Bhubaneswar: In an inspiring act of honesty, a driver in Odisha’s Puri town returned a bag containing gold ornaments worth around Rs 10 lakh and cash of Rs 1.3 lakh after it was inadvertently left behind by passengers in his vehicle.
According to police and local sources, a couple had hired the vehicle from Bhubaneswar to travel to Puri. After alighting near Hospital Square, they unknowingly left behind a bag containing valuables.
The driver, identified as Santosh Mishra, discovered the unattended bag only after returning home. While cleaning his vehicle the following morning, he found the bag and immediately began efforts to trace its owners.
Recalling the passengers had mentioned that they lived in Yamuna Lane in Chudanga Sahi, Santosh searched the locality but could not locate them. He then informed the vehicle owner and carefully opened the bag in search of identification documents.
Among the contents, he found a shopping bill from a Reliance store. Using the information on the bill, he contacted the store near the Town Police Station, obtained the customer’s contact details, and eventually reached the owner, who was then near Kumbharapada Police Station.
Santosh subsequently handed over the bag and all its contents to the owner after due verification.
“When I found the bag, I wondered whose it was. I remembered the lady passenger and tried to locate their house first. When I couldn’t find them, I looked for any documents inside the bag. The shopping bill helped me trace them, and I immediately returned all their belongings,” Santosh said.
The grateful owner said the valuables represented years of savings.
“No matter how much we thank Santosh, it will never be enough. In today’s world, it is difficult to find such honest people. I had saved this money over the years to buy these ornaments. Losing them had shattered me, but Santosh restored not only my belongings but also my faith in humanity,” the owner, Ramakanta Baral, said.
The incident has drawn widespread appreciation from local residents and social media users, with many hailing Santosh’s integrity as a shining example of honesty and public responsibility.
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