Kishore

A Brahmin envoy, Shukdas, arrived from Gandhara at Chandragupta Maurya's court. He delivered the surprising message that King Ambi of Gandhara had agreed to be incorporated into the Maurya dynasty. This news astonished Chandragupta, as

A Brahmin envoy, Shukdas, arrived from Gandhara at Chandragupta Maurya's court. He delivered the surprising message that King Ambi of Gandhara had agreed to be incorporated into the Maurya dynasty. This news astonished Chandragupta, as he had long sought this alliance, but Ambi had always been opposed.

Chandragupta requested that Shukdas stay for a couple of days, and the Brahmin agreed. However, the next morning, he was found dead in his room, which had been locked from the inside and was guarded at all times. The guards reported hearing no screams or unusual sounds, only the sound of a water jug falling during the third

prahar (a unit of time). A fallen water jug was indeed found beside the body. Puzzled by how he was killed, Chandragupta called for his guru, Chanakya, to solve the mystery.

Chanakya found a small needle near the bed, stained with black blood. He asked for a partridge to be brought, because even a small amount of poison turns the bird’s eyes red. When the needle was pricked into it, the bird died of poisoning. Thus, the murder weapon was the needle.

With another bird’s food, which had been prepared by the cook and tasted by the taster who came with Sukdas, there was no trace of venom. Therefore, both of them are ruled out as suspects.

The Investigation

Chanakya began his investigation.

The Murder Weapon: He found a small, poisoned dart (shalaka) near the bed. The royal physician confirmed that Shukdas had died from a potent poison, and this dart was assumed to be the murder weapon.

The Food: The leftover food from Shukdas's meal was examined. It had been prepared by a cook and checked by a food taster who accompanied the envoy. No trace of poison was found in the food, which seemed to clear both the cook and the taster from suspicion.

The security guards of the guest room said that they heard the water jug falling sound at 3rd hour. Since there was a fallen water jug beside the body.

The Investigation

The investigation begins with the questioning of various individuals:

The Guards: Two soldiers, Siddhantak and Krishan, who were on duty outside the envoy's room, confirm that Shukdas locked his door from the inside after his evening meal and never opened it again. They heard no visitors but did recall the sound of a metal vessel falling to the floor late in the night.

The Royal Physician (Raj-vaidya): The physician concludes that death was caused by a potent poison, evidenced by blue nails and foam at the mouth. Based on the state of the body, he estimates the time of death to be late in the second
prahar (a Hindu unit of time) or early in the third. A poisoned dart (
shalaka) found in the room is initially believed to be the murder weapon.

The Maha-amatya (Chief Minister) Krishnanath: He recounts that the envoy's food was prepared under strict supervision by his own cook, Andhaka. To prevent poisoning, every single food item, including the first piece of bread and fruit, was tested by a food-taster named Kunta before Shukdas consumed it. After the meal, Shukdas locked his door, and that was the last time he was seen alive.

The Suspects and a Test

Suspicion falls on the two attendants who came with Shukdas from Gandhar: the cook Andhaka and the food-taster Kunta.

Andhaka (The Cook): He claims to have been Shukdas's cook for three years. When Chanakya asks him what special dishes he would prepare on the holy day of
Ekadashi, Andhaka replies "the usual," not knowing that devout Brahmins only consume fruit on that day. This reveals he is lying about his long-term employment.

Kunta (The Food-Taster): He reveals he is not Shukdas's personal servant but rather works for the queen of Gandhar. When Chanakya asks if he has ever eaten the rare and royal Hapus (Alphonso) mango, Kunta truthfully says yes, describing its exquisite taste, which he had the opportunity to sample at the Gandhar palace. His honesty suggests innocence.

To confirm Kunta's innocence, Chanakya devises a secret test. He instructs that a small, non-lethal dose of poison be mixed into Kunta's food. The next day, it is reported that Kunta became ill with clear symptoms of poisoning, proving he is not immune to poison and therefore not part of a conspiracy.

The Breakthrough

Two days pass, and with political tensions rising as Gandhar threatens war, Chanakya grows frustrated, feeling he is missing an obvious clue. The breakthrough comes when his disciple, Jivsiddhi, offers him a watermelon and asks for a knife to cut it. This jogs Chanakya's memory of the Maha-amatya mentioning that the fruit-cutting knife was missing from the otherwise undisturbed crime scene. At that moment, Chanakya solves the entire puzzle.

The Revelation

Chanakya explains the "perfect murder" to Chandragupta and Jivsiddhi.

The Mastermind: The entire plot was orchestrated by Acharya Shakuni, the cunning advisor to Gandhar's king. His plan was to have his political rival, Shukdas, murdered in Pataliputra to frame the Mauryan Empire and create a pretext for war.

