Mystery unfolded

Police at office

"The managers and MDs have the door key in their hands."

"Did you give me the courtesy key?"

"That's true, sir. They usually keep the keys themselves. There's a locker in the manager's room. You'll find a spare key to the MD's room in the manager's hand."

“Tell the manager to come.”

“I called, sir. I will be there in half an hour.”

"Mmm. Where is the CCTV room here?"

"It's on the second floor, sir."

“Rametta. Let me check the CCTV by the time the manager comes.”

“You stay here. I’ll check the CCTV, and then I’ll check the compound outside the building.”

"Oh, Rametta."

About half an hour later, the manager arrived... and as soon as he arrived, he started making loud noises.

"I wonder if there's no police state here to show off by barging into the office at an untimely hour and threatening the security staff."

Praveen hears the manager's voice as he returns after checking the building's surroundings.

Praveen rushed towards the manager, ready to hit him and throw him against the wall. But before he could, the sound of the manager's mouth opening rang out. Ramettan shouted, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the wall.

“Panna Punnara, my son. You should stay in a corner and be quiet. Just answer what is asked. Otherwise, don’t open your mouth.”

“Sir.”

"What's his name?"

“Surya, Surya Narayan.”

"Where is the key to your room?"

Surya handed over the key to Ramettan.

"The spare key to the MD's room?"

“It's in the first draw of my table.”

“Good. This is how it should be.”

They searched both rooms in half an hour, but they didn't find anything.

After a while, Surya was called into the room. Ramettan and Praveen were in the room.

"Sit down," Ramettan said, pointing to the chair opposite.

"Did the manager know that Devayani, the assistant manager here, was missing?"

“I know, sir.”

"No one has seen the child since he left here this afternoon... The child's body was found abandoned on the side of the road a while ago."

“What?”

"Don't be so shocked. We know you did this. Just tell us why and how."

"What the hell. If you can't find the killer, will you hold the one you found responsible?"

Ramettan's hand moved again.

"I told you first. Just answer what you asked."

“Sir, please, you are mistaken. Me. It’s not me. I don’t know anything.”

"Okay, agreed. We'll believe you if you answer the questions correctly. If you can't do that, we'll hang you and take you to the police station. When we get there, it won't be like this."

“I will tell you, sir.”

“9895∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ This is not the number here. Who uses this?”

"This was the MD's PA number. That kid resigned and now I have it."

"Is this the phone?" Praveen asked, pointing to the phone in his hand.

“Yes.”

"According to the call list, two messages were sent from this number to Devayani's number this afternoon. But when I looked at the messages on this phone, I didn't see any of them. What does Surya have to say?"

“No one uses this phone, sir. Devayani collects the daily sales report at the branch. Devayani consolidates it and sends it to this number. Similarly, the production and stock at the factory, this is a routine matter. Other than that, I don't send messages from this number, sir. I haven't sent any messages like that. Sir.”

"Are you sure? Don't change your mind."

"No sir, I'm sure. I didn't send such a message."

"Devayani coming to the office this morning was clearly recorded on the CCTV here. She was also caught on camera leaving the office in the afternoon and going out through the front door. No one knows what happened to her, she was not seen passing through the gate on camera and the security staff did not see her. What about this?"

"When you said you had to go to the bank at noon, I told you to take half a day's leave and go. I don't know anything else, sir."

“Sure.”

“Yes.” Surya started sweating with tension.

After being silent for a while, Ramettan stood up and kicked Surya with the chair he was sitting on.

"I'm &₹&₹*₹, son."

You've been making it for a long time. Did you think we were all unnakkans?

Did you see this? It's Devayani's phone. It contains the message you sent.

“I will drop you”

"Join me at the car park, 20 minutes."

"Fifteen minutes after receiving his message, the boy was caught on CCTV going out the front door and into the car park. He was there 10 minutes later. Then we found the boy's phone in the car park. It was also broken. Since there were no other cameras in that area, he had to tell us what happened there."

Surya saw all the evidence and was convinced. But he still said he didn't know anything.

When Praveen's phone rang, he stood a little distance away to answer it.

“Hello.”

“Hello, sir, I am Neenu. I work with Devoon.”

“Tell me clearly.”

"Sir. Didn't you say that if you remember anything, you should tell me. There is one thing."

