Cabbie returns items worth Rs 8L to passenger

In a city where petty thefts are almost a daily occurrence, a taxi driver has set an example by returning valuables, jewellery, and cash worth Rs 8 lakh to a person who had arrived from Kashmir to Delhi to get a US visa. Police officers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) said they were taken by surprise when the cab driver walked in with the valuables on Wednesday.

Identified as a native of Bihar, 24-year-old taxi driver Debendra Kapri found a bag left behind by a passenger, whom he had dropped at a hotel in Paharganj. When Kapri opened the bag, he found gold jewellery, a laptop, an iPhone, a camera, and $70 in cash. Police said the total estimated value of the items found was around Rs 8 lakh.

DCP (IGIA) Sanjay Bhatia said there was a card in the bag with a number written on it. "When Kapri called the number, the brother of the passenger picked up the phone in Srinagar and told him that his brother, Mubisher Wani, was visiting Delhi in order to seek a US visa for himself. Kapri then decided not only to give the belongings to the police but to make sure that they were returned to the owner," the DCP said.

After being alerted by his brother, Wani reached the police station to claim the items. The valuables were returned to Wani only when Kapri himself identified him after proper verification.