The Real Criminal
The Real Criminal
It was a dark night, and the sky was clouded. Thunder shook the region intermittently, while lightning illuminated the fearsome faces of ghosts and ghouls.
Yet, fearless King Vikram crossed the cremation ground, carrying a corpse on his shoulder.
Suddenly, the vampire inhabiting the corpse spoke up. “O King, I do not know what you have done to earn this dreadful punishment. Yet, sometimes, even criminals go unpunished. Take the case of the young thief who was caught red-handed. Let me narrate his story. Listen carefully, as it may divert your attention from your labor.”
The Thief’s Tale
The vampire began: On the outskirts of the city of Kanchan stood an inn. One evening, a traveler arrived and decided to spend the night there. He lay down to sleep on the veranda.
A conversation stirred him awake at midnight. Without revealing that he was awake, he listened intently. Soon, he realized that one of the two speakers was a police officer and the other was a young boy.
“I’m very sorry to see a smart young boy like you resorting to theft,” said the officer. “Stealing is not only punishable by the law of the land but also by the law of heaven. It is a sin, and its consequences are bound to catch up to you.”
“Sir, to be honest, I deeply regret my actions. But I had no choice but to steal. I desperately needed money. This is the first and the last time I will ever steal,” replied the boy.
The officer inquired, “What drove you to thievery?” The boy then recounted his story: He was the son of a poor man who had died while he was an infant. His mother struggled to raise him, but she managed to save a little money through years of hard work as a maidservant in various households. Eventually, she built a roadside rest house where travelers could eat and rest for a small fee.
One night, a couple sought shelter in their cottage. In the morning, it was discovered that both the man and his wife were dead. An investigation revealed that they had been poisoned. A dead lizard was found in the jar of drinking water in their room, leading to the arrest of their hostess for causing their deaths through negligence.
The King’s Judgment
The king sentenced the woman to death, but the courtiers and her son pleaded for her life. The king relented, stating that she could be freed if her son produced a thousand rupees by the end of the year. The boy worked tirelessly but was only able to save a hundred rupees by the year’s end.
“Tomorrow is the last day of the year. That is why I had to steal tonight. Please count the money I took from the merchant’s shop; it amounts to exactly nine hundred rupees,” the boy concluded.
The officer counted the money and remarked, “This is not nine hundred rupees; it is nine hundred and one.”
“I must have picked up the extra rupee by mistake,” the boy replied.
The officer remained silent for a moment before saying, “My boy, your story moves me deeply. I feel affection for you, but I must stress that stealing is very wrong. More than any punishment from the king, I fear the punishment that heaven may impose upon you.”
The boy fell silent.
The officer continued, “You need nine hundred rupees. Will you part with the extra rupee? If you do, I will consider whether or not to report your crime to the king.”
“Of course, sir, here is the extra rupee,” said the boy.
The traveler, who had overheard the conversation, felt increasingly annoyed with the officer. “What a greedy man!” he murmured to himself. “He robs the boy of his extra rupee.”
The Court’s Outcome
The next morning, the traveler went to the king’s court to see what fate awaited the boy and his mother.
The boy presented the thousand rupees and secured his mother’s release, while the officer stayed silent.
The vampire fell quiet for a moment before addressing the king. “O King, while a theft was committed and the boy is indeed a thief, he went unpunished. Who is truly to blame—the boy, or the officer who accepted a bribe of one rupee? O King, if you know the answer but remain silent, your head will roll off your neck!”
King Vikram replied, “We understand the circumstances that forced the boy into thievery. He cannot be considered an ordinary criminal. Regarding the officer, he cannot be said to have demanded the surplus rupee as a bribe. If he had wished, he could have intimidated the boy into surrendering the entire stolen amount or demanded an equal share. By taking only one rupee, he must have had a different motive—perhaps to lighten the weight of the boy’s sin before heaven by sharing the stolen money. We must remember that he felt a sense of pity for the boy.”
“The one truly at fault is the king, who demanded a thousand rupees from a boy he knew could never pay that amount. By his unjust demand, he compelled the boy to become a thief. The king is the real criminal.”
As soon as King Vikram finished his explanation, the vampire, along with the corpse, vanished into thin air.