The party downstairs was in full swing, laughter and music pulsing through the walls of the large suburban house. Pallavi, a shy 19-year-old college student with smooth caramel skin, long black hair that cascaded down her back, and innocent doe-like eyes, had slipped away to her bedroom on the upper floor to change out of her sweaty salwar kameez. She had been helping her elder brother, Rohan, host the gathering for his friends, including his closest buddy from college days Rajesh bhaiya.

Rajesh was 45, tall and muscular with a salt-and-pepper beard, a commanding presence that always made the younger crowd uneasy. He had been like family to them for years, but tonight, something darker stirred in him as he watched Pallavi move around the house in her modest clothes. When he saw her head upstairs, he followed quietly, phone in hand, the camera app already recording in secret.