baby crying)

Anyone here for Meera?

(woman) Yes, yes.

(woman) Baby...

(pensive music)

- It's a baby girl for Meera. - Oh, that's great news.

(baby crying)

Look, son, it's a girl.

(chuckles)

(soft tense music)

Why do you look so tense? Look at your baby girl, you dummy!

(phone ringing)

Hello...

- Is it Mr. Aji Kurian? - Yes. Who's this?

My name is Vinod Pankajakshan.

DYSP Nawas sir asked me to call you about an investigation.

Er... But, Vinod,

I'm tied up today at the hospital with my wife's delivery.

Sorry, sir.

Since Nawas sir told me, I rang you when I reached Ernakulam.

Ah, it's okay. It's all done here anyway.

Oh, congrats. How's the baby?

Thanks. It's a girl.

That's better!

Shall I call you later then?

Er...

You do one thing.

I'll send you SI Anzari's number. He's from our team.

I'll take another two days to return.

We'll sit then.

That's fine, sir. I'll ring you up then.

(pulsating sting)

Aji Kurian, ANI special deputy officer. Where's his office?

It's in the new block.

- Further ahead and take the right. - Okay.

Vinod sir, it's for you.

Yes?

Sir, Alappuzha DYSP Nawas Hussain sent this for you.

Okay...

He said he's texted you the password.

Thank you.

Sir, what is this office?

Er... I will let Nawas sir know that I've received the package.

All right then.

- Lalu... - Sir?

- There are some images on this. - Sir.

Convert all the details to text and

create a sheet in the same format as of the image.

There's quite a lot. Split the workload.

We've got to pull up these details on the screen here.

Except for the centre screen.

Finish it quickly... as soon as possible.

- Okay? - Okay, sir.

The drive is password-protected.

(rousing sting)

(musical crescendo)

(uplifting sting)

- Hmm. Good work. - (both) Thank you, sir.

- Anzari... - Sir.

Vinod...

Sir.

The very first thing I need you to understand is

the most important factor of this case: its secrecy.

None of the other team members,

apart from the piece of task assigned to them,

should come to know any details about this case.

Okay, sir.

- Am I clear? - Affirmative, sir.

Another peculiarity of this case is that

it doesn't hold the usual criminal-accused scenario.

Sarah's crime is evident.

But our investigation is not towards that direction.

We are after Bibin.

Bibin Ouseph.

We need to track him down.

We still don't know why.

We need to find an answer to that through this investigation.

The letters Bibin sent Merlin

are the only leads we have in finding him.

And that's right where we start.

(monitor trilling)

Sir, there's an interesting common factor I see here.

All three letters were sent exactly one week prior to the birthday of

the individuals mentioned in the letters.

Ancy and Sanjeev's birthday was on September 3rd.

Merlin received the letter with their details on August 27th.

Same with the others too.

Like you said, I still don't understand what he means by all this.

Another point is, in Sarah's entries, Devan, Sanjeev Krishna and Suneer,

only these three are called by their names.

The rest are all addressed as "baby of" with their mother's name.

One thing is for sure.

The people in Sarah's entries, including their current whereabouts,

Bibin has done his research and is well-informed.

(monitor trilling)

(Aji) Interesting.

So, there is a clear purpose to those letters.

They are not just random notes.

Where do we start?

Er...

Ancy Sanjeev?

(Aji sighs)

One conflicting element we find there is

the Bibin we're searching for is not the Bibin in Sanjeev's story.

It's a dead end.

So, we don't have any further questions for him.

For now at least.

(screen trilling)

Let's begin with them.

Bibin Ouseph and Renuka M.S.

Renuka is the daughter of Mohan Swaminadhan and Rekha Mohan.

But in reality,

they are Bibin's parents.

The way to them has been paved by Sarah Mama herself.

(dramatic rising sting)

- (players clamouring) - Pass the ball!

