In a reassuring display of honesty, taxi driver Bijay Kumar returned a bag containing cash, jewellery, important documents, and a mobile phone that was accidentally left behind by a passenger travelling from Capital Hospital to SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack on Monday.
The passenger, Suryamani Parida, had arrived from Bangalore and had booked a cab to take a relative to the hospital. In the rush of the moment, the bag, carrying medical papers, money, and personal belongings, was left inside the vehicle. The driver, Bijay Kumar, noticed the unattended bag after completing the trip.
According to sources, upon discovering the contents, the cab driver informed the vehicle’s owner. The owner retrieved the mobile phone from the bag, charged it, since the battery had been drained, and used the recent call list to trace the passenger's contact. All the belongings were later returned at Khandagiri Police Station.
Suryamani Parida said, “I am extremely happy with how the situation unfolded. My sister is really sick and hospitalised, but my brother-in-law accidentally left his bag consisting of cash, important documents, and his phone. We searched for it but could not find it anywhere. It was then that we realised, he had lost them. But setting up an example that humanity still exists, the cab owner and driver reached out to me and returned our belongings untouched.”
The cab owner said, “My driver informed me that someone had left their documents and money in the cab. I went through the bag and found a phone inside. I tried to turn it on but the battery had drained. After charging it, I called the recent contacts to inform them about the lost items. I am very happy that I have such an honest person working for me.”
Driver Bijay Kumar added, “When I went through the bag, I realised that it belonged to someone whose family was at the hospital. I would have felt happy returning these important documents and money back, so I did.”