Cops return bag with ₹15 lakh to two Kenyan women

Kenyan nationals, Deka Mohammed Aziz, 43, and Hodan Jemak Murassai, 43, had come to Colaba to buy some garments. The women got down from the cab at Colaba Market at around 8pm. However, after getting down, they realised that they had forgotten their bag in the cab

Mumbai: The police traced a cabbie and recovered a bag containing ₹15 lakh, which two Kenyan women had forgotten in his cab on Monday evening.

Cops return bag with ₹15 lakh to two Kenyan women

Kenyan nationals, Deka Mohammed Aziz, 43, and Hodan Jemak Murassai, 43, had come to Colaba to buy some garments. The women, who were staying in a hotel in Masjid Bunder, got down from the cab at Colaba Market at around 8pm. However, after getting down, they realised that they had forgotten their bag in the cab.

“The women enquired about the cabbie for a while. Later, they approached the police at around 9 pm,” said Vijay Hatiskar, senior police inspector, Colaba police station.

The police immediately launched a search for the cab driver. “Several teams were formed to check CCTV camera footage. A team headed by assistant inspector Dnyaneshwar Khandekar and sub-inspector Vishal Jadhav comprising constables Vijay Bhor, Hanumant Nalawade and Sarjerai Kamble found the taxi at 4am,” Hatiskar added.

The driver, identified as Tribhuvan Gaud, initially refused to have any knowledge about the bag. However, the police showed him the footage of the women getting down from his taxi.

“Gaud accepted that he had the bag and returned it. On Tuesday, the cash was handed over to the women in the presence of DCP Zone 1, Hari Balaji,” Hatiskar said.

The police said the two women regularly purchase garments from India to sell them in Kenya.

The Kenyan nationals thanked the police for tracing and returning their money.

Mumbai Police Commissioner, Vivek Phansalkar, has announced a reward to the police team for their quick response.