(coach shouts instructions)

(coach blows whistle)

(players continue clamouring)

- Sir... - Yes?

I'm Muhammad Anzari, Sub-Inspector.

I saw your jeep coming in.

Any trouble from my students?

No, it's not that. I came for something else.

Two lecturers who previously worked here in the Chemistry Department,

Mohan Swaminadhan and his wife, Rekha Mohan,

I was looking for any details about them.

They left years ago.

I know that.

But is there a way to get their current address or phone number?

Uh...

It's nothing serious.

The present sub-collector is a former student.

I was asked to enquire in case of a possibility to meet them in person.

They both resigned from their jobs and went on to settle in Bangalore

to pursue their daughter's higher studies.

We have not been in touch after that.

Especially for the last couple of years.

So, I don't have any numbers to reach them.

I might have their old address in my phone book at home.

I can share that with you.

That would be great.

I'll give you my number. Please WhatsApp me.

Fine.

(players chattering)

(line ringing)

Sir...

We are starting from Bangalore.

(suspenseful music)

(music stops)

Excuse me. Lighter, please.

Ah. Mohan sir?

Oh, sorry, sir.

Sir, I studied Chemistry at SDC...

My name is Muhammad Anzari.

Lighter.

Aji!

Hmm?

Look who I bumped into.

What a surprise!

(Anzari chuckles)

Do you recognise him?

Eh?

Ah. Mohan sir?

Hello, sir.

Aji also studied at SDC, sir.

To be honest, I can't remember you.

But I'm glad you recognised me.

How can we possibly forget you, sir?

What do you do now?

I don't have a job per se, but I do some research work though.

Sir, what about Rekha ma'am? Is she fine?

She is doing fine.

We stay in that apartment.

Oh, is it?

Sir, if it's not too much trouble for you, may we meet her?

It's been so long.

Absolutely no trouble!

Wait, let me collect my stuff.

Okay.

It's okay. Come on in.

Teacher, our former students from SD College it is.

- Oh! - Aji and Anzari.

Okay, okay.

You have a lot of students here too.

They're all from the neighbourhood. They come for science tuition.

- Come, let's have coffee. - Okay, sir.

- (Rekha) Vichu... - Let's not interrupt her class.

(thuds, rattles)

- (lighter clicks) - (stove fires up)

Sir, what about your children?

(spoon clinks)

It's only me and Rekha here now. No one else.

So, your daughter got married?

Thanks.

Thanks.

(slurps)

(sighs softly, inhales deeply)

Renuka...

We moved here for better options for our daughter's studies and career.

She completed engineering,

secured a job too.

But she wanted to join a better company,

stabilise her career before getting married. That was her plan.

But she was only 29 when she passed away.

(tense music)

She left us even before she got married.

Sorry, sir.

It's fine.

It's been eight years.

I've come to terms with the grief now.

But...

sometimes, when I think of her, my heart shudders.

That's about it.

What happened to her?

Uh...

Cardiac arrest.

It was on her birthday.

She went out with her friends to celebrate her birthday.

In a few moments, she felt pain and collapsed.

Everything was over before she reached the hospital.

Oh! Let's leave all that.

Finish your coffee.

What brings you to Bangalore?

So, what do you think?

Can't quite put my finger on it, sir. But something is off, that's for sure.

Birthday... heart attack...

It's the same pattern as the Ancy Sanjeev case.

Yes.

Eight years ago, Merlin gets her first letter from Bibin.

In 2014, December 2nd.

Renuka's birthday falls a week later, on December 9th.

She dies on the same day.

- How strange, isn't it? - Yes, sir.

Hey, Renuka died in the middle of a party.

The police should have been involved then.

So, we need to find the police station where this death was reported.

- Do it fast! - Yes, sir.

(traffic bustle)

(engine idling)

(car doors shut)

The Commissioner had called me.

(in Kannada) Do you understand Kannada?

- (in Kannada) Yes. - (in English) Very good.

