The Poisonous Genius

Set in the sleepy Indian town of Nagpur, “The Poisonous Genius” tells the story of five scientists from Amrit Laboratories, one of India’s leading research institutes, that is awarded a billion dollar contract for inventing a formula that cures diabetes permanently. And so begins a series of strange events…

One of the scientists, Dr. Anirudh, is shot dead in the middle of a busy street and the killer is apprehended by the police then and there. Two other scientists, Dr. Mashalkar and Dr. Bharat Rao, host a celebration party for their great discovery. They toast each other by pouring a herbal drink from the same bottle into a glass. Dr. Bharat Rao gulps half the glass. Within seconds Dr Mashalkar also drinks the same drink from the same glass and dies on the spot in front of a hundred guests, but nothing happens to Dr. Bharat Rao.

The police cannot fathom how a drink poured from the same bottle into the same glass and consumed almost simultaneously could be fatal to one and harmless to the other. The situation is further compounded when forensic test reports reveal no poison in the body of the dead scientist. The forensic examination of the drink, bottle and glass also reveal no poison. The cause of death itself remains a mystery.

Despite a massive security effort by police, another scientist, Dr. David is soon found dead in a hotel room only minutes after he checks into his suite. The room was locked from inside and inaccessible to anyone from outside. Forensic tests conclude that Dr. David’s near instantaneous death was caused by cyanide poisoning, but the police are unable to comprehend how cyanide poison was ingested.

Tensions rise as the whole country watches the massacre of the entire team of inventors with shock and awe. In response, The Chief Minister calls upon Vijay, an ace detective. Vijay is given an impossible deadline to solve the case before Parliament resumes in a week.

The Poisonous Genius tells the story of murder, betrayal and love as Vijay tries to crack the case and discover the identity of “the poisonous genius” – all with the help of Nandini, a lovely freelance journalist, and the only person Vijay can really trust.