Robbers of Suvarnapur
The Dilemma of Suvarnapur
The people of the city of Suvarnapur were deeply worried, and so was their king, for a gang of robbers was plundering house after house. Not only had the guards of the city failed to catch the culprits, but the king’s soldiers also proved ineffective. The king, determined to resolve the issue, decided to pay personal attention to the problem.
Desperate Measures
Weeks rolled by, and the robbers remained as active as ever. The king realized he needed to take matters into his own hands. He began patrolling the city at night, accompanied by his trusted general, Randhir. No robberies occurred during those nights, but the gang remained elusive.
The Wise Minister’s Counsel
The king’s wise, old minister had not attended court for several months. Concerned, the worried king met him and shared the city’s plight. The minister offered to resume his duties at court from the next day, assuring the king that he would devise a plan to capture the gang in the meantime.
An Unexpected Proposal
The king found some consolation in the minister’s promise and awaited his return with eagerness. Upon arrival, the minister addressed the king with some urgency. “My lord, we can tackle the gang later. What deserves our immediate attention is a possible invasion of our frontier by the neighboring king. I have received some secret information about it. I suggest that our general be sent to the frontier with our army without delay.”
A Turn of Events
The king summoned General Randhir and ordered him to proceed to the frontier. After a fortnight, the general returned and reported to the king, “There is no sign of any attack on our frontier. The minister’s information was nothing but a false alarm.”
Unraveling the Mystery
Turning to the minister, the general then stated, “I wish, instead of exercising your mind on imaginary problems, you would focus on solving real issues like the robbery in our city.” The king, intrigued, asked the minister, “How did it occur to you that our general could be the leader of the robbers?”
Seeking Resolution
”It occurred to me when I was informed that there were no robberies while the general was patrolling the city with you. Once he was sent to the frontier, the robberies resumed,” replied the minister, trying to piece together the troubling events. The tension in the room thickened as the truth began to unfold.