CASEBOARD — CASE FILE CB-02 · MUMBAI

RED CARPET RED HANDS

Location Film City Studios, Goregaon East, Mumbai
Date Friday, 14 February 2025 — Wrap Night
Victim Arjun Malhotra, 41 — Lead Actor, "Zara Ruk"
Official Status Homicide — Film City lot sealed
Players 2–8  |  Time: 75–90 min
Difficulty ★★★★☆ Inspector Level
📢 LEAD DETECTIVE — Read aloud to all players before opening any evidence

Valentine's Day, 2025. Film City Studios, Goregaon. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration.

"Zara Ruk" — one of Bollywood's most anticipated releases — has wrapped principal photography after sixty days of shooting. Director Nandini Kapoor had called a wrap party for 9 PM at the canteen. The cast and crew were already gathering when production assistant Aarav Singh found lead actor Arjun Malhotra unresponsive in Trailer 7 at 8:47 PM.

Malhotra was 41 years old, at the peak of a twenty-year career. He is dead. Film City Security sealed the lot at 8:52 PM. No one has left.

Five people had documented access to the trailer block during the critical window. One of them is a killer. The others have reasons to mislead you. Your task is to determine who killed Arjun Malhotra, how, and why — before the story gets buried beneath the credits.

Who killed Arjun Malhotra — and what was the real price of tonight's wrap?

Case Metadata

Scene Trailer 7, Block C, Film City Studios
Body Discovered 20:47 — Aarav Singh, Production PA
Cause of Death Ligature strangulation — sedative detected
TOD Estimate 20:10 – 20:40
Lot Sealed 20:52 — Film City Security
Investigating Unit Mumbai Police — Crime Branch, Unit 4

Suspects on Lot — 14 February 2025

S1 Nandini Kapoor, 38F — Director
S2 Sameer Rane, 29M — Co-Producer
S3 Tara Mehta, 34F — Lead Actress
S4 Dev Kapoor, 55M — Director of Photography
S5 Priyanka Bhatia, 26F — Personal Assistant
INVESTIGATION MANDATE
Identify the killer from among the five suspects. Establish motive, method, and the physical evidence that places them in Trailer 7 during the murder window. Identify which suspects and which documents have been used to mislead this investigation.