The sun was dipping low behind the skyline when the Masked Detective and Inspector Ratan arrived at the edge of North Subarnagarh. The streets were narrower here, the buildings older—some shuttered, others barely standing.
They stopped in front of a crumbling signboard that hung loosely above a rusted gate:
SHIKSHA POINT TUTORIALS
Knowledge. Discipline. Success.
(Closed)
Ratan whistled softly. "Looks abandoned."
"Let's take a look inside," the Detective said.
They pushed the gate open. It creaked loudly, complaining after years of silence. Dry leaves and broken glass crunched under their shoes as they stepped into the compound.
The building was small—two floors, five rooms, and all of them coated in dust. Torn posters of periodic tables and grammar rules still clung to the damp walls. A single metal desk lay overturned in what must have been the office.
"This place hasn't seen students in years," Ratan muttered, flashing his torch across the room.
"Something feels wrong," the Detective said softly. "This place is too quiet. Like it's hiding something."
They moved deeper into the corridor. At the end of it was a door, slightly ajar.
Ratan pushed it open—and stopped.
Inside was a small storage room, filled with discarded notebooks, old uniforms… and a locked cabinet.
The Detective stepped forward, pulling a pin from her coat. Within seconds, the lock gave way with a soft click.
Inside the cabinet were stacks of folders. Some marked with names. Others unlabelled.
The Detective pulled out one of the oldest-looking files. She flipped it open.
Her face tightened.
Inside were photographs.
Teenage girls—smiling passport photos, school ID scans, and some… candid shots taken from a distance.
And written across one of them, in red marker: Sanchayita Pandit.
Ratan's voice dropped. "Are these… victims?"
The Detective didn't answer. She kept flipping.
Another file. Another name: Ishita Bosu.
And beneath it—notes. Handwritten. Watching routines. School schedules. Even sketches of Taraniketan's campus.
"This was a hunting ground," the Detective whispered. "Whoever ran this tuition center wasn't just teaching."
"Do you think the person who followed them used to work here?" Ratan asked.
"Maybe." Her voice was ice now. "Or maybe he's still watching."
Suddenly, Ratan's phone buzzed. A message from headquarters.
He checked it—and froze.
"What is it?" the Detective asked.
Ratan looked up slowly.
"Someone just filed a missing person report," he said. "A girl from East Taraniketan School. Gone since yesterday."
The Detective closed the folder with a snap.
"Then we're already too late."