Calling Bell - The Hidden Eye

A boy offers a lift to a girl in the middle of the night. Hours later, the girl is found dead, with no clues about the killer. Who murdered her? And who is this boy who gave her the lift? Let's dive into this thrilling mystery.

Let's start:-

Gopi (Gopala Krishna) is a delivery boy. He makes a living by delivering couriers, food, and groceries.

He doesn’t own a bike. His dream is to buy a bike and eventually set up his own departmental store. To achieve this dream, Gopi is saving money little by little.

Gopi’s father is no more. His mother supports him financially by working as a tailor at home.

One night, Gopi went out for a delivery. The delivery time was 11:00PM, but that night it was raining heavily. The delivery was delayed. By the time he finished and started heading back home, it was 1:00AM.

Heavy rain, darkness on the road, no lights. At that time, there was a girl on the road. Her car had a problem, and she was looking for help (a lift).

Seeing that girl, Gopi stopped his bike. The girl asked him for a lift and said she needed to go to Sunshine Apartments.

1:00AM… it was raining. Gopi agreed to give her a ride. He didn’t know why, but he felt that the girl had an some special attraction.

The street lights had all gone out… the rain was heavy. Gopi started his bike and let the girl sit behind him.

Gopi, as a gesture of help, dropped the girl at Sunshine Apartments and went on his way. That night ended in the silent atmosphere of rain.

The next day:

Gopi was busy with his work. While getting ready to leave for another delivery, suddenly a police jeep stopped in front of him. Unexpectedly, the police stopped Gopi and took him to the station. 

Throughout the ride, Gopi’s heart grew heavy. He didn’t know what mistake he had made and was anxious.

Inside the police station, Gopi couldn’t make sense of what was happening and remained silent.

In the interrogation room, in a dark room with just one bulb’s light, Gopi’s hands were tied behind his back. The SI asked Gopi – “Why did you kill that girl?”

Gopi’s eyes widened. “Sir, which girl?” he asked.

SI: “The girl you gave a lift last night at 1:00AM? Anita, that was her name?”

“Sir, I don’t know who that girl was! She just asked for a lift, and I gave her a ride out of pity in the rain. I didn’t do anything!” – Gopi said.

SI: “She was found dead in Sunshine Apartments. You were the last person with her at 1:00AM. Tell us the truth, Gopi!”.

Gopi was trembling. The false accusations against him, the things he didn’t know… his mind was in turmoil.

At the sunshine apartment:

The police were now at the apartment where Anita had died.

In the bathtub…

Anita… was lying silent in the bathtub, with blood… a tragic sight. The cuts and blood near her throat and the bloodstains all around the bathroom added to the terrifying atmosphere.

There were injuries on her wrist as well, making it seem like Anita had attempted suicide. The entire bathroom was covered in blood.

The police checked each room one by one: hall, kitchen, bedroom. They were trying to see if anyone had come in or gone out. Some clues suggested suicide, but they had their doubts.

At the back of Anita’s room near the staircase, a torn piece of cloth was found – it looked like part of a shirt. And in the back of the apartment, they found some footprints. The police collected all the evidence and sent it for forensic testing.

Forensic Report Findings:

Shirt cloth: Part of a man’s garment.

Footprints: Around 5.5 inches (a bit larger than a typical woman’s foot, but still possible). The police used these to estimate the suspect’s height and weight.

The police gathered all the pieces of the case, tracing back to where Anita had gone and whom she’d met in the week leading up to her death. They were investigating her phone call history, friends, family – leaving no one out.

In the interrogation, dark truths began to come out one by one.

That night:

Anita had gone out to meet her fiance, Komal, for a pre-wedding party and bachelor party. 

Her ex-boyfriend Rahul also showed up. Rahul and Anita had been lovers since college, but that love story had ended in a dark place.

Rahul had taken money from Anita and lost it all betting on cricket matches. When Anita found out, she left Rahul behind and started a new life.

But at the party, seeing Rahul again brought back a flood of memories for Anita. The atmosphere, Rahul’s looks they made her very uneasy. So she left the party, saying she wasn’t feeling well.

On her way back, her car broke down. That night, in the dark rain, Anita was terrified. She waited for help. At that moment, Gopi appeared on his bike and offered her a lift home.

Present Day:

The police interrogation deepened. The atmosphere in the police station grew tense. Alongside Gopi, Rahul and Komal’s statements were also coming out one by one. The police were interrogating each of them, but it was still unclear whose words hid the real truth.

In the interrogation room: Komal – Anita’s fiance!

Komal: “Sir, I saw Anita for the first time at the marriage proposal meeting. I don’t know much about her friends. That day, she said she wasn’t feeling well and left the party early.”

Komal seemed to be telling the truth. But the police still had their doubts.

In the next room: Rahul – the ex-boyfriend!

Rahul: “Sir, it’s true I went to the party to congratulate her. We were lovers in college. Sir, Anita helped me many times with money, but I lost it in betting. I cheated her and couldn’t save that love.”

“When she left the party, I left too.”

The police were investigating Rahul, Gopi, and Komal over and over again. They suspected all three.

Three angles of police suspicion:

Rahul: He came to the party – said he didn’t do anything.

Komal: Said he didn’t know his wife-to-be very well. 

Gopi: Said he only gave a lift.

The police were matching the shirt cloth to these three. They were searching for who matched the evidence.

Interrogating Anita’s parents:

The police went deeper, questioning Anita’s parents. But it seemed her family couldn’t help much.

Police questions to her parents: 

“Did you force her to marry?”

“Did Anita have any special friend?” 

"Who arranged this marriage?” 

“Did you notice any changes in Anita’s behavior?”

Her mother: “Anita was always happy and satisfied. This marriage too was her decision. She never showed any secrets or anger.”

Tracking the shirt cloth:

They traced the design, color, and brand of the cloth. Around 200 shops and 50 malls around Hyderabad had similar shirts, but no direct link was found.

CCTV Investigation:

Sunshine Apartments… that night, at 1:00AM, the CCTV footage was missing.

Internet failure and the rain had blurred the footage. Even the main road cameras had no record of any cycle or car.

After surveying, the police narrowed down three main points:

Anita’s parents may not know the real truth… or may be hiding something.

The shirt cloth could be the real murder link – needs careful reexamination.

They needed to question Hyderabad’s biggest garment companies.

Two days later:

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the police station changed. Gopi’s mother brought a lawyer she knew.

Lawyer’s Argument:

“Sir, you know everything… he admitted to giving her a lift. But there’s no proof that Gopi went back to the apartment after dropping her off.

Forensic reports show Gopi’s DNA didn’t match. The shirt cloth is from a common brand… so it’s not real evidence.”

“You haven’t even filed an FIR against Gopi. It would be better if you released him, considering the circumstances.”

The police released Gopi on strict conditions:

He couldn’t leave Hyderabad until the case was fully investigated.

If the police called, he had to report to the station immediately.

If any new evidence was found, he had to cooperate.

Back at home:

Gopi sat on his bed, thinking about that night.

Flashback:

That night, it was raining heavily. At that very moment, a girl asked for a lift.

As soon as Gopi saw her, he felt an unknown joy. That girl was none other than Anita, the girl Gopi had feelings for.

At Sunshine Apartments, Regularly Gopi delivered a parcel to Anita’s house. Through this, Anita and Gopi developed a good friendship.

But Anita always saw Gopi only as a friend. Gopi too, knowing his own situation, kept his feelings hidden within himself.

Suddenly, at 1:00 AM, Gopi saw Anita and, since she was someone he knew, he offered to drop her home.

Rahul was watching all this from a distance.

Rahul then started following Anita and Gopi, quietly trailing behind them.

After reaching Sunshine Apartments, Anita offered Gopi some coffee. Since it was raining, she suggested that he drink coffee and then leave once the rain slowed down.

Gopi declined, saying “No,” and left from there.

Fifteen minutes later, Rahul went to Anita’s room from the back of the apartments. But by the time he reached there, Anita was already dead.

Seeing that, Rahul got scared and ran away from there.

The police couldn’t find any clues behind Anita’s death, and two months passed.

Two months later:

Gopi, thinking of Anita as a friend, visited her house. Talking to Anita’s mother, he was looking around the house. He saw the calling bell – it was the very one Gopi had delivered to Anita’s house and even installed it for her.

That calling bell wasn’t an ordinary bell; it had a hidden camera in it. The recordings were stored on Anita’s phone. Gopi knew there was a camera in that bell. Gopi asked Anita’s parents for her phone and took it.

Opening the app linked to the calling bell, he found the video of what happened that night. It showed Anita’s murder clearly and everything was recorded.

Immediately, Gopi went to the police station and showed the video to the SI (Sub-Inspector).

The SI called Komal to come. Seeing the video, Komal became silent. A guilty expression appeared on his face.

What was in the video:

After Gopi dropped Anita off that night, Anita went back to her apartment alone. Her parents had left to their hometown for wedding work.

Anita entered her apartment and, to her shock, saw another girl inside. Before Anita could even ask, “Who are you?”, the girl slashed Anita’s hand with a knife. Anita stood there stunned, but the girl then cut Anita’s throat deeply with the same knife. Blood kept pouring as Anita struggled for her life.

The girl watched Anita calmly, then put her body in the bathtub, cleaned up the blood, wiped away all evidence in the apartment, put on the apartment security guard’s uniform, and casually took the elevator down.

Komal’s confession:

After watching the video, Komal revealed the truth:

“The girl in the video is Mala. She’s the girl who loved me, but she’s not mentally stable. Even after I told her I didn’t love her, she kept following me.

I told Mala's parents about this, and they understood the situation and took her to a doctor. She was under treatment and I hadn’t seen her for a year. She must have found out about my wedding and come here.

Because of her psychotic love, she killed Anita. I never imagined it would end up like this.”

Police action:

The police went to where Mala was staying, arrested her, and sent her to a mental hospital.

Gopi standing near Anita’s grave:

“That day, that night, as soon as you asked me to come in for coffee, I should have come in. If I’d stayed with you, I could have saved you, and you would still be alive… I’m sorry, Anita,” he said, tears falling down.

The End…