Issue 1 · Case 1 · 11 July 2026
Bombay school desk · 1957 · Sushila Ketkar
The Merit Shield at King’s Circle
Rain cut short the school rehearsal before Matunga’s silver prize went missing.
REPORT: Matunga, 1957. Rain interrupted the annual-day rehearsal at King’s Circle Vidyalaya. At the final bell, the headmistress asked for the silver merit shield; nobody could produce it. The prize must be ready for tomorrow’s presentation. Staff have set aside their rehearsal duties to account for the school equipment and the shield’s disappearance. A pupil saw the person carrying the Coir stage rope remove the shield from its display. The pupil remembered the item but could not name its carrier. Identify the person who carried the Coir stage rope and the place they visited.
Library counter adds a rainy-afternoon register
The Five Gardens reading room has set aside a ruled register for borrowed umbrellas and satchels while the monsoon clouds gather over its verandah.
Meher Engineer's handling record names two items
Meher Engineer carried one of two items: the Coir stage rope or the Attendance register.
Tram bells carry through the first drizzle
Morning riders were advised to keep their fountain-pen notes wrapped as a brief shower made the pavements near the circle slick before breakfast.
Anthony D’Souza's movements narrow to two stops
In the school rehearsal duty book, Anthony D’Souza visited one of two places: the Assembly hall or the Cycle shed.
Handwriting medal shared by two patient pupils
A small Matunga school awarded its copybook medal jointly after two pupils kept equally clean margins through the term, according to the head clerk.
Staff room traced to the Brass cupboard key record
The person carrying the Brass cupboard key was the visitor to the Staff room.
CLASSIFIED
School handbells polished for annual day
Matunga Brass Works restores handbells, cupboard keys, and prize shields. Applause not included; punctuality strongly advised.
Harmonium rehearsal opens the annual-day programme
A neighbourhood music teacher will lead a short harmonium rehearsal before the curtain rises, with the handbell kept by the stage manager until the final cue.
Anthony D’Souza's handling record names two items
Anthony D’Souza's item was either the Coir stage rope or the Brass cupboard key.
Cycle shed key to be returned before noon
The caretaker asks families using the rain-dark shed to leave its brass key at the front office, so the younger pupils are not kept waiting at dismissal.
Ravi Iyer's handling record names two items
Only the Brass handbell or the Coir stage rope could have been the item Ravi Iyer carried.
CLASSIFIED
Palm Court Irani Café keeps the sugar jar ready
Palm Court Irani Café offers bun maska, brun pav and a strong cup of chai beside a bentwood rack of old weeklies. School satchels may rest under the table, not on it.
Cycle shed traced to the Attendance register record
Whoever carried the Attendance register visited the Cycle shed.
A request-card bundle waits for a future wireless desk
The postman collected a tied bundle of song requests addressed to a small harbour studio, a quiet early note in the larger case-world archive.
Deduction board
Confirming a pair rules out the other cells in its row and column.
Blank → ○ possible → × ruled out → ✓ matched.
Swipe to compare. Match each icon to the key below.
| 1Leela Deshpande | 2Ravi Iyer | 3Anthony D’Souza | 4Meher Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Coir stage rope | ||||
| 2Brass handbell | ||||
| 3Brass cupboard key | ||||
| 4Attendance register |
| 1Leela Deshpande | 2Ravi Iyer | 3Anthony D’Souza | 4Meher Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Trophy cupboard | ||||
| 2Staff room | ||||
| 3Assembly hall | ||||
| 4Cycle shed |
| 1Coir stage rope | 2Brass handbell | 3Brass cupboard key | 4Attendance register | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Trophy cupboard | ||||
| 2Staff room | ||||
| 3Assembly hall | ||||
| 4Cycle shed |
File your accusation
Reading your saved case…
Icon key
| 1Sus 1 | Leela Deshpande |
|---|---|
| 2Sus 2 | Ravi Iyer |
| 3Sus 3 | Anthony D’Souza |
| 4Sus 4 | Meher Engineer |
| 1Imp 1 | Coir stage rope |
|---|---|
| 2Imp 2 | Brass handbell |
| 3Imp 3 | Brass cupboard key |
| 4Imp 4 | Attendance register |
| 1Loc 1 | Trophy cupboard |
|---|---|
| 2Loc 2 | Staff room |
| 3Loc 3 | Assembly hall |
| 4Loc 4 | Cycle shed |