While walking in a park, one morning, I found a Hundred Rupee note on one of the park benches. I picked it up, noted the number and took it home.

In the afternoon the plumber called on me to collect his bill. As I had no other moey at home, I settled his account with the Hundred Rupee note that I had found.

Later I came to know that the plumber paid the note to his milkman to settle his monthly account , who paid it to his tailor for the garments he had made.

The tailor in turn used the money to buy an old sewing machine, from a woman who lives in my neighbourhood. This woman incidentally, had borrowed Hundred Rupees from me sometime back to buy some household appliance. She, remembering that she owed me a Hundred Rupees, came and paid the debt.

I recognized the note as the one that I had found on the park bench, and on careful examination, I discovered that the note was counterfeit.

How much was lost in the whole transaction and by whom ?

(In reply to re(2): Possible Solution by Ravi Raja)

I still don't think he gained anything in the whole transaction (the series of exchanges of the bill). The hundred rupee note that he has at the end is, first, counterfeit, and presumably not an asset unless he tries to use it again. Second, he found that bill on a park bench, aside from everything else.

So if he has indeed gained anything, which is doubtful, it was when he found the note, or in the future when/if he uses the bill again, but not during "the whole transaction."

Posted by DJ on 2003-03-20 22:37:35