Chakravyuh: An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller is a 2021 Hindi crime-thriller web series built around cybercrime, blackmail, social media abuse and a murder investigation. Prateik Babbar leads the series as Inspector Virkar, a Crime Branch officer who finds himself dealing with criminals operating in a world where online identities can be as dangerous as weapons.
Directed by Sajit Warrier, the series also stars Simran Kaur Mundi, Ruhi Singh, Ashish Vidyarthi, Shiv Panditt, Gopal Datt and Asif Basra in key roles. The story is based on characters created by author and filmmaker Piyush Jha for his Inspector Virkar crime-thriller books, particularly Anti-Social Network. The eight-episode series originally premiered on MX Player on March 12, 2021.
Chakravyuh Web Series Cast
1. Prateik Babbar as Inspector Virkar
Prateik Babbar plays Inspector Virkar, the central investigator of the series. Virkar is called in after the brutal murder of a college student. What first appears to be a personal crime soon develops into a much larger investigation involving social media, sextortion, hacking and the dark web. Virkar is persistent and instinctive, but the case repeatedly pushes him outside familiar policing methods.
2. Simran Kaur Mundi as Naina
Simran Kaur Mundi plays Naina, a counsellor who becomes closely involved in Virkar’s investigation. She helps him understand the psychological side of the case and the vulnerabilities of the young people targeted by the criminals. Her role becomes increasingly important as Virkar begins connecting the different victims.
3. Ruhi Singh as Sagarika Purohit
Ruhi Singh appears as Sagarika Purohit. Her character is connected with the college-age circle at the heart of the investigation and becomes part of the larger mystery surrounding the murders and online blackmail network.
4. Ashish Vidyarthi as ACP Wagh
Ashish Vidyarthi plays ACP Wagh, Virkar’s senior officer. He represents the official police structure around the investigation and often has to deal with the risks created by Virkar’s aggressive style of working.
5. Shiv Panditt as Roy
Shiv Panditt plays Roy, an important figure in the mystery. As the case develops, Virkar’s investigation brings him closer to people whose motives are not immediately clear, and Roy becomes part of that increasingly complicated picture.
6. Gopal Datt as Dr. Sinha
Gopal Datt plays Dr. Sinha. His exchanges with Virkar add some dry humour to an otherwise dark series, while his professional role also helps the investigation move forward through forensic and medical information.
7. Asif Basra as Raut
Asif Basra appears as Raut, a senior police officer. His performance adds weight to the law-enforcement side of the story and was among his final screen appearances.
8. Rohan Joshi as Richard
Rohan Joshi plays Richard, an ethical hacker whose technical knowledge becomes valuable to Virkar. Because the crimes involve social networks, hidden identities and online manipulation, Richard helps the investigation enter territory that ordinary police work cannot easily cover.
Other notable cast members include:
- Karan Raj as Raj
- Ankit Narang as Kshitij
- Mahir Pandi as Philo
- Naghma Rizwan as Naaz
- Anjali Sivaraman
- Ayesha Kanga
- Twinkle Tshering
- Ravi Pandey
Chakravyuh Web Series Crew
Chakravyuh is directed by Sajit Warrier. The screenplay was developed by Karan Shah, Chaitanya Chopra and Kailash Surendranath, with the series drawing on Piyush Jha’s Inspector Virkar fiction. Rahul Patel is credited for dialogue work. The production was backed by Applause Entertainment and Mayavid Online LLP.
- Director: Sajit Warrier
- Writers: Karan Shah, Chaitanya Chopra and Kailash Surendranath
- Based on Characters Created by: Piyush Jha
- Dialogue: Rahul Patel
- Producers: Applause Entertainment and Mayavid Online LLP
- Producers associated with the project: Kailash Surendranath and Arti Surendranath
- Cinematography: Hari K. Vedantam
- Music: Faizan Hussain
Chakravyuh Web Series Story
The story begins when a college student is found murdered in a disturbing manner. Inspector Virkar from the Crime Branch is brought in to investigate. The early evidence appears to point towards a straightforward crime of passion, but Virkar soon realises that the case is far more complicated.
His search leads him towards Naina, a counsellor, and Richard, an ethical hacker. Together, the clues expose a hidden network that targets young people through social media. Private information and intimate material are used for blackmail and extortion, while the people running the racket hide behind online identities.
As more victims become connected to the case, Virkar encounters a mysterious figure known as Axeman and discovers that the investigation involves sextortion and the dark web. Each apparent breakthrough creates another question, while the killer seems to remain one step ahead of the police.
The pressure on Virkar increases after a nightclub incident changes the direction of the case. Personal and professional losses force him to operate outside the normal system, and the investigation turns into a race to identify the mastermind before another victim is targeted.
The final episodes bring Virkar into a direct cat-and-mouse confrontation with the killer. By then, several identities and assumptions have been overturned. The series uses this mystery to explore how easily social media, anonymity and personal data can be turned into tools of manipulation and crime.
How Many Episodes Are There in Chakravyuh?
Chakravyuh: An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller has one season with eight episodes. The episode titles use terms associated with computers, networks and online security, matching the cybercrime theme of the series.
- Episode 1: Phishing
- Episode 2: Click Bait
- Episode 3: Malware
- Episode 4: Proxy
- Episode 5: Access Denied
- Episode 6: Side Jacking
- Episode 7: Trojan
- Episode 8: Antivirus
Chakravyuh OTT Platform and Release Date
Chakravyuh: An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller premiered on MX Player on March 12, 2021. It was released as an MX Original and was originally available to stream free with advertisements in India.
Streaming catalogues change over time. As of September 2026, the series is not currently listed as available to stream in India on the major services tracked by streaming guides. It was last listed on MX Player until October 2024. Viewers looking for the series should therefore check current platform listings before subscribing to any service specifically to watch it.
What Kind of Series Is Chakravyuh?
Chakravyuh is a crime mystery with a strong cybercrime angle. Unlike a conventional murder investigation, much of the danger comes from digital behaviour: social networking, hacked information, fake identities, online blackmail and the dark web.
The eight-episode format keeps Inspector Virkar at the centre while gradually expanding a single murder case into a wider criminal network. Prateik Babbar’s investigator, supported by characters such as Naina, Richard, ACP Wagh and Dr. Sinha, gives the series a mix of police procedure, technology-driven crime and psychological suspense.
