Host Notes
CB-02 · Red Carpet Red Hands · Private — Do Not Share with Players
⚠ Keep this page private. If players see the vault codes or killer identity before resolution, the game is ruined. Run this on the host device only.
Killer & Motive Summary
| Field | Answer |
|---|
| Killer | Sameer Rane — Co-Producer, SR Productions |
| Victim | Arjun Malhotra, 41 — Lead Actor |
| Motive | Arjun discovered Sameer's embezzlement (₹12.67L via NK Film Projects shell company) and threatened to file a formal complaint before the film's press run |
| Method | Midazolam 15mg oral (stolen from medical kit 13 Feb under alias "N. Kumar") dissolved in Arjun's whisky → incapacitation → ligature strangulation |
| Scene | Trailer 7, Block C, Film City Studios — 20:10 to 20:40 |
| Cover | Used Nandini Kapoor's jacket + badge (NK-DIR-0089) to enter Block C. Jacket retrieved from Editing Suite hook (unmonitored). Drove car out Gate 2 and back to create an alibi gap narrative |
Vault Codes — Master Reference
| Vault | Code | How It's Embedded | Content Unlocked |
|---|
| Pack A Vault |
2007 |
Badge scan timestamp: NK-DIR-0089 scanned at 20:07:41 (E03, E04). Players who record the exact time may try it. |
Arjun Malhotra's personal planner page — confirms "NK confirmed 8 PM, T7" and his knowledge of the audit |
| Pack B Vault |
0042 |
Sameer Rane's badge ID is SR-PROD-0042. Last 4 digits. Players who've identified him should try it. |
SR Associates bank statement — confirms the ₹12.67L from SR Productions flowed directly to Sameer's father's personal account |
| Pack C Vault |
1950 |
Sameer's WhatsApp message (E21): "Trailer 7, 19:50. Come alone." — the meeting time in 24hr format. |
FSL handwriting analysis — confirms "N. Kumar" medical kit signature is Sameer Rane's handwriting at "highly probable" certainty |
Master Timeline (Host Reference)
13 Feb 16:31Sameer enters Building 2 corridor (Camera 6). Signs out Midazolam 15mg oral as "N. Kumar" at 16:34. Dr. Sinha not present.
14 Feb 12:41Sameer sends WhatsApp confirming meeting at Trailer 7 at ~20:00 via his personal device.
17:30Wrap. Nandini hangs her jacket (with NK-DIR-0089 attached) at Editing Suite hook. Changes into personal clothes.
~17:35Sameer retrieves Nandini's jacket from hook. Editing Suite entrance is unmonitored.
19:47Last Sameer badge scan (Main Production Office R-PROD-01). 51-minute gap begins.
19:51Sameer's Toyota Camry exits Gate 2. Guard logs "Back in 30."
~20:00Arjun in Trailer 7. Last call activity at 20:04:55 (1m 8s from Sameer's personal number).
20:07:41Badge NK-DIR-0089 scans at R-TRLC-01. Camera 11 records figure in NK jacket entering Block C at 20:07:43.
20:10–20:40Murder window per autopsy. Midazolam-laced whisky incapacitates Arjun (~8–15 min onset). Sameer strangles him.
20:38Sameer's badge scans Parking Level 1 stairwell (returned via car, Gate 2 re-entry at 20:40).
20:41Sameer scans back into Main Production Office. Jacket returned to Editing Suite hook (undetected).
20:44Camera 11 records figure in NK jacket exiting Block C at 20:44:18.
20:47Aarav Singh finds Arjun's body. Calls security at 20:47:41.
20:52Film City Studios sealed.
20:58Sameer deletes WhatsApp thread (Face ID auth at 20:57:52 — 11 min after body found).
Pack Release Guidance
| Pack | Release Trigger | What It Does |
|---|
| Pack A | Game start | Establishes red herrings. NK jacket/badge points to Nandini. Petty cash audit raises Sameer but no direct link. Medical kit flags "N. Kumar." Tara's civil suit provides motive distraction. |
| Pack B | After Round 2 (alibi testing) | Dismantles Nandini frame (height analysis, badge history, alibi confirmed). Establishes Sameer connection to NK Film Projects. Car gap documented. Phone "NK" = Sameer's corporate SIM. |
| Pack C | Host discretion — if group is stuck after Pack B | Deleted messages (planned murder), unsent legal complaint (motive crystallised), medical room CCTV (Sameer as "N. Kumar"), IO summary (full reconstruction). |
Hint Cards — Answers
H1"Look at the height of the person in the CCTV footage. Compare it to the registered heights of all five suspects." → Points to E12 (gait analysis).
H2"The badge doesn't mean the person. A badge can be picked up by anyone who knows where it is." → Points to E11 (Nandini's jacket on hook since 17:30).
H3"Find out who owns the phone number that Arjun called 'NK.' It's not a personal number." → Points to E16 (subscriber verification).
H4"NK Film Projects was only incorporated one week before the first payment. Who created it — and why then?" → Points to E13 (MCA records).
H5"Check the medical kit sign-out date against the CCTV in Building 2. The corridor camera saw who entered." → Points to E23.
💡 Pacing tip: If players are strongly committed to Nandini after Pack A, resist releasing Pack B too early — let the debate run for 15 minutes. The conviction reversal when E12 lands is the best moment in this case.