The Method: The murder weapon was not the planted dart, but the fruit-cutting knife. The killer, the cook Andhaka, had applied a slow-acting poison to only one side of the knife's blade. Being right-handed, when he cut the bread and fruit, he gave the first, non-poisoned slice to the taster, Kunta. However, every subsequent piece served to Shukdas was tainted with the poison from the other side of the blade.

The Cover-Up: The poison took hours to take effect, killing Shukdas late at night. The cook later disposed of the incriminating knife and planted the poisoned dart to mislead the investigators into believing an external assassin was responsible.

Resolution

Following Chanakya's instructions, Chandragupta orders the cook's quarters to be searched. The poisoned knife is found, and Andhaka is forced to confess. With the conspiracy exposed, Gandhar has no choice but to surrender unconditionally. The mastermind, Acharya Shakuni, flees, vowing revenge against Chanakya and Magadha. The story ends with Chandragupta writing a letter of gratitude to his teacher for preventing a war and saving the empire.

Short Summary:

A serial killer butcher targets courtesans in Pataliputra and removes their wombs; Chanakya deduces his identity and traps him with a poison-maiden, then unmasks a parallel conspiracy where the general kills a spy courtesan by copying the killer’s method, leading to both the killer’s capture and the traitor’s arrest.\

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Plot summary:

In foggy Pataliputra, a cloaked horseman picks courtesans at night, presses their mouths, slits the abdomen, and removes the uterus; three identical murders terrify the city. No sexual assault marks appear, only restraint.

Senapati Krithak and officer Susen seek semi-retired Chanakya’s help. Chanakya inspects a scene, notes timing around second watch, clean clothes apart from blood, and a consistent MO.

Despite blood and a big knife, no one stops the killer; Chanakya infers a profession used to blood at night—a butcher—who can show animal meat to pacify patrols while hiding a human uterus among cuts. Victim choice signals misogyny toward courtesans; refusal to rape points to loathing or dysfunction.

Disciple Jib Siddhi reactivates informants. Names surface—Chandan (angry butcher with a black horse), Mahendra (drunk, brown horse), and Bhima (butcher who slashed a customer, jailed recently; wife “missing” after his release).

A fourth victim, Anguri, is tall, fair, with straight hair—unlike prior victims. Her uterus is found nearby in a pond, not taken away. This breaks the killer’s pattern.

Anguri’s room shows sudden wealth (fresh ornaments, many coins), literacy tools (ink, pen), and many small hollow amulets with very short strings—message capsules for trained pigeons used in espionage.

The court faces a leak of military secrets. Chanakya reasons Anguri was a spy using pigeons, and only someone who sets nightly patrol rosters could kill on the royal road despite heightened patrols—pointing to Senapati Krithak.

Chanakya deploys Vishkanya Ullupi, matching the killer’s preferred look (tanned, curly hair, medium height). Bhima lures her with a coin, presses her mouth; she gives a slight bite. The toxin weakens him; soldiers surround and seize him as Chanakya and Jib Siddhi appear.

In a private interrogation, Bhima recounts trauma—born to a courtesan, branded illegitimate, beaten by caste bigots, murdered his mother at 12 and framed her client; later in Pataliputra, kills his unfaithful, pregnant wife who resembles his mother, cuts out the womb to “verify,” and then serially kills courtesans resembling them, excising wombs as vengeance on “motherhood.”

In assembly, Krithak narrates the capture, but Chanakya presents anomalies—Anguri’s non-matching look, discarded womb, spy capsules, sudden wealth, and her education. He reconstructs Krithak’s treachery: seduced by Anguri, leaked secrets while intoxicated, then copied the serial killer’s method to eliminate her and shift suspicion. A prior slip—recognizing Anguri’s name—betrays him. Soldiers arrest Krithak for treason and murder.

Chanakya urges dignity and education for courtesans and their children to prevent future “Bhimas.” Later, he tells Jib Siddhi that Bhima has been spared execution and will be secretly trained as a lethal state asset—revealing Chanakya’s Kautilya realpolitik.

Key characters and roles:

Chanakya (Vishnugupta/Kautilya): Strategist, investigator, and statecraft master who orchestrates deductions, the sting, and the courtroom reveal.

Jib Siddhi: Loyal disciple and field operator who mobilizes informants and setups.

Senapati Krithak: Celebrated general, actually a traitor; kills spy Anguri by imitating the serial killer. Arrested in court.

Susen: Young officer assisting investigation and logistics.

Ullupi: Vishkanya who bravely traps Bhima with a controlled bite.

Bhima: Butcher-serial killer whose trauma and hatred of courtesans drive patterned murders centered on removing wombs. Captured alive.

Anguri: Educated courtesan-spy with sudden wealth and pigeon capsules; murdered by Krithak in a copycat killing.