(continues in Kannada) Officer, I wasn't the one in charge here

when this death happened.

Hmm...

Hope you know this.

From 2014, all records have been digitally archived.

Don't you see the rush?

I'm up to my neck with work.

But I can help you with one thing.

I'll assign an SI from this station.

He will assist you.

He will help you with anything you need.

That would be enough.

Anyone there?

- Sir? - Ask Imam to come over.

Thanks.

- (blows a kiss) - (baby gurgles)

(chuckles)

Renuka Mohan, daughter of Mohan Swaminadhan and Rekha Mohan.

29 years of age. Death: 09-12-2014.

- (in Kannada) Isn't this the one? - (in Kannada) Yes.

Sir.

Sir, this is an unsolved case.

And it was not a heart attack.

It's a case of drug overdose.

What? Are you sure?

Yes, sir. It's a solid case of methamphetamine overdose.

The FIR also records the same. Have a look.

(chair thuds)

Sir, as per the report,

in a service apartment parking, at Nachiappa Layout,

inside a black Swift car, KA-03-AC-6336, at 11:45 p.m.,

Renuka was found unconscious by her friends.

They informed the police immediately.

However, she was dead before the police arrived.

The cops found 16.8 highly concentrated methamphetamine from the car,

which they think she had consumed.

All supportive documents from the post-mortem are here,

which confirmed the presence of that drug in high volumes in her body.

Sir, here are the photographs.

(unsettling dramatic sting)

- Which officer handled this case? - Nithya Muthayya.

She was the ACP, Crime.

If I'm right, she is now the Tumkur AC.

- You are here? - Yes, ma'am.

Please.

Hmm.

(in English) Sorry for making you guys wait.

(in Kannada) We should be the ones saying sorry to you.

We bothered you with this. Really sorry.

It's okay. So you know Kannada?

Yes, ma'am. I manage a bit.

So, coming to the point.

I remembered this case when you briefed me over the phone.

Nowadays this is very common, but crystal meth was a rarity those days.

That too in a deadly concentrated level.

This case is still open

as we were unable to find where the substance was sourced from.

And the girl was an active drug user.

Our probe with peddlers saw no satisfactory results.

It would have been a highly sensational case if it wasn't for her parents.

That girl's parents are professors.

They have guided many children on a good path.

She was their only child.

So, we kept this drug involvement a secret.

Also, if the public comes to know about this new substance,

they would want to buy it and maybe try it.

We would be simply doing free marketing.

Anything from those who came for the celebrations that day?

Nothing.

Everyone was made to undergo the drug test.

Everyone came out clean.

Alcohol, marijuana... that's it.

We then focused on where Renuka could have sourced the drug from.

But we hit a dead end after we took the investigation to the peddlers.

(sighs)

Did you find any leads from her call history?

That also was clean.

There were no messages or calls related to scoring this substance.

And the party happened in a low-end apartment with no CCTV.

Okay. If I may ask, what is Kerala police's interest in this case?

(exhales sharply)

Actually, we are from ANI, ma'am.

After a drug bust in Kochi,

some leads given by the accused connected to this case.

That's it.

Oh, I see. What's your next move?

Is it possible for us to meet Renuka's friends who testified that day?

We would like to find whether any of them

connects in any way to our case.

Just a casual meeting.

Okay, meet them.

They are a Mallu gang, mostly colleagues.

- Hmm. - Ma'am?

You be with them and assist them with whatever they ask for.

Sure, ma'am.

Call me for anything at all.

- Sure, ma'am - Understood?

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, ma'am. Once again, sorry for the trouble.

Come on, man. It's my duty.

Good luck with your investigation.

(sighs) Naveen Pavithran, Izahak Ahammed and Amrutha Ayyapan.

You guys be relaxed.

This is not a police interrogation, okay?

Renuka, your friend.

We have some questions about her.

Strictly off the record.

No problem, sir. Please ask.

It's about a remark in Renuka's autopsy.

