Hey, what's with the dog show?
Take it away and feed it.
-Okay, sir. -Sir.
Put your hand down. I'm younger than you.
So, what did the night patrol team have to say?
They saw nothing it seems.
How will they? It's winter. They wouldn't have left home.
Who is that guy? He looks like he has seen a ghost.
He is the one who saw the body first-hand.
He has a laundry mart right opposite the house.
He's been in his right mind since he saw the corpse.
We'll get nothing from him. Get him admitted to a hospital.
We shall question him once he is fine.
-Who are they? -The prospective buyers.
-Where are you from? -This city.
So, this house is on sale?
-When did you come? -Around 8:30 am.
-And she's your wife? -Yes, madam.
Fine.
Okay. We will call you tomorrow...
Excuse me.
She is the house owner.
Ask her to wait. Let me check inside.
Okay.
The officer will check inside. Please wait until then.
Hope you've collected everything.
Yes, sir. Sir, the hair samples that we collected so far...
-What about it? -Can we send it to the lab?
-How many are there? -Totally, there are 16 samples.
Paranthaman. Hey!
Say something!
How long have we been in this field?
-Why do you ask? -Come with me.
Just come.
-Your name? -Anuradha.
And you are?
Malar Mannan, sir. I'm her friend.
When did you see it?
Just a while ago, sir.
I unlocked the house and got in, and saw the corpse lying there.
I informed the police at once.
How is there a corpse inside a locked house?
Aren't you the only one with the keys?
No, sir.
There is a spare key on the meter box.
It is for the brokers to show the house in my absence.
Also for the painters.
That's wonderful.
That's so irresponsible of you to leave a spare key.
Now a murder has taken place inside!
It's a headache for both of us!
Sudalai...
-Listen. -Tell me.
All the house brokers, the buyers they brought here,
the painters, and everyone who knows about the spare key
-collect all their details. -Okay.
Spare key, my foot.
Sit down, please.
Do you suspect anybody?
Any rivals or enemies?
Do you understand what I'm asking?
You see, you own a house in a prime location.
Did a political goon or big shot threaten you to sell it cheaply?
Or anybody like them?
No. There's no one.
It's strange. How did they spare this house?
In whose name is the house registered?
-In my father's name. -What is your father's name?
Ganesan.
What is his profession?
He's a writer.
So, he's a writer in a magazine or a newspaper?
No, he is a crime novelist.
His writes under the pseudonym Sugan.
Story writer.
Excuse me?
Are you writer "Sugan" Ganesan's daughter?
I am very big fan of his.
How is your father doing?
Is he here?
Dad's doing fine.
I haven't told him yet about this.
Don't worry. I will meet with him in person and explain everything.
Wait, Did you take a look at the corpse?
Or do you know this lady from somewhere?
Okay.
Then check it out properly and tell us. Come on.
Please come.
Come.
Yes, sir?
I need to go there.
A murder took place in that house. Vehicles are not allowed that way.
But... my house is there.
Oh! So you live here?
Do one thing. Park your car here
and walk to your house.
You can collect it in the evening. Sound good?
Officer, look there!
-Sir, park it here and walk home. -Sir...
Look, someone's breaking into the crime scene. Stop!
Sir...
What is your name?
Yesu.
Do you stay here?
Did you see or hear anything last night?
I mean did you hear any noise from the neighbouring house?
No, I...
I wasn't here last night. I just came home.
Do you know the owner of the neighbouring house?
I...
I moved here on the 20th.
Please show me your ID.
Come to the police station in the afternoon
and give a statement. Just a formality.
Don't worry, Dad. Nothing to worry.
There won't be any problem.
I'll take care of it.
Don't worry, Dad.
Nothing to worry.
Nothing will happen.
I'll take care of it.
Kuzhandhai...
Did he take his medicine?
I gave it to him.
You gave it, but did he actually take it?
Dad...
Dad, Dad, there is nothing over there.
Dad, please look at me.
-Look at me. Dad! -Anu...
Dad! Do you hear me?
Do you hear me or not?
There's nothing there! Who are you looking at? Look here!
Dad, look here!
Now, will you look here or not?
Please go and get the pills.
Okay, I'll get them.
Dad... Dad!
Do you hear me?
Dad, look at me!
Dad!
Here you go.
Dad, here's your medicine. Take it.
Dad, take it. Please!
Look here. Just have this medicine!
-Dad, please! Take it! -Anu!
Move away!
Are you nuts? Just leave! I'll take care of him.
Don't worry.
Look at me.
I am scared.
Now, come on. Take it.
Open your mouth.
Show me your tongue.
Fine. Now, go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Careful.
Try to get some sleep.
So, Anu, are you sure?
Was it the same lady you saw in the train?
Yes.
It was her.
I'm confused.
In the evening, I saw her in the train.
The same lady is lying dead in my house.
Who is she?
Why did she visit my house?
Why does my dad go to that house every November 16th?
It's all confusing.
These mysteries cannot be solved overnight.
Firstly, at the crack of dawn, I don't want cops at my doorstep.
