Mumbai: Honest auto driver returns Rs l lakh valuables to passenger

MUMBAI: Virar resident

Prince Jha

, who returned from Patna by flight on Friday night, cannot stop praising his

auto driver

for his good deed and honesty. Auto driver Sandeep Gupta returned Jha’s bag that had a laptop, jewellery and some cash, collectively worth over Rs 1 lakh, after Jha forgot it in the auto.

Gupta, after finding the bag in his auto, promptly handed it over to the union office-—without getting tempted to keep it for himself. The Navbharatiya Shiv Vahatuk Sanghatana gave it to the airport police, who based on a document in the bag, tracked Jha down. The airport police called him and asked him to come collect his belongings.

“I was travelling with my family in the auto from the airport. En route, the driver said he will not be able to go till Virar due to a problem in the vehicle. He arranged for another auto for us at Goregaon,” recalled Jha. “We realised later that one of our bags was missing. Soon, we got a call from the airport police and I was grateful for my luck,” he said.

The police told Jha that the union members had deposited the bag at the police station on Gupta’s request.

Gupta comes from a humble background. He, like many, had incurred losses during the lockdown. According to him, this is not the first time an auto driver was selfless. He said there were other drivers from the union who had returned lost property to passengers. “The union has a good presence at the airport and has been sensitising drivers on how to deal with passengers, and return lost belongings,” said Maqbool Mujawar, union vice president.

“I am so touched by this. If drivers act responsibly and return lost items, it will restore our faith in them,” said Jha.