It says she was an active addict.

If that's the case, you friends would definitely know.

Right?

Sir, Renuka was not just a colleague to us.

We were all batchmates.

Here, at AMC.

To be honest, she used to smoke joints from the time we knew her.

She fell behind in her studies, but she was good with people.

So, we entrusted her with our company's marketing activities.

She used to drink and smoke regularly.

Were Renuka's parents oblivious to all this?

She was very rude to them, sir.

We used to feel upset whenever we visited her place.

She was that impudent to her parents.

She used to go home drunk, smoke out there,

got violent if they questioned her.

That was her usual stunt.

(sighs)

Bibin...

Have you heard this name from Renuka or elsewhere?

- Uh... - Bibin?

He is a Malayalee.

No, sir. We don't remember anyone by that name.

This is Bibin.

Sir, this is Bibin?

What happened?

Sir, this is not Bibin. His name is Harshan.

- (dramatic sting) - He used to work with us.

Harshan was also present for that night's event when Renuka died.

What was their relationship like?

Very close friends.

In fact, they vibed better than with us, her long-time classmates.

They hit it off right from the day he joined as a system administrator.

Gradually, they became thick friends.

(dulcet music)

Okay, sir.

That's great news. I'll send you the quotation by evening.

Sure. Thank you.

- Hey, dumbass. - What?

Your Vistara work... Deal!

Wow!

Send them a quotation with your initial rate.

- It's a done deal. - Thanks, dude.

You are the best!

(mockingly) Laying it on a bit too thick, eh?

My head's fuming! Let me go take a drag.

(tuts)

(clucks irritated)

Who swiped my cigarettes?

Who would wanna smoke your lousy Gold brand?

I have Lites if you want, but you gotta plead with me.

(Renuka scoffs)

Dude, Izahak...

Joint and Golds are meant for the nonpareils,

not for infantile folk like you who gabble up on pissant Lites.

Eh?

Why are you talking like this, Renu?

Bug off, you moron!

(groans) Hmm!

Fuck, I need to go buy now!

Hey, I have Gold.

- Gold. - Attaboy! You use Gold, too?

Ah, let's fire it up. Come along.

- (sarcastically) Hmm. Go on. - Come on.

Let's hit the balcony!

(whimsical music)

(exhales smoke)

Bollocks, I'm burned out!

I worked my fingers to the bone to make that last project happen.

I cannot be without cigarettes when I'm stressed out. Thank you!

- You good now? - Yeah.

(casual chatter)

(yelling in rage) Mom...

I have told you a thousand times not to enter my room and

take my clothes for washing without my permission!

Why the hell do you repeat it?

Let's scoot. This girl is a real mess!

Mom, I'm talking to you! What the fuck is wrong with you!

Renu...

(softly) Damn it!

Auntie, give me a second.

He was very sweet and loving towards everyone.

He was really helpful and was always there for you.

No other vices other than Gold and beer.

Renuka's parents kept their distance from us.

But Harshan won them over.

He used to love them a lot and vice versa.

He had an uncanny knack to calm her during her worst temper tantrum.

But it was never a romantic relationship.

She had a soft spot for him. That's all.

Why did you choose that particular venue for the party?

Why not some club or a bar?

Whenever there was a birthday or any other event in our office,

we usually opted for a stayover.

Even before Renuka's birthday,

we'd hung out at the same apartment for one or two other parties.

It was a quiet place, and we could play music loudly without any hassles.

That's how we ended up there.

It was through Harshan we booked the place first.

We got there the first time through his friend's reference.

Also, it was risky to take Renuka out to a pub or bar. She'd make a scene.

Been down that road before. (scoffs)

That night at the party,

did anything unusual happen between Harshan and Renuka?

(electronic dance music)

(celebratory noises)

(shouting) Happy birthday, Renu...

(chanting) Renu, Renu, Renu...

(loud party music continues)

(screams, merry laughter)

Happy birthday!

