New Delhi: The dead body of a young girl was spreadeagled on the sharp spikes jutting out of the wall. For the DCP South, it was an open-and-shut case of suicide. However, for Inspector Kumar, something wasn’t adding up—and he wasn’t about to let it go.
This is how author Rudraneil Sengupta introduced his debut crime fiction, The Beast Within, to the audience at Delhi’s Kunzum Café.
“Most people think it’s just suicide,” Sengupta said. “But there’s something about it that feels odd to Inspector Kumar. And so, he starts investigating — and he doesn’t stop. That’s what the book is about. For the rest, you have to read it.”
The cafe was brimming with readers, young and old, many holding copies of the novel in their hands. Some had already begun reading, while others quickly grabbed seats to hear Sengupta speak. The launch featured a powerful panel, including novelist and writer Madhulika Liddle and Monika Bhardwaj, Additional Commissioner of Delhi Police.
“It’s such an absorbing and immersive read. I have never come across any writer who has written such a scientific post-mortem. I went to my father, who was an IPS officer, and showed it to him. He said, ‘This is exactly how a post-mortem is written.’ That’s the level of diligence Sengupta has brought to his book,” said Liddle.
Sengupta is a sports journalist-turned-author, with a non-fiction book on wrestling to his name—Enter the Dangal: Travels through India’s Wrestling Landscape.
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Extensive notes
Sengupta always wanted to write noir — it’s what he grew up with. Born in Kolkata, his childhood was filled with iconic detectives like Feluda, whom he calls the “Bengali Sherlock Holmes,” and Byomkesh Bakshi.
That long-held dream began to take shape after he spent two years covering the crime beat in Delhi for a leading publication. It struck him then — this is what he had always wanted to do. He began obsessively taking notes during his daily meetings with police officials and visits to crime scenes, with the intent that one day, he would turn all this material into a book.
“At some point, police work can even be boring — there’s a lot of routine. You have to be so diligent, sifting through thousands of hours of CCTV footage, going through records, paperwork, and making court appearances. And then, suddenly, there are these bursts of action. I tried to capture that rhythm in the book,” Sengupta said.
The book is embedded with real police procedurals as it navigates the dark and gritty while laying bare the complexities of human existence.
As Inspector Kumar navigates the murder case of the young girl, author Rudraneil Sengupta adds layers to his character — he is not just a shrewd cop, but also soft, lonely, and at times, helpless. Speaking at the book launch, Sengupta said he drew inspiration from real-life experiences, which he then fictionalised by placing them out of context.
“These were real conversations — I just put them out of context and fictionalised them,” said Sengupta.
As the event drew to a close, Additional Commissioner Monika Bhardwaj shared an anecdote from her time as DCP Crime. It was about a man who would kidnap girls for two days — and then return them.
“He would never harm the girls. In fact, he treated them nicely, fed them well, and then returned them,” Bhardwaj said, as the audience listened in awe.
During the investigation, it emerged that the man had lost his daughter. He told the police he didn’t even know why he did what he did.
Talking about The Beast Within, Bhardwaj said she read the book in just two sittings — describing it as “unputdownable”.
“I’ve told Sengupta that there should be a movie on this book. It’s so good — it has all the elements of a great film.”
The session concluded with audience members asking Sengupta about the research behind the book.
“I visited every location mentioned in the book — spent hours there, took notes, observed the surroundings — before weaving them into the story.”
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)