Heads-up: Death by poisoning (non-graphic, happens off-stage), Mobile payment fraud and money pressure, Livestock market setting with respectful references to qurbani; no harm to animals is shown.
Dhaka (Gabtoli) · present day
Haat of Gold
Gabtoli haat. Two nights to Eid. Nobody leaves.
- 6-12 players
- about 2.5 hrs
- Medium
$5.99
one price for the whole party · about $0.5 a guest at 12
The night
- Gabtoli, Dhaka
- Present day
- 21:58
Two nights before Eid, the toll boss counted too carefully.
WhenGabtoli, two nights before Eid-ul-Adha.
WhereThe hasil booth at the heart of the haat.
What went wrong21:58: the toll boss sat down hard, mid-sentence.
Every suspect had business with the toll boss tonight: owed, paid or promised.
Read the full story (1 min)
Gabtoli, two nights before Eid-ul-Adha. Trucks from Kushtia, Jhenaidah and Pabna crawl in nose to tail. LED strips buzz under blue tarpaulin, a thousand cattle chew, and every animal leaving the ground pays its toll at Jalal's plywood counter, ten steps from a steaming tea stall.
At 20:15 Kalo Manik, a 900-kg Kushtia bull, sold for Tk 12,00,000 to a Gulshan family with three ring lights. At 21:35 half the haat cheered his Facebook live. By 21:55 Jalal was haggling over hasil he swore never arrived. At 21:58 he sat down hard.
By 22:05 he was gone. The police are stuck in Eid traffic on Mirpur Road, the booth is roped off, and nobody leaves. Everyone here had business with Jalal tonight: money owed, money paid, money promised. The bull saw everything. The bull is not talking.
The suspects
Trust no one
Abul Kashem
The Guardian of the Loading Gate
Ansar at the loading gate with a whistle, a beret and a spotless record of never sleeping.
Motive
The Ansar guard on his gate, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Mohammad Ali Bepari
The Bull Whisperer of Kushtia
Raised his prize bull on khail, bhushi and folk songs, and guards his jute bag like gold.
Motive
The Kushtia trader selling Kalo Manik, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Tanvir Karim
The Proud Bull Buyer
Paid twelve lakh for the family bull and has somehow appeared in zero family photos.
Motive
The Gulshan buyer's proud husband, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Nusrat Karim
The Eid Influencer
Gulshan's Eid Diaries queen: one 900-kg bull, three ring lights, zero patience for retakes.
Motive
The Gulshan buyer of Kalo Manik, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Mitu Karim
The Official Photographer
Official family photographer tonight, filming from three angles and laughing at her phone for reasons unknown.
Motive
The Gulshan buyers' daughter and photographer, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Rubel Sheikh
The Calculator with Legs
Can add a whole column of taka while arguing about cricket, and wins both arguments.
Motive
His booth accountant of six years, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Kamal Gazi
The Rival Leaseholder
Rival leaseholder from up the highway, here 'to admire the bull', in aviators after dark.
Motive
The rival leaseholder from Aminbazar haat, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Dr. Farzana Akter
The Livestock Officer on Duty
Checked 400 bulls today, broke three thermometers and has zero patience for one more selfie.
Motive
The haat's duty livestock officer, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Shakil Mia
The Bull's Best Friend
Has slept beside the bull for six nights and knows any cricket score in three seconds.
Motive
The young handler of Kalo Manik, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Josna Begum
The Tea Stall Oracle
Twelve seasons at the stove, with a perfect memory for every order and every debt.
Motive
The tea-stall keeper beside his booth, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Tofazzal 'Tofa' Hossain
The Dalal of Twenty-Five Eids
Broker of 25 Eids who swears on his mother every thirty seconds; she has opinions.
Motive
His broker of twenty-five Eids, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Shirin Mridha
The Quiet Negotiator
Has quietly run the lease for 15 seasons and won every negotiation her husband shouted through.
Motive
His wife of twenty-four years, who stood to gain or lose by his death.
Swipe for more, tap Motive to see why each one is a suspect. Every guest gets one of these characters.