She had left the cash bag in autorickshaw for apparel shopping

Mysuru: What could have turned into a huge financial loss ended on a heart warming note after an honest autorickshaw driver helped a young woman recover a bag containing Rs. 5 lakh, which she had collected and borrowed from friends and relatives for her upcoming wedding.

The incident occurred on Tuesday (Aug. 11), when the woman, whose name has not been disclosed by the Police, boarded an autorickshaw driven by Pavan Kumar in Vijayanagar.

The woman had collected Rs. 5 lakh from her friends and acquaintances to meet her wedding expenses. During the ride, she asked Pavan Kumar to stop near an apparel store in Vijayanagar and briefly got down, leaving her cash-filled bag on the seat.

The Inspector and Police Station staff felicitating Pavan Kumar for his honesty

As she took longer than expected, Pavan Kumar, unaware that the bag contained a large amount of cash, went to a nearby tea stall.

When the woman came out of the store and found the auto missing, she panicked, fearing that the driver had fled with her money. She immediately hired another auto and rushed to Vijayanagar Police Station to lodge a complaint.

Inspector’s quick response

At the Police Station, she met Inspector M.R. Lava, who was leaving in his vehicle for patrolling. Seeing her in tears and after listening to her account, the Inspector immediately sent five to six personnel in plain clothes  to the spot to investigate and check CCTV footages to trace the auto’s registration number.

Meanwhile, Pavan Kumar returned to the apparel store on his own after having tea to look for the woman to take her to her desired destination, but could not find her. A Cop in plain clothes spotted him and asked whom he was looking for.

Unaware that he was speaking to a Policeman, Pavan Kumar explained that a female passenger had left her bag in his auto and had not returned and that he was searching for her.

The Policeman, who already had information about the missing cash bag and the woman’s ordeal, took Pavan Kumar and the auto to the Police Station, where the woman was waiting.

In the woman’s presence, the Police opened the bag and checked its contents. Every rupee of the Rs. 5 lakh was intact, confirming that Pavan Kumar had neither touched nor tampered with the money. He had not even known that the bag contained such a large amount of cash.

Relieved and grateful, the woman thanked the driver, while the Police commended Pavan Kumar for his honesty and felicitated him with a bouquet.

Before sending the woman home, the Police advised her to be more careful with valuables, pointing out that a momentary lapse could have cost her family the money set aside for her wedding.