Issue 5 · Case 1 · 10 July 2026
Bombay evening edition · 1996 · Asha D’Costa
The Dadar Interval Tin
A wet 1996 interval at Dadar’s Shalimar Talkies left a cash tin missing and four imperfect accounts.
REPORT: Dadar, 1996. At Shalimar Talkies, the cashier reopened the interval window and found the advance-booking cash tin missing. Rain had brought the queue under the awning. Staff were also dealing with a leaking poster store and a faulty fan belt. The manager has stopped further cash collections until the tin is accounted for. Four staff members have given statements about their part in the interval duties. The cinema manager checked the four accounts against the ticket totals and the remaining interval 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 opens one extra table for exam month
The Mahim People’s Reading Room has added an evening table for students with reference books, keeping the children’s corner quiet until closing.
Box office traced to the Paste brush record
The person carrying the Paste brush was the visitor to the Box office.
First local runs under a cloud-heavy morning sky
Commuters carried folded rain covers as a cloud-heavy morning moved across the city; the buses and local trains settled after the first rush.
Farida Sheikh's signed account enters the tally
Farida Sheikh signed this account: “I carried the Ticket punch.”
Projection apprentice completes a careful changeover drill
A young cinema apprentice completed a supervised changeover drill using a blank practice reel, with the booth log signed at the end of the shift.
Nalin Korgaonkar's signed account enters the tally
Nalin Korgaonkar wrote: “I visited the Balcony staircase.”
CLASSIFIED
Clock-face table kept for late readers
Monsoon Clock Irani keeps one back table for readers with dry elbows, wet shoes, and a newspaper folded smaller than their curiosity.
Hand-painted hoarding class fills its final board
A neighbourhood art class finished a hand-painted cinema hoarding exercise, trading sketches and cassette recommendations after the final brush was washed.
Asha Kadam's handling record names two items
Asha Kadam's item was either the Hand torch or the Duplicate key ring.
Rain cape found near the evening ticket queue
A plain rain cape is held at the lobby desk for its owner. Please describe the stitched initials without naming them aloud in the crowded foyer.
Suresh More's signed account enters the tally
Suresh More's signed statement reads: “I carried the Duplicate key ring.”
CLASSIFIED
Velvet Booth Irani Café serves the interval crowd
Velvet Booth Irani Café offers bun maska, khari biscuits and chai before the next matinee. Cassette covers may be discussed, but the counter remains for orders.
Asha Kadam's signed account enters the tally
Asha Kadam's signed statement reads: “I carried the Hand torch.”
Churchgate bookstall sends a slim poetry leaflet south
A slim poetry leaflet from a station bookstall turned up beside the cinema noticeboard, one last quiet thread through the season’s Bombay.
Projection booth traced to the Duplicate key ring record
The visitor to the Projection booth carried the Duplicate key ring.
Witness tally flags one false claim
In the cinema manager’s interval file, among the four signed statements, exactly one is false.
Balcony staircase and Ticket punch entries do not match
Whoever carried the Ticket punch did not visit the Balcony staircase.
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.
| 1Farida Sheikh | 2Suresh More | 3Asha Kadam | 4Nalin Korgaonkar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ticket punch | ||||
| 2Hand torch | ||||
| 3Duplicate key ring | ||||
| 4Paste brush |
| 1Farida Sheikh | 2Suresh More | 3Asha Kadam | 4Nalin Korgaonkar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Poster storeroom | ||||
| 2Projection booth | ||||
| 3Balcony staircase | ||||
| 4Box office |
| 1Ticket punch | 2Hand torch | 3Duplicate key ring | 4Paste brush | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Poster storeroom | ||||
| 2Projection booth | ||||
| 3Balcony staircase | ||||
| 4Box office |
File your accusation
Reading your saved case…
Icon key
| 1Sus 1 | Farida Sheikh |
|---|---|
| 2Sus 2 | Suresh More |
| 3Sus 3 | Asha Kadam |
| 4Sus 4 | Nalin Korgaonkar |
| 1Imp 1 | Ticket punch |
|---|---|
| 2Imp 2 | Hand torch |
| 3Imp 3 | Duplicate key ring |
| 4Imp 4 | Paste brush |
| 1Loc 1 | Poster storeroom |
|---|---|
| 2Loc 2 | Projection booth |
| 3Loc 3 | Balcony staircase |
| 4Loc 4 | Box office |