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C.I.F. – Crimes of Mumbai
Chapter Three: Blood on the Bridge
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Worli Sea Link – 3:43 AM
The usually silent bridge echoed with the shrill cry of a siren. Rain poured relentlessly, bouncing off the tarmac like glass shrapnel. Mumbai Police had sealed one lane of the Sea Link.
In the middle of it stood a blood-soaked vintage white Ambassador car, parked sideways, hazards blinking.
Inside, slumped over the steering wheel, was the lifeless body of Judge Mohan Trivedi, one of Mumbai's most respected High Court justices. Shot point-blank in the forehead.
The gun? Still in his hand.
A note rested on the dashboard:
"Justice ends here. I was never clean."
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Crime Scene — 4:21 AM
ACP Sikandar Singh stood under an umbrella, his coat soaked, face unreadable.
"Judge Trivedi. Age 61. Just finished a corruption trial. Gave a harsh verdict," Inspector Vijay Kumar said, flipping through a waterproof tablet. "This looks like suicide, but…"
"But a man that disciplined doesn't kill himself mid-bridge in the middle of a storm," Sr. Inspector Anwar Ali added, running his fingers over the wet door handle.
Sikandar opened the glove box. It was empty — too empty. "Where's the dashcam?"
"And why does a man shoot himself with a .32 calibre revolver when he owned a licensed Glock?" Vijay asked.
"Staged," Sikandar concluded. "This wasn't suicide. This was a public execution."
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C.I.F. HQ — 7:45 AM
Trivedi had made enemies. A verdict last week had dismantled a real estate mafia in Navi Mumbai. The builder involved — Nilesh Bagga — had fled the country but was rumored to be back under a new identity.
"Let's pull CCTV near the Sea Link," Vijay said.
Anwar scoffed. "Storm fried half the cameras."
"But not all," Sikandar replied. "We only need one angle."
Meanwhile, forensic reports came in.
No gunpowder residue on Trivedi's hand.
No fingerprints on the trigger.
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Breakthrough — The Car Wash Trap
Vijay traced the car's path using toll booth data. It had gone through a private car spa in Lower Parel 6 hours before death.
The team interrogated the owner — under pressure, he confessed.
"A guy paid ₹50,000 to 'borrow' a car for the night. Said he wanted to scare someone."
CCTV from the spa revealed the driver — face obscured, but he wore a custom silver ring with a lion crest.
Anwar recognized it instantly. "That's Bagga's signature ring. I remember it from his press conferences."
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Twist — The Driver Isn't Bagga
They locate the man in the video: Sahil More, a small-time actor and impersonator.
Under intense questioning, he breaks. "Bagga paid me to drive the car, stay out of sight, and vanish after parking it. I didn't know a murder would happen."
Vijay narrows his eyes. "So where did Bagga go?"
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Climax — Underwater Coffin
The final lead came from an unlikely place — Judge Trivedi's dog, Caesar.
The pet kept barking at the water tank at Trivedi's bungalow. On a hunch, the team checked it — and discovered a waterproof case hidden at the bottom.
Inside: a USB drive.
Footage from a secret dashcam not removed — but backed up. It captured the killer.
Bagga — wearing gloves, shooting the judge in cold blood, and staging the body.
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Final Raid — Hidden Penthouse, Bandra
C.I.F. tracked Bagga to a private luxury penthouse under an alias. Anwar and Vijay breached the door while Sikandar stood calmly outside with backup.
Bagga tried to run — Anwar tackled him against a glass shelf.
"You think killing a judge scares the system?" Sikandar said, stepping over broken glass. "You've only awakened it."
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Last Scene — Courtroom
Bagga stood in handcuffs. Judge Trivedi's replacement gave a single verdict: Life imprisonment under multiple charges.
Outside, the media buzzed.
Sikandar, Anwar, and Vijay watched silently from the parking lot.
"Public execution. High message." Vijay said.
"Fear works… for the guilty," Anwar added.
Sikandar didn't respond. He simply walked toward the car.
Mumbai had more sins to uncover.
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End of Chapter Three
Chapter Four: The Puppet String Murders