You catch a young boy travelling without ticket on the bus that you are checking for ticket less travellers. He alleges that he gave the money to the conductor but he was never issued a ticket despite his reminders to the conductor. The conductor calls the boy a liar and denies receiving the money from him.

What would be an ethical decision under these circumstances?

Penalize the boy, he could be lying and should've insisted on a ticket if he'd paid for it.

Talk to other passengers to verify the truth of the claims of the boy and the conductor.

Check the amount of money in the conductor's bag against the number of tickets he has issued and then take appropriate decision.

Don't penalise the boy but ask him to either buy a ticket or get off the bus.