India, July 15 -- India has always had a flair for drama: emotional, political, existential, and, increasingly, criminal. But in recent years, a new flavour of suspense has crept into our screens: the sharply plotted, stylishly shot, morally murky Indian murder mystery web series.

Unlike their Western counterparts who seem to solve crimes between breakfast and a bad date, characters in Indian murder web series often carry the full weight of socio-political baggage. The mysteries here are tangled in caste, class, small-town gossip, communal tensions, red tape, and the occasional bribe. The investigators aren't always righteous and the suspects aren't always guilty.

Streaming platforms have cracked the code. From the slow, simmering menac...