That's the top priority.
I went there in search of my dad.
I entered inside and there was blood all over the floor.
Dad was lying unconscious in a corner.
And that lady in another corner.
Blood all over her body and the floor.
I froze and didn't know what to do.
I tried waking up Dad for a long time,
but there was no response from him.
At that moment, all I could think was
there should be no traces of my dad over there
and I must save him.
That is all I could think about.
You rescued him from the crime scene.
How will you save him from the police?
Anu, that's it!
That's what the cops will first ask about.
They will ask us how a corpse ended up in a locked house.
And your answer to that
will decide if they'll trust your next lie.
And that is why I brought the key.
The laundry guy will bring a buyer to show the house 6 a.m. tomorrow.
He knows about the spare key on the meter box.
So, he will use that.
But the key won't be there.
That's when he will call me.
I'll tell him that I have no idea.
He will panic as the buyer is with him
and ask me if I have a key with me.
I'll casually go there with the key.
When I open it, we'll all see the corpse lying there.
I will act as if I'm also seeing it only then.
The laundry guy and the buyer will be the witness to that.
Fine, the key idea is good.
What about all that happened in there?
What if something was left behind?
Suspicion will arise only if the murder spot is clean.
Hairs, footprints, DNA samples,
all those won't be taken in to account
because brokers, painters, buyers, you, me and many have been there.
How can they deduce which one belongs to whom?
What if Dad's fingerprints are on the corpse?
I knew that might happen,
so I poured paint all over the corpse.
By morning the paint will dry.
If it's removed during the autopsy, it'll peel off along with the skin.
Then how will they find his fingerprints?
How do you know all this, Anu?
Malar...
my father is the best crime novelist in India.
Do you think that is enough?
No, Malar.
I will go out and find what really happened
because...
I know in my heart that my father did not kill her.
What happened, Anu?
Today...
the cops won't come to our doorstep.
You have a very unique name.
How long have you been staying here?
Well... around a month.
That's so vague.
There must be an exact date, right?
Keep writing. Answer me and write simultaneously.
I won't harm you, so don't you worry.
Just a general inquiry.
Keep writing.
And when did you say you moved in?
October 20th.
Almost a month.
Are you from around here?
Yes.
Okay. Fine.
And where do you work, sir?
I have retired.
I'll also retire one day.
Just saying "I have retired" doesn't give the full picture.
What did you do before retirement?
Here, sir.
What are you blabbering?
Did Mr. Spectacles mention his profession in the statement?
Do one thing. You may seal the house at 5:30.
5:30? Come on!
At least free it by 3:00. Later, I must go to the AC's office.
No way. Five... Hold on.
Oh, sir!
Senior?
It's me, Paranthaman.
From the '84 batch.
Your junior.
-Don't you recognize me? -Hey, Paranthaman!
-How are you? -I'm fine.
-How about you? -I'm fine.
-Good. How's work? -When did you come? Work is fine.
-Who is he? -You look exactly the same.
How's your daughter?
-Hope she's doing better. -Fine...
-You carry on. I'm leaving. -Hold on.
He's my senior. He did 43 autopsies in a day!
-Mr. Yesu? -That's him.
Sir... Sorry, sir.
We have discussed a lot about you, but I've never seen you before.
I'm Sudalai. I am the inspector here.
-I am Yesu. -Nice meeting you, sir.
Me too.
Sir.
Sir, what are you doing here?
Well, there was a murder in my neighbour's house.
Just came down to give my statement.
Murder? Which area, sir?
Raja... Rajagopalan Street.
-He's talking about that case. -Sir, we are handling it.
Indeed, sir.
Oh, that's great! All the best to you guys.
All the best?
Sir, our heads are literally spinning.
The victim was repeatedly stabbed
and paint was poured all over the corpse.
It's very confusing, sir.
-Poured paint all over? -Yes, sir.
Sir...
Please bring him too.
Let's show him the corpse.
-How can I ask? I can't. -Even a small clue will be helpful.
-Only you can bring him. -How can I ask?
-Paranthaman... -Sir?
If you don't mind...
can I have a look?
Sir, we are cleaning it. Please wait for just 10 minutes.
-Fine. Make it quick. -Okay, sir.
-Sir... -Why are you wasting so much water?
Sir, please wait for few minutes.
Thirty years just flew by, isn't it, sir?
Almost...
6,000 autopsies.
How have you been, sir?
I never expected something like that would happen to you.
I...
I couldn't face you after that.
Ev... Even now...
is it still in the same condition?
Sir...
Cleaning is done.
You may check now.
Sir... Let's go.
Sir, highly brutal!
She was stabbed 47 times.
To erase the fingerprints,
the murderer poured paint all over the corpse.
How can one even think of doing all such things?
But the murderer is either brilliant...
or a lunatic.
What do you think was the murder weapon?
-Sir-- -Wait. Let them tell us.
-Please tell us. -Sir, how would they--
They perform more autopsies than us, Paranthaman.
They are better doctors than us.
Sir, knife, barbed wire, screwdriver,
It's none of those. They can be easily identified.