What Neenu said troubled Praveen even more.

Ramettan was still questioning Surya.

“KL 12 BA 234x amaze is his car.”

“Yes.”

"This car drove out exactly 5 minutes after he went to the parking lot... I can see him in the driver's seat on the CCTV."

She is the only person who drives a car to this office. Devayani, who went to the parking lot, had to leave in her own car if she wanted to avoid being caught on CCTV.

"Is he telling the truth now?"

What he heard made Surya feel weak. After some preliminary deliberation.

“Sir… I have something to say.”

"Only if it's the truth. If it's a lie again... don't bother me."

"No sir, it's true."

"I didn't take the car."

“And then?”

“It’s Nevin”

"Who the hell is that? Why did he take your car? Did he think he could get away with tying it to someone else's head?"

Praveen stopped Ramettan from raising his hand towards Surya.

"Rametta. No. Let him tell the whole story."

"It's true, sir. Nevin Thomas is our MD's son. He studies in Bangalore. Nevin came here this morning. He said he was on his way back from a trip somewhere. There's something missing from the bulletin, so I'm leaving it in the office. I called the service center and they said they'll come and pick it up."

Nevin dropped me off at home in my car in the afternoon and then went to his house in that car.

"Nevin was in my room when Devayani called to ask for leave. He had picked up this phone."

"So he says Nevin is behind this. If that's the case, how did the child's body end up in Pulpally? He was the only one in the car."

"He came downstairs earlier, took the car keys from me, saying he had luggage to put in the boot. Maybe."

Ramettan paused, perhaps unable to deny what Surya had said.

"Rametta, just a minute."

Praveen went outside with Ramettan.

“Mmm?”

"Rametta called you. Considering what they said, Surya's words cannot be dismissed."

“What?”

“This Nevin is Devayani's classmate... since high school. He's been after her ever since. He said he tried to hurt her once or twice for rejecting her proposal.... Today, I saw Nevin in this office.”

"Then that's the way we should go, right?"

"Yes, Rametta, but."

"But they're all very well-behaved. We should get him out before they do anything."

"Yes." By the time he got off, having recorded Surya and the security's statements and collected all the CCTV footage, it was dawn.

Praveen and Ramettan went straight to Bathery Taluk Hospital. The rest of the group took the evidence and Surya to the police station.

By the time Ramettan and Praveen reached the hospital, arrangements had been made to identify the body and take it to Kozhikode Medical College for a postmortem.

Devayani's mother came running to her rescue as soon as she saw Praveen.

"Sir, my daughter." Even though those with her are trying to calm her down... that mother can't help it.

“Rametta, he’s at home… The shadow police have spotted him. Do you want me to keep him here any longer?”

“No. “

As Praveen and Ramettan got into the jeep, CI Zakaria's jeep stopped in front of them.

The two of them went outside and approached the CI.

CI started speaking without any introduction.

“Rametta. The SP called. He asked me to take up this case.”

In the days that followed, the case took a turn for the worse. There was no mention of Nevin's name or Devayani's phone number in any of the records.

On the tenth day after the CI took over the investigation into the case, the breaking news on the channel was the arrest of the accused in the Devayani case.

“24×7 Big Breaking. Devyani Murder Case. Police have arrested the accused. Our representative Gauri joins us with more information.”

“The Adheena Devayani murder case is taking a crucial turn. The suspect has been arrested by the police. Aravind, a native of Mananthavady, was arrested from his home this afternoon.”

"Gauri, have you learned anything about the motive behind the accused's crime?"

“Adhina. The police have indicated that the accused and the murdered girl had been in a close relationship for the past few months, and that the accused, who was under the influence of drugs, brutally r***d the girl who had come to the accused’s house to meet him, and the girl subsequently died. It has been learned that the girl’s missing mobile phone has been found in the accused’s house, Adhina.”

The police submitted the charge sheet to the court in the evening. The accused's arrest was also recorded on the same day.

The accused pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to 7 years rigorous imprisonment.

There were continuous news and posts on social media and some online tabloids portraying Devayani in a bad light. Gradually, even Devayani's relatives and family members started hurting her mother with harsh words. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, she went to Bangalore with her son.

Ramettan and Praveen were furious after seeing the news and the case diary, but they could only sit helplessly, unable to do anything.

.