Issue 4 · Case 5 · 25 August 2026
Bombay local lines · 1988 · Ramesh Soman
The Vile Parle Courier Sack
A courier sack carried an extra delivery note before a 1988 flight connection.
REPORT: Vile Parle, 1988. A courier branch found an extra delivery note in a sack prepared for a flight connection. Sending it unchecked could divert a parcel at the receiving branch. The manager has held the sack and asked five workers to explain their duties. Their accounts include the competing reasons behind the disputed handling. The duplicate collection note records that the person carrying the Delivery note inserted the extra delivery paper into the sack. The person who carried the Delivery note is responsible for this incident. Identify the responsible person, the item they carried and their motive.
Footpath repainting leaves a clear path to the crossing
A Churchgate ward crew finished a fresh white edge near the crowded crossing, asking pedestrians to use the temporary route until the paint dried.
Bashir Khan's explanation narrowed to two pressures
Bashir Khan was acting either to cover a debt or to protect a colleague.
Evening handover brings a light platform shower
The evening rush arrived with a short shower and careful umbrella folding, while the suburban-local handover continued beneath the station’s familiar announcements.
Route map holder was trying to win a contract
The person carrying the Route map was trying to win a contract.
Parcel clerk earns praise for a tidy delivery register
A young parcel clerk completed a month of careful entries in the delivery register, keeping twine bundles and return slips in their allotted tray.
Delivery note holder was trying to protect a colleague
In the courier collection file, the person carrying the Delivery note was trying to protect a colleague.
CLASSIFIED
Courier sack seals sold by the dozen
Vile Parle Dispatch Supply sells numbered seals and weighing hooks for parcels that should not grow extra paperwork overnight.
Platform bookstall hosts a small poetry reading
After the evening crowd thinned, a bookstall owner will read three short poems beside the magazine stack, with a black roadster bicycle leaned outside.
Receipt book holder was trying to save a route
The person trying to save a route carried the Receipt book.
Parcel receipts must be collected before closing
Customers expecting a twine-bound parcel are requested to bring the counter slip before the final collection bell, leaving the narrow window free for the next queue.
Lily D’Costa's explanation narrowed to two pressures
Lily D’Costa was trying either to win a contract or to cover a debt.
CLASSIFIED
Monsoon Clock Irani Café keeps a seat for readers
Monsoon Clock Irani Café serves brun pav, bun maska and chai for travellers between platforms. A folded newspaper is welcome; dripping parcels are not.
Register leaves two alternatives involving Hema Shah and Sanjay Mehra
At least one of these entries is correct: Hema Shah did not carry the Sack seal; Sanjay Mehra had the motive "Avoid a surcharge".
Girgaon clerk returns a borrowed red cloth file
A red cloth file was returned through the evening post with no note beyond a careful date stamp, linking two otherwise ordinary Bombay desks.
Register leaves two alternatives involving Kiran Jagtap and Lily D’Costa
At least one of these entries is correct: Kiran Jagtap did not carry the Sack seal; Lily D’Costa carried the Weighing hook.
Hema Shah's explanation narrowed to two pressures
Hema Shah was acting either to cover a debt or to avoid a surcharge.
Kiran Jagtap's explanation narrowed to two pressures
Kiran Jagtap was acting either to avoid a surcharge or to win a contract.
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.
| 1Hema Shah | 2Kiran Jagtap | 3Sanjay Mehra | 4Lily D’Costa | 5Bashir Khan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Weighing hook | |||||
| 2Delivery note | |||||
| 3Receipt book | |||||
| 4Route map | |||||
| 5Sack seal |
| 1Hema Shah | 2Kiran Jagtap | 3Sanjay Mehra | 4Lily D’Costa | 5Bashir Khan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cover a debt | |||||
| 2Save a route | |||||
| 3Avoid a surcharge | |||||
| 4Protect a colleague | |||||
| 5Win a contract |
| 1Weighing hook | 2Delivery note | 3Receipt book | 4Route map | 5Sack seal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cover a debt | |||||
| 2Save a route | |||||
| 3Avoid a surcharge | |||||
| 4Protect a colleague | |||||
| 5Win a contract |
File your accusation
Reading your saved case…
Icon key
| 1Sus 1 | Hema Shah |
|---|---|
| 2Sus 2 | Kiran Jagtap |
| 3Sus 3 | Sanjay Mehra |
| 4Sus 4 | Lily D’Costa |
| 5Sus 5 | Bashir Khan |
| 1Imp 1 | Weighing hook |
|---|---|
| 2Imp 2 | Delivery note |
| 3Imp 3 | Receipt book |
| 4Imp 4 | Route map |
| 5Imp 5 | Sack seal |
| 1Why 1 | Cover a debt |
|---|---|
| 2Why 2 | Save a route |
| 3Why 3 | Avoid a surcharge |
| 4Why 4 | Protect a colleague |
| 5Why 5 | Win a contract |