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Dilli ke posh Sheikh Sarai area mein, Aaru Malhotra ka penthouse har Sunday livestream studio ban jaata tha. 26 saal ki Aaru, ek fashion and lifestyle influencer, ke lakhon followers the — aur uski Sunday Self-Care Series Instagram pe trending mein thi.
Us raat, Aaru ne hamesha ki tarah candles jalayi, soft indie music chalu kiya, aur screen pe ek radiant smile ke saath livestream shuru kiya: “Hi lovelies! Aaj detox face mask try karte hain. Sponsored by GlowUp Botanicals!”
Kuch hi minutes mein, comments flood hone lage. Lekin ek viewer — username @SoulTree19 — ne kuch ajeeb notice kiya.
“Back shelf pe kuch gira hai… koi reflection hai wahan,” usne type kiya. Us comment ko Aaru ne padke ignore kiya, aur camera angle thoda adjust kar diya.
Live ho kar bhi, kuch toh off tha. Aaru ka chehra zyada stiff lag raha tha. Uski aankhon mein chamak kam thi.
Agli subah, DCP Sarthak Khera ko ek anonymous tip mili: “Check Aaru Malhotra’s penthouse. This isn’t just a beauty tutorial.”
Police jab penthouse pahuchi, toh Aaru ka laash usi bathroom mein mila jahan wo livestream karti thi. Initial reports said cardiac arrest. Lekin camera setup, untouched props, aur ek missing phone ne case ko twist de diya.
Flat se do logon ke fingerprints mile: Aaru ke boyfriend Kabir Mehra ke, aur ek aurat — Radhika Sen — jo ki Aaru ki ex-manager thi, aur recently ek rival beauty brand ke liye kaam kar rahi thi.
Kabir ne kaha: “Main livestream ke dauraan uske flat mein tha hi nahi. Raat ko main Saket mein rehearsal pe tha.” Par CCTV footage mein uski car complex ke parking mein 9:10 PM pe dikh rahi thi. Livestream 9:00 PM pe start hua tha.
Radhika ne kaha: “Aaru ne mujhe call kiya tha — uski nayi skincare line pe baat karne. Par jab main pahuchi, wo livestream shuru kar rahi thi. Main chali gayi.”
Toh phir murder hua kaise?
DCP Khera ne livestream footage frame by frame dekha. Ek moment aaya jahan Aaru ne ek bottle uthai aur mask apply kiya. Frame mein ek second ke liye ek faint reflection dikha — koi uske peechhe khada tha. Lekin uss reflection mein chehra blurred tha.
Post-mortem mein naya twist mila: Mask mein high concentration mein Belladonna extract tha — a natural toxin causing paralysis and heart arrest — lekin uska scent wohi common herbal facial jaisa tha. Murder by beauty mask.
Aur sabse shocking: Jis bottle se mask apply kiya gaya, uspar GlowUp Botanicals ka sticker tha, par barcode fake nikla.
Toh kaun ghusa tha flat mein? Kaise kiya gaya sabotage?
DCP Khera ne forensic se Aaru ke backup phone recover karwaya — jahan usne apna last vlog shoot kara tha, lekin kabhi upload nahi kiya. Vlog mein Aaru ek naye brand pe expose karne wali thi — “BareTree Naturals” — jiske ingredients unsafe the. Us brand ke marketing head? Radhika Sen.
Investigation mein pata chala ke Radhika ne us raat ek fake mask jar – Belladonna wala – le jaakar Aaru ke props replace kiye. Livestream ke dauraan Aaru ne wahi laga liya. Kabir ko alibi banana tha, isliye usne Radhika ko flat access diya. Return favor: Radhika usse web series mein lead role dilwane wali thi.
Murder was live — lekin kisi ne dekha nahi. Sab likes aur filters mein uljhe rahe.
Final twist? @SoulTree19, jissne reflection notice kiya tha, real naam: Riya Soman — ek junior herbal chemist jo BareTree ke unethical practices ke against thi. Usne hi anonymous tip di police ko.
Case close hua Radhika ki arrest ke saath. Kabir par abhi CBI investigation pending hai. Aaru ka ek aur pre-recorded video uske Google Drive se mila — jahan usne bola tha: “If something happens to me, know this wasn’t an accident.”
Social media world mein, jahan every moment is curated, the thinnest mask is the one on the face of evil.
