In the bustling village of Sundarpur, where mango trees swayed and the river sparkled under the sun, lived Maya, a curious 12-year-old with a knack for solving problems. Her four best friends—Ravi, the quick-witted planner; Leela, the fearless adventurer; Arjun, the tech-savvy gadget lover; and Tara, the kind-hearted observer—formed the "Sundarpur Sleuths," a group known for fixing small village mysteries, like finding lost goats or missing bicycles. But one sunny morning, they stumbled upon a mystery bigger than any they’d tackled before: the fraud in their school’s mid-day meal scheme.

It all started when Tara noticed something odd during lunch at Sundarpur Primary School. The mid-day meal, meant to provide every student with a hearty plate of rice, dal, and vegetables, was often skimpy. Some days, the rice was barely a handful, and the dal was watery. "This isn’t right," Tara whispered to Maya as they sat under the banyan tree, nibbling on their meager portions. "The government sends enough money for proper meals. Where’s it all going?"

Maya’s eyes narrowed. She’d heard her father, a local shopkeeper, mention rumors about the meal scheme’s funds being misused. "Let’s find out," she said, rallying her friends. The Sundarpur Sleuths were on the case.

First, they observed. For a week, they kept a close eye on the kitchen staff and the meal delivery process. Ravi, with his sharp memory, noted that the cook, Mr. Sharma, always seemed nervous when the food truck arrived. Leela, sneaking behind the kitchen shed one day, overheard Mr. Sharma talking to a man named Vikram, who drove the supply truck. "Keep the extra sacks hidden," Vikram muttered. Leela’s heart raced—she’d found a clue!

The friends met that evening at their secret hideout, an old treehouse by the river. Leela shared what she’d heard, and Arjun, who loved numbers, pulled out his notebook. "I checked the school’s records," he said, having sweet-talked the office clerk into letting him peek at the meal logs. "The register says we get 50 sacks of rice and 20 sacks of dal each month, but we’re serving half that amount to the kids."

"So someone’s stealing the extra food," Maya concluded. "But we need proof to catch them."

The Sleuths devised a plan. Tara suggested they talk to the younger kids, who often overheard things adults ignored. Sure enough, little Priya mentioned seeing Vikram’s truck parked late at night near Mr. Sharma’s house. "I thought it was weird," Priya said, "because the truck only comes to school in the morning."

Next, Arjun used his homemade camera—a contraption he’d built from an old phone—to secretly record the truck’s movements. For three nights, the friends took turns hiding near Mr. Sharma’s house. On the third night, they hit the jackpot. Arjun’s camera caught Vikram unloading sacks of rice and dal into Mr. Sharma’s shed, while Mr. Sharma handed him a wad of cash. "They’re selling the food on the black market!" Ravi whispered excitedly.

But catching them on camera wasn’t enough. Maya knew they needed to involve the police, and they had to act fast before the next delivery. The Sleuths decided to set a trap. They told their trusted teacher, Mrs. Nair, about their findings. Mrs. Nair, shocked but proud of their bravery, contacted Inspector Rao, a kind but firm police officer known for his honesty.

Inspector Rao met the Sleuths at the treehouse. "You kids have done remarkable work," he said, reviewing Arjun’s footage. "But we need to catch them in the act to make an arrest." He agreed to their plan: the Sleuths would alert him when the next late-night delivery happened, and the police would swoop in.

The following week, Leela spotted Vikram’s truck rolling into the village after dark. She sent a coded message to the group’s walkie-talkies (another of Arjun’s inventions): "Mangoes are ripe!" The Sleuths alerted Inspector Rao, who positioned his team near Mr. Sharma’s house. Maya, Ravi, Leela, Arjun, and Tara hid behind a haystack, hearts pounding as they watched Vikram unload sacks. Mr. Sharma stepped out, counting money under a dim lantern.

Suddenly, headlights flooded the scene. "Police! Hands up!" Inspector Rao’s voice boomed. Vikram dropped the sacks, and Mr. Sharma froze. The officers caught them red-handed, with Arjun’s footage and the stolen food as evidence. The Sleuths cheered quietly from their hiding spot, high-fiving each other.

The next day, the village buzzed with the news. Mr. Sharma and Vikram confessed to siphoning off meal supplies for months, selling them to a nearby town’s market. The police recovered the stolen food and ensured the school’s meal scheme was restored to full portions. The children of Sundarpur Primary School ate hearty meals again, and the Sleuths were hailed as heroes.

At a school assembly, Inspector Rao presented Maya, Ravi, Leela, Arjun, and Tara with certificates of bravery. "Your courage and teamwork made a difference," he said. Maya beamed, looking at her friends. "We just wanted everyone to have a full plate," she said simply.

The Sundarpur Sleuths learned a big lesson: even kids could fight for what’s right. As they sat under the banyan tree, eating a proper lunch of rice, dal, and vegetables, Tara grinned. "What’s our next mystery?" she asked. Maya laughed. "Let’s enjoy this meal first. The next adventure can wait!"

And so, with full bellies and brave hearts, the Sundarpur Sleuths continued to watch over their village, ready for whatever mystery came next.