The Tea Estate Mystery

Chandra stole the tea. Assuming Chandra is the thief: his two statements are both lies (consistent for the thief). Ashok's two statements are both true and Bala's two statements are both true — consistent for innocent truth-tellers. No other assumption works.

Use proof by assumption — assume person X is the thief and verify that all their statements are false (since the thief always lies) and all other statements are true (since innocents always tell the truth). Step 1: Assume Ashok is the thief. His statements should both be lies: 'I did not steal' (lie — good, Ashok did steal) and 'Bala is innocent' (lie — meaning Bala is guilty). But we assumed only one thief. Contradiction — two thieves cannot exist. Ashok is not the thief. Step 2: Assume Bala is the thief. His statements should both be lies: 'I did not steal' (lie — good) and 'Chandra is guilty' (lie — meaning Chandra is innocent). Now check the innocents. Step 3: Ashok is innocent (truth-teller): 'I did not steal' (true — Ashok is innocent) and 'Bala is innocent' (false — Bala IS the thief). But Ashok should only say true things. Contradiction? Wait — Ashok says Bala is innocent, but Bala is guilty. That means Ashok's statement is false, making Ashok a liar — but Ashok is supposed to be innocent. Contradiction. Step 4: Assume Chandra is the thief. His statements are both lies: 'I did not steal' (lie — good) and 'Ashok is lying' (lie — meaning Ashok is telling the truth). Step 5: Check Ashok (innocent): 'I did not steal' (true) and 'Bala is innocent' (true — Bala is innocent if Chandra is the thief). Both true. Consistent. Step 6: Check Bala (innocent): 'I did not steal' (true) and 'Chandra is guilty' (true — Chandra IS the thief). Both true. Fully consistent. Chandra is the thief. Key Insight: The method is systematic elimination: assume each person is the thief, derive what all statements must be (truths for innocents, lies for the thief), and check for contradictions. Only one assumption survives without contradiction — that is your answer.