Renu, Renu, happy birthday!

(cheering, shouting)

(electronic dance music continues)

- Happy birthday, Renu. - Thank you, Harsha.

- Shall we have a shot? - Call them too.

Come on, buddy. Come, come.

- Cheers! - (glasses clink)

(cheery whistling, whooping)

Hey... why are you guys sitting here? Come, come.

Come, Renu, not fair. Come, come on.

Come on!

(dance music rises)

(whooping)

(loud party music continues)

(jolly laughs, cheerful screeches)

(electronic music resumes playing)

(electronic dance numbers continue)

- Harsha, where's Renu? - She should be in there.

- Go ahead and look inside. - Come with me.

Hey, where's Renu?

- Renu? - Have you seen her?

- Renu? No. - She's not in there.

Eh? Where did she go then?

Renu... Renu... Renuka...

Eh? Where did she vanish?

I searched. She is not in the loo.

That moron isn't picking her phone either!

Where would she have gone at this hour?

She's completely sloshed!

Hey, no need to get tensed.

She may have stepped out to catch some fresh air.

She may be downstairs or on the stairs. Let's go find her.

Renu!

- Renu... - Renu...

Look there, dude.

- Search up there. - You check that side.

- Renu... - Check if she's up there somewhere.

Renu...

Renu...

Renu... Renu... Renu...

Buddy, check in there.

Renu...

Renu! Renu!

- Buds, is her car parked there? - Yes, it's here.

Here it is!

(sneers) This girl.

She might be knocked out, asshat.

She is in there.

- Are the lights on? - Hey!

- (tapping car) Renu... - Renu...

(trembling) Open the door.

Renu... Renu... What happened?

(muffled screams) Renu, open!

- Naveen... - Open the door!

Harsha...

- Don't do that. You'll get in trouble. Call the police. -Renu!

- Call the police now! - (Amrutha crying) Renu!

- (crying) Renu, Renu... - Open the door.

(sobbing and screaming)

Harsha...

(muffled sobs) Renu!

(ominous music)

(Amrutha wails)

Dude, you run up, flush out all the joints and stubs.

Hurry up!

(wailing)

(panting, whimpering)

(water flushing)

(dark suspenseful music)

(music softens)

One final question.

What happened to Harshan after Renuka's death?

After the initial hullabaloo of the case,

in about two months, he put down his papers.

It looked like he was really shaken up by Renuka's death.

We didn't keep in touch after that.

Later, when I tried once, that number wasn't working.

Uh... Do you know where he stayed?

Sir, I dropped him home a few times.

It was in a street near Tech City.

Sir, it's this building.

Dude, let's go.

(in Kannada) Harsha was a lovely boy.

Was in his own world, was no trouble to anyone.

Guess he aimed to become a great scientist.

Whenever he got time, he taught maths to my grandchild.

But one day without giving us any hint, he just vanished.

That was the only big trouble he gave.

Come inside.

Please come.

He was a really good chap.

He transferred rent promptly every month to my account without fail.

He couriered the room keys back after he left.

If there was any repair work in the toilet,

he gave me extra money to fix it.

Harsha...

He was a respectful boy.

And that's why, even after he left,

I kept all his belongings just as it was.

(chuckles)

It's been so many years since he's left.

Still, till he comes back or until I take my last breath,

all these things will be here only.

(mobile camera clicks)

(riveting music)

(sighs deeply)

Renuka was murdered by Bibin, and it was premeditated.

He executed his plans accurately, and he killed her.

And the reason is... Sarah.

But...

the name Devan noted in red ink in the second letter,

he...

What could be the reason to kill him?

To find the motive behind that murder, Anzari,

is the most critical point of this case.

It's when we find that why

would we know who really Bibin is.

Bibin Ouseph, who once obeyed even the shadows of Sarah Mama.

What has he become now?

We'll come to know what his real motives are.

And perhaps...

we'll come to know if there are even more deaths involved.