All the servants went to their homes and gathered again at the same place the next day. Birbal asked them to show him their sticks. One of the servants had his stick shortened by two inches. Birbal said, “This is your thief, merchant.”
Later, the merchant asked Birbal, “How did you catch him?” Birbal said, “The thief had already cut his stick short by two inches in the night, fearing that his stick would be longer by two inches by morning.”