DUBAI // In the 18 months Omar Hayah Ajmal Khan has driven a Dubai taxi, passengers have left many things behind – from mobile phones to shopping bags.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 26-year-old Pakistani driver’s character was put to the test when he found a briefcase full of money and jewellery.
“I was very surprised to see all that cash, I can truly say that I’ve never seen that much money before in my life,” said Mr Khan.
He had completed his last fare of the day when he decided to pick up a Saudi man from Al Rigga Street in Deira and dropped him off in the Rola district of Sharjah.
“I thought my day was over. It was 3:20pm and I get off at 4pm. I was just going to refuel my taxi and go home,” said Mr Khan, who works for Metro Taxi.
At the petrol station, while cleaning his cab, he noticed a case tucked behind the driver’s seat. When he checked to see what was inside, he found 123,700 Saudi Riyals and gold jewellery.
“I immediately called my company to say a customer had left his bag of valuables in my car and that I was going to the police station to drop it off.”
Mr Khan took the bag and its contents to Al Qusais Police Station.
“The officers at the station also seemed surprised by what was inside the briefcase. They told me that they would call me when they located the owner of the bag and I’d have to return to verify his identity.”
Less than an hour later, Mr Khan received the call from the station.
He returned to find a very relieved Hatem Awad Al Anassi, a 30-year-old businessman from Saudi Arabia.
“When I got to the station I saw the Saudi gentleman and he was overjoyed to have his property returned to him. He thanked me profusely and gave me Dh500 for my trouble.”
Mr Al Anassi said he always carried cash with him while on business in the UAE, but had never misplaced it before.
A call to his mobile phone distracted him as he was leaving the taxi, and he panicked when he realised he’d left it behind.
“I was very afraid that I had lost the money,” he said. “But at the same time I had hope that it would be returned. After all, the UAE is a very peaceful place.”
Mr Al Anassi contacted the police and they began searching through security camera footage from the hotel he was dropped off at.
“The first photo they showed me was of a different taxi driver. I was starting to lose hope when I got a call saying that the bag had been handed to the officers at Al Qusais Police Station.”
He said he was blown away when he heard the taxi driver had handed it in.
“This guy is on a limited income, he must really have a clean soul to do such a deed.”
Mr Khan’s friends were equally impressed he returned the loot.
“Many of them said they would have been tempted to keep it. But that never even crossed my mind,” said Mr Khan. “This is just the way I was brought up, you know?”
Dubai Police were so moved by Mr Khan’s honesty, they held a ceremony in his honour on Wednesday and presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his honesty and integrity.
“I’ve never taken a dirham I didn’t earn,” Mr Khan said. “Even if no one else was a round to see me, God sees all. Besides, if I had taken it, I don’t think I could ever have look my 2-year-old daughter in the eye.
“I’m a much happier person with Dh500 that I earned than Dh120,000 that I didn’t.”
malkhan@thenational.ae
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
UAE%20set%20for%20Scotland%20series
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LOVE%20AGAIN
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins