It was evening. Ali was on his way home after a group study session at a friend’s house, which was just a street away. There were a few grocery shops along the way.

As he walked along, he noticed a man in the distance carrying an unusually large bag. He then saw the man quietly picking up packets of chips and bread from the racks outside the shops and slipping them into his bag. He also noticed him pickpocketing other customers around him.

Ali was shock to see this as he was an honest and responsible boy. The man noticed that Ali had seen him pickpocketing.

Ali looked around to tell someone. At a distance, he saw a police mobile and immediately turned in that direction, but just then, the thief quickly came in front of him. The thief, with evil intentions in his eyes, showed a hidden gun under his shirt to Ali.

“Listen, kid, if you shout or tell anyone about me, I will kill you, because I know where you live,” he lied to blackmail him. “But if you do not, I will give you some money.”

Ali was frightened. He said nothing and remained silent.

It was a difficult situation where he had to choose between telling the truth and risking death, or staying quiet and becoming involved in a crime.

The thief put some cash into his hands and went back inside the shop to steal some more.

Shocked and troubled, Ali thought, “It is better to be killed than to be involved in a crime…”

He walked towards the police mobile, told the police everything and handed over the money the thief had given him.

The police sent some officers in plainclothes into the shop, who carefully entered it and asked all the customers to leave.

The thief, unaware of what was happening, was in a section where he could neither see nor hear the activity at the counter.

Before he realised it, he was surrounded from all sides, leaving him with no chance of escape. He was shocked and bewildered as the police arrested him.

Ali’s honesty played a key role in the outcome, as he did not hesitate even when there was a risk to his own safety.

Because of his honesty, the thief was caught and the shopkeeper did not suffer any loss.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 16th, 2026