An original mystery story, written by our student Yatharth Chowdhary.

Yatharth is a student in Grade 9 studying at the prestigious Asian World School, Jaipur. We are proud to have him as a student of the Creative Writing Program through Applied Storytelling under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Yatharth for this exemplary true self-expression.

A Well-Played Theft

It was a hot and humid night. Around 2:00 AM, Rajesh heard a loud bang. He leaped out of bed and rushed downstairs, only to find his grandmother’s vase shattered. To his dismay, he discovered that five paintings had been stolen from his house. Without wasting a moment, he immediately called the detective. Soon enough, the detective arrived at the crime scene, carefully collected the broken pieces of the vase, and sent them for fingerprint testing. Assuring Rajesh, he said, “There’s no need to worry. I’ll do my best to solve this case as soon as possible.”

The following morning, Rajesh visited the police station where the test results had just arrived. Surprisingly, the fingerprints matched Rajesh’s own. Perplexed, Rajesh explained, “That’s because I moved the vase to a different location yesterday afternoon.” After pondering for a while, the detective decided to return to the crime scene.

There were no footprints inside or outside the house. The detective inspected the walls where the paintings had been hanging. The entire wall was devoid of fingerprints, but there was a layer of dust around the spots where the paintings had been.

Returning to the police station, the detective asked Rajesh, “Do you have any enemies or anyone with whom your relationship has turned bad? Have you had any recent conflicts?”

Rajesh pondered for a moment and replied, “No one comes to mind… Oh, wait! There’s Ram. We’ve been good friends since the 5th grade. We used to study, sit, play, and eat together at school. But a few days ago, for some reason, he started accusing me of conspiring against him at work.”

“What was the conflict about exactly?”

“We both work at The Times of India. He accused me of spreading rumours about him working simultaneously for another newspaper company.”

The detective proceeded to search Ram’s house for the stolen paintings. Eventually, he discovered them hidden in Ram’s garage. Ram was immediately arrested and taken to the police station for questioning. When confronted about the paintings and the fight with Rajesh, he strongly denied any involvement and claimed his innocence. However, the detective decided to pay Ram’s house another visit.

Returning to the garage, the detective observed the paintings. Strangely, there were no fingerprints, no dust, as if they were brand new. Returning to the police station, he reconsidered the events once more.

His assistant inquired, “Sir, we have arrested the culprit. Why are you still pondering over the case?”

The detective replied, “I believe there’s more to this than meets the eye.”

“But all the evidence points towards Ram.”

“Does it? All we have are the stolen paintings, and they lack any fingerprints. Ram hasn’t confessed. How will we prove in court that it wasn’t a setup?”

“All right, let’s review the events again. First, there was a dispute between Rajesh and Ram at The Times of India… That’s it! The case may have just been solved!”

In the courtroom…

The Judge addressed the detective, saying, “So, the plaintiff has presented the entire story. Now, do you have any evidence, officer?”

The detective stepped forward and stated, “Your Honor, this entire case is a setup. Ram is innocent, and the true culprit is Rajesh!”

The courtroom fell into silence, everyone shocked by the revelation.

Continuing, the detective explained, “You see, Your Honor, Rajesh claimed that he and Ram work together at The Times of India. So, I visited their workplace and spoke with their boss. He informed me that he had offered both of them a promotion due to their exceptional work and with that, hefty salary increases. However, only one of them could be promoted. Your Honor, their boss decided to promote Ram, and this is the very reason why Rajesh framed Ram for theft. His plan was for Ram to end up in jail while he would secure the promotion.”

Rajesh interrupted, “This is merely a fabricated story, a theory. How can you prove it?”

The detective calmly responded, “Patience, I have evidence. Your Honor, while I was at The Times of India, I discussed their supposed ‘fight’ with their boss and colleagues. It turned out that there were no rumours or conflicts between them. Rajesh made up the entire story to have Ram arrested. Additionally, Rajesh’s plan was foolproof, except for one detail he missed. There is a CCTV camera in Ram’s garage, and the footage clearly shows Rajesh’s face. Here are the photos for your perusal.”

The judge addressed Rajesh, “All the evidence points against you. Do you have anything further to say?”

Rajesh finally admitted, “All right, fine! I did all of this to frame Ram, so I could get the promotion. I work harder than him; I deserve that promotion.”

Ram was devastated and remarked, “After all these years, you’re willing to sacrifice our friendship for a promotion? If I had known how badly you wanted it, I would have asked the boss to give it to you.”

The judge concluded, “Based on the evidence provided by the police, the court rules in favor of the defendant. The plaintiff is hereby sentenced to one year of imprisonment. The court is adjourned.”

As the judge left the courtroom, Ram approached the detective and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you so much. Without you, I could have been unjustly imprisoned.”

The detective humbly replied, “We are simply doing our job. As long as there are police and the judiciary, justice will always be served.”

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