Find the Culprit | Puzzles for Interview - Interview Preparation PDF Download

Introduction

Joe is a person who cannot keep his secrets, and he is so careless that all his friends and relatives know his debit card PIN. One day, Joe makes a profit of $1000 and decides to celebrate by throwing a party for his three friends, Leena, Paul, and Andrew.

Preparing for the Party

Joe is in a hurry to get home and prepare for the party. On his way, he stops to buy some snacks. As he takes out his wallet from his right pocket, he accidentally drops some money on the ground without noticing. This type of incident is common for him.

The Party and Ludo Game

When Joe's friends arrive, they start playing Ludo on a square-shaped wooden table. They place a bet on the winner, but unfortunately, Joe loses the bet and has to give money to the winner. One of his friends is going through tough financial times and decides to steal from Joe's wallet.

The Theft and Police Investigation

The next day, Joe notices that his debit card and some money are missing, so he files a complaint at the police station. The police investigate and find the last transactions made with Joe's debit card at an ATM booth. They check the CCTV footage and see that the culprit was wearing a mask, making it impossible for them to identify the person.

Identifying the Culprit

The task now is to find the culprit. The answer is that Andrew is the culprit. The reasoning behind this conclusion is that when Joe was giving money to the winner, he took out his wallet from his right side pocket. Because of his carelessness, his debit card fell on the ground. Based on their seating arrangement during the Ludo game, Andrew was sitting to Joe's right side, so he was the only one who saw the debit card fall. This makes Andrew the most likely culprit.