The Watermelon Thief

One day, a farmer came to Akbar’s court, upset that his prized watermelon had been stolen. Akbar called Birbal to solve the case. Birbal asked all the villagers to bring a stick of the same length, announcing that the thief’s stick would magically grow overnight. The next day, Birbal inspected the sticks and found one slightly shorter than the others. He pointed to the owner of the shortened stick as the thief. The man confessed, admitting that he had cut his stick in fear, thinking it would grow. Birbal’s clever strategy revealed that guilt often exposes itself.

Moral : Guilt reveals itself when honesty is absent.

Summary : Birbal asked villagers to bring sticks of the same length, claiming the thief’s stick would grow overnight. The next day, he identified the thief by the shorter stick, revealing the man's guilt.