Chapter :

Once, a rich merchant discovered that his house had been robbed. He suspected that one of his servants was the thief, but he didn't know who it could be. Desperate to find the culprit, the merchant went to Birbal, known for his sharp mind and clever ways of solving problems.

Birbal listened to the merchant's story and then went to his house. He gathered all the servants together and asked, “Who stole the merchant’s things?” Every servant denied being the thief. Birbal thought for a moment and then had an idea.

He gave each servant a stick of equal length and said, “These are magic sticks. The stick of the real thief will grow by two inches overnight. Bring your sticks back to me tomorrow.”

The servants took their sticks and went home, each feeling a bit anxious. The next day, they all returned to the merchant's house and showed their sticks to Birbal.

Birbal carefully examined each stick and then pointed to one servant. “This is your thief, merchant,” he declared.

Everyone was surprised. Later, the merchant asked Birbal, “How did you catch him?”

Birbal smiled and explained, “The thief was afraid that his stick would grow by two inches, so he cut his stick by two inches during the night. That's why his stick is shorter than the others.”

The merchant was amazed by Birbal’s cleverness and thanked him for solving the mystery. The guilty servant confessed and returned the stolen goods. The story of how Birbal used his intelligence to catch the thief spread quickly, adding to his legend.