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BLACK SQUAD – EPISODE 104
Title: "Vanished Without a Trace"
Genre: Crime Thriller / Investigation
Location: Mumbai
Runtime: 44 minutes
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[COLD OPEN – NIGHT – MUMBAI HIGHWAY – 2:37 A.M.]
Rain splashes down relentlessly. A lone black SUV speeds down a dimly lit stretch of the Mumbai–Pune highway. Inside, a terrified 10-year-old girl, Ritika Malhotra, sits bound and gagged in the backseat. Her wide eyes dart toward the masked man in the driver's seat.
Suddenly, the car screeches to a halt near a broken milestone. The man grabs the girl roughly and vanishes into the dense jungle lining the highway.
Cut to: A lost slipper lies in a puddle. The girl's teddy bear floats in the dirty water.
[TITLE SEQUENCE: BLACK SQUAD]
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[MORNING – BLACK SQUAD HQ – 9:00 A.M.]
ACP Sulaiman Qazi stands at the main desk, sifting through reports. The room is abuzz — officers on calls, screens blinking. Senior Inspectors Imran Wani and Arjun Rathore are already there, joined by new team members: Sub-Inspector Shreya Singh, a disciplined, calm, and sharp-eyed officer, and Inspector Sachin Deshmukh, a practical, quick-witted street-smart cop.
Dr. R.P. Gupta, their new Head of Forensics and Qazi's old friend, enters with preliminary reports from the crime scene. His dry humor breaks the tension:
Dr. Gupta: "No body, no ransom, no leads. Your classic nightmare case."
Qazi scans the files.
Qazi: "Then let's wake this city up."
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[SCENE 1 – MALHOTRA RESIDENCE – JUHU – 10:30 A.M.]
The team visits the victim's family. Vivek Malhotra, a media mogul, is furious at the police, but Qazi's commanding presence silences him.
Shreya interviews the nanny; she notices scratches on the child's bedroom window.
Imran studies the CCTV – frames missing around 2:30 A.M.
Arjun finds a muddy footprint on the backyard fence.
Shreya: "It was planned. Someone knew the girl's schedule."
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[SCENE 2 – FORENSIC LAB – 1:00 P.M.]
Dr. R.P. Gupta runs soil samples and reveals a match to a restricted forest zone near Panvel.
Dr. Gupta: "Only someone with clearance or inside help could access that sector."
Imran and Sachin start looking into security personnel linked to Vivek Malhotra's estate. Meanwhile, Arjun finds that a former driver was fired recently under suspicious circumstances.
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[SCENE 3 – INTERROGATION – 4:00 P.M.]
Raghu Yadav, the ex-driver, is picked up. Under pressure, he reveals he was contacted by a gang offering money to provide the girl's routine.
Raghu: "They said no one would be hurt. Just a scare… ransom."
Qazi tightens his grip. "She's ten. Not a bargaining chip."
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[SCENE 4 – OPERATION NIGHTFALL – PANVEL JUNGLE – 8:00 P.M.]
The Black Squad splits into two teams. Imran and Shreya go in through the east ridge. Arjun and Sachin circle west.
Flashlights pierce the thick forest. The silence is deafening. Suddenly, a single gunshot echoes.
The squad moves fast.
They find a shack — inside, Ritika lies unconscious. A man is tied up — another masked kidnapper betrayed by his gang.
Suddenly:
Ambush.
Four armed men open fire from the trees. Bullets rip through the darkness.
Arjun rolls across cover, takes out one man with a clean shot.
Shreya ducks and flanks left, shooting another in the leg.
Imran shields the girl, then knocks a man unconscious with the butt of his gun.
Sachin chases the last man into the thickets, apprehending him in a one-on-one takedown.
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[SCENE 5 – HQ – NEXT DAY – 10:00 A.M.]
Ritika is reunited with her parents. Media swarms outside the gates. Qazi briefs the Commissioner.
Qazi: "A gang operated using access from private security firms. We've neutralized all members. No ransom was paid. The child is safe."
Dr. Gupta walks in holding a file.
Gupta: "And I got DNA matches from similar kidnappings. We just opened a bigger case."
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[FINAL MOMENT – BLACK SQUAD HQ – 6:00 P.M.]
Shreya and Sachin sit with Arjun and Imran, sipping tea.
Shreya: "Not bad for a first case."
Sachin: "I just hope they don't all end in gunfire."
They all laugh. Qazi walks by, smirks.
Qazi: "Welcome to the Black Squad."
Camera pans to the Black Squad wall – filled with photos of solved cases, names of fallen heroes, and a single banner that reads:
"Truth. Justice. Legacy."
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END OF EPISODE 104
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