When the Lights Went Out

 When the Lights Went Out

At exactly 8:37 PM, the lights in a leading tech store in Mumbai flickered and then vanished. Within minutes, chaos replaced calm. Alarms were silenced. By the time backup arrived, the store had been stripped of its most expensive gadgets. What remained was a wrecked security system, a few toppled display stands — and a mystery.

CCTV footage during the blackout was cleverly erased, but a sliver of data survived: a seven-second clip showing a gloved hand sweeping past a counter, faintly illuminated by a flashlight. It wasn’t much — but it was something.

Investigators knew this wasn’t random. The precision suggested planning. The blackout was timed to coincide with the last customer’s exit. More importantly, forensic experts combing the crime scene discovered a single hair strand clinging to a display shelf — light brown, possibly male, and surprisingly intact. The strand is now undergoing mitochondrial DNA analysis, which can trace familial lineage even if the suspect is unknown to criminal databases.

Meanwhile, tech experts analyzed the blackout pattern. The timing aligned with tampering at an external power hub — a move that required both knowledge and access. Authorities are now cross-referencing employees, contractors, and recently laid-off technicians with criminal backgrounds.

In cases where sight fails, the smallest trace becomes the loudest clue. Between the gloved hand, the blackout choreography, and a hair left behind, this silent break-in is starting to speak volumes.

Soon, when the lights come back on — justice might too.

By Falak.