A few moments later, two people entered the police station.
They greeted the officer and exchanged a brief glance before looking toward Ravi.
Neither of them spoke to him.
Instead, one of them turned to the officer.
"Sir, could we speak with you privately?"
The officer studied their faces.
"Is it related to Ravi's case?"
"Yes, sir. But we'd prefer to explain it without anyone else present."
The officer paused before turning toward the constable.
"Take them to Investigation room."
The three of them left the investigation room.
Ravi watched them disappear through the doorway.
He wanted to know who they were and what they had come to say. But nobody offered an explanation.
Krishna Mohan remained seated beside him.
"Uncle," Ravi whispered, "do you think they know something about me?"
Krishna Mohan looked at him.
For a moment, he seemed ready to answer.
But he stopped himself.
"I don't know, Ravi."
It was the first time he had ever answered Ravi with such uncertainty.
Ravi lowered his head.
The silence between them became heavier.
Inside the officer's office, the two visitors sat across from him.
The officer opened his notebook.
"All right. Tell me what you know."
One of them leaned forward.
"Sir, we heard about the incident this morning. When we learned that Ravi had been brought here, we felt we should tell you something."
"What is it?"
The two exchanged another glance.
The second visitor began speaking.
"Sir, there are some things people in the village have been talking about. Until now, we didn't think they were important. But after hearing about Jyothika, we believe you should know."
The officer stopped writing.
"What things?"
The man hesitated before answering.
"It's about Ravi and Jyothika."
The officer slowly put down his pen.
"Go on."
"We know they were friends and studied at the same college. But there were rumours in the village that their relationship was more than friendship."
The officer listened without interrupting.
"Are you saying they were in love?"
"We cannot confirm that, sir," the man replied. "We only heard people talking about it."
The officer leaned back in his chair.
Rumours alone meant nothing. He knew that.
But the visitors had not come all the way to the police station merely to repeat gossip. Something about their behaviour suggested there was more they wanted to tell him.
He looked at them carefully.
"Is there anything else?"
The first man hesitated.
"Sir, there is one more thing. We think you should look at this incident from a different angle."
The officer's expression changed.
"What do you mean by that?"
The man took a breath.
"We don't know whether Ravi was involved in what happened to Jyothika. We don't want to accuse him without knowing the truth. But we believe there are details you may not have considered yet."
The officer picked up his pen again.
"What details?"
The visitor began explaining.
As he listened, the officer's expression gradually grew more serious.
He asked a few questions, checked something in his file, and then sat silently for several seconds.
The information had not proved Ravi's guilt.
But it had raised a question the officer could no longer ignore.
He looked at the two men.
"Are you absolutely certain about what you've just told me?"
"We are telling you what we know, sir. You can investigate the rest."
The officer nodded slowly.
"All right. Don't discuss this conversation with anyone for now."
The two visitors agreed.
After they left, the officer remained alone in his office.
He reopened Ravi's case file and looked at the photograph on the table.
First, there had been the phone calls.
Then the messages.
Then Ravi's account of the night he had met Jyothika.
Now, the village representatives had brought him information that could change the direction of the investigation.
The officer picked up his phone and called the constable.
"Bring Ravi into my office."
A few minutes later, Ravi entered with Krishna Mohan.
Ravi stood before the officer, waiting for him to speak.
The officer looked at Krishna Mohan first.
"Mr. Krishna Mohan, you said you know Ravi very well."
"Yes, sir."
"Then I hope you understand why I cannot take anyone's word as proof of what happened."
Krishna Mohan nodded.
"I understand, sir."
The officer turned toward Ravi.
"Ravi, I have a few more questions for you."
Ravi swallowed nervously.
"Yes, sir."
The officer opened the file.
"This time, I want you to think carefully before you answer."
He paused, watching Ravi's face.
"Because something we've learned today has made this case more complicated than we first thought."
Ravi looked confused.
"What is it, sir?"
The officer did not answer immediately.
Instead, he turned to Krishna Mohan.
"Mr. Krishna Mohan, do you still believe you know everything about Ravi?"
Krishna Mohan remained silent.
He looked at Ravi, but no words came.
The officer closed the file.
"Then perhaps it's time we stopped asking what the village believes about Ravi..."
He paused.
"...and started finding out what actually happened that night."
Ravi's face tightened.
For the first time, even Krishna Mohan had nothing to say in his defence.
Whatever the two visitors had told the officer, it had changed something.
And Ravi was about to discover just how much.
Next Episode : Is Ravi Going to Reveal Truth ? What Happened Between Ravi and Jyothika ?