Auto-rickshaw driver returns 18 bhori gold jewellery left behind by passenger in Bogura
“It’s not about how much money or gold was in that bag — the important thing is that I was able to return someone’s belongings. That’s my greatest pride,” the driver said
In a heartwarming display of honesty, a young CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver in Bogura returned gold jewellery worth over Tk25 lakh and Tk15,000 in cash that a passenger had accidentally left behind.
The driver, Khairul Islam Khokon, 25, handed over the lost belongings at Bogura Sadar Police Station on Friday night (4 April) in the presence of police and the item's rightful owner, reports Dhaka Tribune.
Confirming the matter, Shajahanpur Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Abdul Kuddus said Khokon was given an immediate reward in recognition of his honesty and he would soon be formally honoured by the superintendent of police of Bogura.
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Khokon, who drives a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw while pursuing his studies, is a second-year honours student in Management at Government Shah Sultan College in Bogura.
According to police, the lost items included 18 bhori of gold ornaments and cash, stored in a black bag. The owner, Mohammad Shahin, a jewellery businessman from Faridpur upazila in Pabna district, had traveled to Bogura for Eid shopping on 29 March. After purchasing the gold from the city's New Market, he boarded Khokon's auto-rickshaw from Bogura's Satmatha area to Banani bus stand, intending to return home. In a rush to catch a departing bus, Shahin accidentally left one of his three bags — the one containing the gold — in the vehicle.
Upon realising the loss, Shahin returned to the Banani stand and searched for the auto-rickshaw in vain. He then filed a general diary (GD) at the Shajahanpur Police Station.
SI Abdul Kuddus of Shajahanpur Police Station took charge of the case and reviewed local CCTV footage to trace the auto-rickshaw and its driver. Meanwhile, Khokon had already discovered the bag after the passenger's departure. Realising the potential value and responsibility, he searched for the passenger across various parts of the city. Concerned that someone might falsely claim the items if he went public, Khokon contacted a familiar traffic sergeant, Alamgir Hossain, to handover the bag.
On Friday night, police called both Khokon and the passenger to the station for the handover.
Khokon shared that he supports both his education and family expenses by driving the auto-rickshaw. Speaking about the incident, he said, "It's not about how much money or gold was in that bag — the important thing is that I was able to return someone's belongings. That's my greatest pride."
