In the week that followed, the thread splintered into obsessions and excuses. Journalists reverse-engineered the site; local cops cursed it but clicked the link anyway; Meera’s brother, emboldened by the crowd, began canvassing alleys with a printed frame from the video. Amit, a teenager who’d posted the motorcycle still, took credit for sparking the search. OldBabu posted a long apology and then vanished.