If it was a rusted weapon, I'd have easily found out.
This looks quite new to me.
Usually, every sharp object is tested on the wounds
to find out the murder weapon.
Good!
Did she die before getting stabbed, or did she succumb to these wounds?
Dude, answer him.
Sir, I am not good in English.
-But I shall try my best. -Go ahead.
May I have your pen, sir?
Sir, if the victim died after getting stabbed,
the wounds will look like red-coloured circular blood clots.
And if the victim was stabbed after death,
the skin would be yellow as the blood has already clotted.
Sir, we had a similar case last month.
A woman stabbed her husband to death.
She stabbed him in 15 places, including his throat and back.
Eleven out of those spots had red-coloured circular spots.
The remaining four spots looked yellow with pus oozing out.
Look at this victim. All the stab wounds are yellow.
The victim was definitely stabbed after death.
So, the cause of death...
is not due to stabbing.
Did you observe her cervical area, Paranthaman?
Sir?
Come here.
Well, when they turned her around,
did you notice her cervical area looked flexible?
-You got a trimmer? -Yes, sir.
Paranthaman...
something has hit this bone really hard.
Yet, the bone is intact.
The reason for that is her strong ligaments.
That is why we have a preliminary visual.
So, the cause of death: cervical nerve damage.
Not this... Stabbing wounds.
Can I have look at the photos of the evidence?
Yes, sir.
None of them can be the murder weapon.
Maybe...
the murder weapon is still at the crime scene.
Sir, what are you saying?
Sudalai will seal the crime scene at 5 o'clock.
It's already 4:30. Let's go, sir.
Sudalai, guess what?
-My pen... -Sorry, sir.
-Murugan... -Sir?
It's fine if you aren't aware of a fact.
But if don't learn it even after studying it, then...
-It's a mistake. Yes. -Isn't it?
Wounds before death are antemortem wounds.
Wounds after death, those are postmortem wounds.
The third one...
-The women who stabbed her husband? -Yes, sir.
Those are perimortem wounds.
Hope you won't forget it.
-We won't. -Yes, sir.
Fine. See you guys then.
Thank you.
Sir, I don't think this is the one.
It must be around 5.3 to 5.4 feet tall.
For this to reach the neck,
the person must be at least 6 feet tall.
The victim is after all a woman.
Sir, how tall are you?
I'm 5.2 feet tall.
-Paranthaman... -Sir?
How tall is that lady?
Exactly six feet, sir.
Come on, sir.
Can't women grow 6 feet tall?
Sir, excuse me.
Yes, you. Please come here.
-Is the officer back here? -Don't ask me.
The inspector is yet to report to the Assistant Commissioner.
He headed straight here.
With the experts inside, the case will be cracked soon.
I think so too.
-Shall we? -Let's go.
Excuse me...
I was asked to sign a document as the house is sealed.
Did Mathivanan call you?
Fine, move aside and wait.
They are discussing something important inside.
What happened?
An autopsy expert has come to visit the crime scene.
The case will be cracked easily.
Don't you worry. Stay strong.
Sir, the height till his neck is 5.4 feet.
-Thank you. -Thank you, sir.
Sir, please come here.
He is 6.1 feet.
That clamp reaches his C3 bone.
That lady is 6 feet.
So...
It must have hit the C2 bone.
And that means?
Cause of death: cervical nerve damage.
So...
she didn't die due to the stab wounds on her back.
That's it.
Thank you.
-Ask him! -Sir...
Just a minute, sir.
Wait.
Is there any specific detail to trace the murderer?
Or any pattern? Do you see any such thing, sir?
There are no eyewitnesses.
There are handprints all over the house.
On top of that, the house was locked.
Do you see a way to find the murderer?
The clamp's height and the victim's height,
when you compare the two...
For a blow with such a force to damage her nerve,
probably...
the murderer must be around 5 to 5.4 feet tall.
Sir...
Let's say you assumption is correct.
Most of our population is 5 to 5.5 feet tall.
It'll be tough to nab the killer with that detail.
Is there any other specific thing you noticed apart from this?
One cervical hit...
and 47 punctures on the shoulders.
So, if a cervical hit is the cause of death...
then why stab the victim 47 times after she's dead?
Sir, what if...
the murderer was exacting revenge on the victim.
It is in these kinds of cases that we see brutal injuries.
But...
if it's vengeance...
the killer could've hit her against the clamp repeatedly, like he stabbed.
But there's just one blow.
If the victim was stabbed after her death...
Without realizing the victims is alive,
the murderer must have stabbed her repeatedly.
What would have been the mental state of that murderer?
So, my point here is that...
the murderer must be someone who is mentally unstable.
So, the culprit we are looking for...
is a lunatic who is 5 to 5.4 feet tall?
Need not be necessarily a lunatic.
And...
it's not one culprit you're looking for,
but two.
The murderer might be a little unstable.
But the person who poured the paint had a clear plan before doing it.
That means there were two of them.
So...
not everything can be hidden by pouring paint.
I think, eventually, it may come out.