Our Alibi Was Trending at Marine Drive

By Prashant Mishra

Ayaan Khanna, 23, expects a temporary assignment in a Himalayan homestay village to last only six weeks. Instead, finds a police evidence label stitched inside a vintage jacket, drawing Ayaan into an investigation with a colleague who may be protecting the culprit. Their search exposes how a wellness app has been selling intimate voice recordings as training data. Suspense builds when an approaching storm cuts the setting off from outside help, forcing them to decide whether to trade the truth for someone else’s safety. A trail built around a child’s map of places adults deny exist leads to a reversal: solving the mystery forces the protagonist to reveal a secret more damaging than the crime. The emotional counterpoint is an attempt to finish a scholarship application, while a festival deadline leaves no room for delay.