Issue 5 · Case 2 · 27 August 2026
Bombay evening edition · 1996 · Asha D’Costa
The Juhu Photo Roll
A 1996 photo booth roll was loaded before its receipt reached the counter.
REPORT: Juhu, 1996. A customer’s roll had been loaded when staff found no matching receipt in the counter file. Without the receipt, the shop risks handing the developed photographs to the wrong person. Four people were involved in the Saturday session. The owner has stopped further processing until the missing paperwork is accounted for. The booth log records that the person carrying the Receipt stub loaded the roll before its receipt reached the cashier. Identify the person who carried the Receipt stub and the place they visited.
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.
Counter traced to the Envelope record
In the photographer’s receipt enquiry, the visitor to the Counter carried the Envelope.
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.
Saira Khan's handling record names two items
In the photographer’s receipt enquiry, Saira Khan carried one of two items: the Receipt stub or the Film canister.
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.
Photo booth and Receipt stub entries do not match
The person carrying the Receipt stub was not the visitor to the Photo booth.
CLASSIFIED
Photo rolls developed by supper time
Juhu Seaside Photo promises clear faces, straight borders, and no questions about why one frame contains only a locked counter.
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.
Aalok Mehra's handling record names two items
Aalok Mehra carried one of two items: the Flash lead or the Film canister.
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.
Waiting bench traced to the Film canister record
Whoever carried the Film canister visited the Waiting bench.
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.
Tina D’Souza's handling record names two items
Tina D’Souza carried one of two items: the Envelope or the Flash lead.
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.
Saira Khan's movements narrow to two stops
Saira Khan visited one of two places: the Counter or the Waiting bench.
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.
| 1Nitin Shetty | 2Saira Khan | 3Tina D’Souza | 4Aalok Mehra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Receipt stub | ||||
| 2Envelope | ||||
| 3Flash lead | ||||
| 4Film canister |
| 1Nitin Shetty | 2Saira Khan | 3Tina D’Souza | 4Aalok Mehra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Darkroom | ||||
| 2Photo booth | ||||
| 3Waiting bench | ||||
| 4Counter |
| 1Receipt stub | 2Envelope | 3Flash lead | 4Film canister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Darkroom | ||||
| 2Photo booth | ||||
| 3Waiting bench | ||||
| 4Counter |
File your accusation
Reading your saved case…
Icon key
| 1Sus 1 | Nitin Shetty |
|---|---|
| 2Sus 2 | Saira Khan |
| 3Sus 3 | Tina D’Souza |
| 4Sus 4 | Aalok Mehra |
| 1Imp 1 | Receipt stub |
|---|---|
| 2Imp 2 | Envelope |
| 3Imp 3 | Flash lead |
| 4Imp 4 | Film canister |
| 1Loc 1 | Darkroom |
|---|---|
| 2Loc 2 | Photo booth |
| 3Loc 3 | Waiting bench |
| 4Loc 4 | Counter |