Issue 2 · Case 1 · 12 July 2026
Bombay wireless desk · 1968 · Farid Contractor
The Colaba Radio Spool
A Sunday request programme lost its rehearsal tape before the first song in 1968.
REPORT: Colaba, 1968. Harbour Radio is preparing its Sunday request programme when staff find that a rehearsal spool is missing. The singer needs it checked before going on air. The producer has collected four statements from the announcer, engineer, archivist and guest singer. Other recordings remain on their shelves; the enquiry concerns this spool and the equipment used during preparation. The producer checked the four accounts against the rehearsal log and the tape-room records. The person who gave the false statement is responsible for this incident. Identify that person, the place they visited and the item they carried.
Reading room sorts its index cards by hand
The Colaba citizens’ room has moved its reference cards into fresh trays, leaving a quiet table for anyone checking the evening bulletin.
Dev Menon's signed account enters the tally
Dev Menon signed this account: “I carried the Empty reel can.”
Sea wind delays the morning umbrella parade
Commuters arriving by the harbour side found a brisk shower at the platform edge, though the late-morning service settled once the clouds lifted.
Tape library traced to the Empty reel can record
The visitor to the Tape library carried the Empty reel can.
Apprentice learns the patient art of splicing tape
A junior sound-room assistant completed a careful spool-repair exercise using blank rehearsal stock, earning a handwritten note from the station engineer.
Station canteen traced to the Splicing scissors record
Whoever carried the Splicing scissors visited the Station canteen.
CLASSIFIED
Radio valves tested without drama
Colaba Valve House checks humming sets, studio spares, and suspicious silences. Bring the valve; leave the theatre outside.
Request hour saves room for a young tabla player
A small studio orchestra has reserved one measured interlude for a neighbourhood tabla pupil, recorded with a ribbon microphone after the spoken announcements.
Poonam Sawant's signed account enters the tally
Poonam Sawant wrote: “I carried the Tea thermos.”
Visitors to sign the rehearsal-room book
Anyone collecting sheet music is asked to enter a name and time in the green book at reception, keeping the narrow passage clear during broadcasts.
Cyrus Batliwala's handling record names two items
Only the Empty reel can or the Tea thermos could have been the item Cyrus Batliwala carried.
CLASSIFIED
Copper Kettle Irani Café offers a quiet corner
Copper Kettle Irani Café serves brun pav, khari biscuits and chai in thick cups for readers waiting out a shower. The counter keeps change in a tin, not in coat pockets.
Rehana Mirza's signed account enters the tally
Rehana Mirza said, “I visited the Transmitter room.”
Matunga annual-day booklet returned with its music cue
A slim school booklet came back through the post with a pencilled harmonium cue inside, a small acknowledgement of an earlier Bombay school desk.
Cyrus Batliwala's signed account enters the tally
Cyrus Batliwala signed this account: “I carried the Tea thermos.”
Witness tally flags one false claim
In the producer’s rehearsal log, three of the four signed statements are true; one is false.
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.
| 1Rehana Mirza | 2Cyrus Batliwala | 3Poonam Sawant | 4Dev Menon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Empty reel can | ||||
| 2Splicing scissors | ||||
| 3Tea thermos | ||||
| 4Broadcast cue sheet |
| 1Rehana Mirza | 2Cyrus Batliwala | 3Poonam Sawant | 4Dev Menon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Station canteen | ||||
| 2Studio A | ||||
| 3Tape library | ||||
| 4Transmitter room |
| 1Empty reel can | 2Splicing scissors | 3Tea thermos | 4Broadcast cue sheet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Station canteen | ||||
| 2Studio A | ||||
| 3Tape library | ||||
| 4Transmitter room |
File your accusation
Reading your saved case…
Icon key
| 1Sus 1 | Rehana Mirza |
|---|---|
| 2Sus 2 | Cyrus Batliwala |
| 3Sus 3 | Poonam Sawant |
| 4Sus 4 | Dev Menon |
| 1Imp 1 | Empty reel can |
|---|---|
| 2Imp 2 | Splicing scissors |
| 3Imp 3 | Tea thermos |
| 4Imp 4 | Broadcast cue sheet |
| 1Loc 1 | Station canteen |
|---|---|
| 2Loc 2 | Studio A |
| 3Loc 3 | Tape library |
| 4Loc 4 | Transmitter room |