Tarun is found dead at his desk. Police find his wristwatch on his right arm, a torn picture of his wife on the floor, and a calendar turned to July 5th with '7B91011' written on it. There are three suspects: his wife Himanshi, Mrs. Kumar, and his partner Jason Negi. Who did it?

Why this works

At first glance, this riddle seems like a straightforward murder mystery, but it cleverly weaves in layers of wordplay and logic that make it captivating. The key lies in the seemingly random sequence of numbers and letters scrawled on the calendar. When we decode '7B91011,' the 'B' cleverly disguises an '8,' transforming the sequence into '7-8-9-10-11,' which corresponds to the months of July through November. If we take the first letters of those months—July, August, September, October, November—we spell out 'J-A-S-O-N,' pointing directly to Tarun's partner, Jason Negi, as the culprit. This riddle not only tests our deductive reasoning but also highlights the power of misdirection and hidden meanings in language. The subtlety of using a letter 'B' to represent a number is a delightful twist that elevates the riddle from a mere puzzle to a clever play on perception. It invites an "aha moment" when you realize that the clues were right in front of you, cleverly disguised in plain sight, emphasizing that sometimes, the truth is lurking just beneath the surface. Interestingly, riddles like this have a long history, often found in ancient literature as a way to engage and challenge the intellect. The art of riddle-making dates back to the Sumerians, and it's fascinating to see how this tradition continues today, blending logic, language, and a touch of surprise—reminding us that even in the darkest of stories, there can be a spark of cleverness waiting to be uncovered.