Honest worker returns Dh20,000 found in envelope in Dubai Mall

The honesty of a back-store keeper at a shop in The Dubai Mall is being hailed as he managed to safely return Dh20,000 left by a customer at the cash counter of the shop to the Dubai Police.

The incident occurred on February 2 at a store in the mall when a woman tourist came to the store to shop and while making payment for her items left the envelope on the cash counter of the store. Instead of pocketing the money, Sudip informed the store manager who advised him to deposit it safely to the mall security.

After the police was informed, the police traced the footage from the CCTV camera of the store to track the owner of the money.

Sudip Rana Magar, a Nepalese national who has been working at the ECCO store at The Dubai Mall for around two years now, was cleaning the cash counter of the store at around 12.50 in the afternoon when he saw the envelope full of cash placed on the counter.

"I was about to just pick it up and chuck it in the trash bin as I thought it was empty but then I realised it was loaded with cash. Without even counting the cash, I just stapled it and kept it under the CCTV camera so nothing goes missing from it and I called the store manager informing her of the same. The store manager asked me to at once go and deposit the money in the lost and found section of the mall management, which I did."

Talking about his act of honesty, 25-year-old Sudip said it was the values instilled in him by his late father, who served the army in Nepal, that helped him stay honest and truthful.

"Honesty is a rare virtue yes, but if you are raised right with good moral values then no treasure in the world can tempt you. From childhood my parents, especially my father, told me that always be very careful in money matters, no one maybe watching you but God is always watching you. Money is a big responsibility so always handle it with care and return it to its rightful owner," he said.

Sudip will be rewarded by the Dubai Police with a certificate of honour.

According Arabic media, a police official from Bur Dubai police station confirmed that Sudip will be honoured.

The official said that these incidents are repeated frequently and that the Dubai Police are keen to honour these people for their honesty and publish their photos in the media to set an example for others.

saman@khaleejtimes.com