Black Squad – Episode 44: "The Vanishing Act"
Opening Scene: A Disappearance in Plain Sight
Location: Grand Mumbai Theatre – 8:30 PM
The Grand Mumbai Theatre is packed. The audience watches in awe as Zoravar the Magnificent, a renowned magician, prepares for his final trick—the "Vanishing Coffin" act.
His assistant, Riya Kapoor, a 25-year-old woman in a glittering red dress, steps inside the black wooden coffin placed at the center of the stage.
> Zoravar (dramatic voice): "Ladies and gentlemen, I present… the impossible!"
He closes the coffin lid.
Smoke engulfs the stage. The lights flicker.
When the smoke clears… the coffin is empty.
The audience erupts in applause.
But behind the stage, chaos unfolds.
Zoravar expected Riya to reappear through a hidden passage. But she's gone.
> Zoravar (whispering, panicked): "Where is she?"
The trapdoor under the coffin is locked from the outside.
The stage manager frantically searches backstage.
Riya **has disappeared—**and this time, it's not an illusion.
CUT TO BLACK.
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Scene 1: Black Squad Takes the Case
Location: Grand Mumbai Theatre – 10:00 PM
A.C.P. Sulaiman Qazi, Inspector Imran Wani, and Arjun Rathore arrive at the scene. The police have already cordoned off the stage.
Zoravar, still in his costume, looks terrified.
> Zoravar: "This was supposed to be an illusion! We've done it a hundred times before!"
Imran examines the coffin mechanism. The trapdoor beneath is locked. No footprints. No sign of struggle.
> Imran (muttering): "She vanished… but not by magic."
Qazi turns to the theatre's CCTV operator.
> Qazi: "Play the footage. We need to see what happened after the trick."
They watch the security footage.
Riya enters the coffin. The smoke covers the stage.
But then—static.
The video glitches out for 15 seconds.
When it returns, the coffin is open. Riya is gone.
> Arjun (suspicious): "Someone tampered with the cameras."
Qazi turns to Zoravar.
> Qazi: "Who had access to the trick's setup?"
Zoravar hesitates.
> Zoravar: "Only me… and my stage crew."
Black Squad now has its first suspects.
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Scene 2: Secrets Behind the Curtain
Location: Theatre Backstage – 11:30 PM
Neha scans the deleted security footage.
> Neha (shocked): "Got something!"
The missing footage is recovered.
For a brief moment, a shadowy figure appears behind the stage—wearing a hoodie and gloves.
They unlock the trapdoor and pull Riya out.
But their face is hidden.
Imran and Arjun interrogate Rahul Verma, the stage manager.
> Imran: "Who else had access to the stage?"
Rahul hesitates.
> Rahul: "Riya was scared of someone. She said she was being followed."
Arjun leans in.
> Arjun: "By who?"
Rahul swallows hard.
> Rahul: "Her ex-boyfriend. Aman Khurana."
Qazi immediately issues an alert.
Aman has a history of violence.
And now, he's missing.
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Scene 3: The Ex-Boyfriend's Lies
Location: Aman Khurana's Apartment – 6:00 AM
Black Squad breaks down the door.
Inside, the apartment is a mess. Broken furniture. Scattered papers. It looks like someone left in a hurry.
Imran finds a photo of Aman and Riya.
Pinned to it is a note written in red ink:
> "If I can't have you, no one can."
Arjun finds a ticket stub for a ferry—Mumbai to Alibaug.
> Arjun: "He's trying to leave the city."
Qazi orders a coastal alert.
Aman won't escape.
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Scene 4: A Race Against Time
Location: Gateway of India – 8:00 AM
At the docks, Black Squad spots Aman boarding a ferry.
Imran and Arjun rush forward.
> Imran: "Aman Khurana! Stop!"
Aman panics, pulls out a knife, and takes a passenger hostage.
> Aman (shouting): "Stay back, or I'll kill her!"
Qazi doesn't flinch.
> Qazi: "You already killed Riya. Another life won't save you."
Aman hesitates—just enough.
Arjun tackles him. The hostage breaks free.
Imran cuffs Aman as Qazi leans in.
> Qazi (coldly): "Where is she?"
Aman smirks.
> Aman: "You're too late."
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Scene 5: The Final Trick
Location: An Abandoned Warehouse – 9:30 AM
Following Aman's confession, Black Squad raids an abandoned warehouse.
Inside, they find a **metal box—**Riya's actual final escape trick.
They break the lock.
Riya lies inside, unconscious but alive.
> Imran: "Call an ambulance!"
Riya gasps awake, coughing.
> Riya (weakly): "He… he said he would make me disappear forever."
Qazi watches as paramedics take Riya away.
The trick almost worked.
But Black Squad never lets criminals escape.
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Final Scene: The Show Must Go On
Location: Black Squad HQ – 10:00 PM
Qazi leans back in his chair. Another case solved.
Mumbai still hides many secrets.
But as long as Black Squad exists, no crime stays hidden forever.
FADE TO BLACK.
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Next Episode: "The Dead Man's Call"
A businessman receives a call… from his own number.
But he's been dead for two years.
A mystery that defies logic.
And Black Squad must solve it.
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