Noida: Auto coding helps man get back his camera worth ₹50k from auto driver

A Noida auto driver on Sunday returned a lost bag containing a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera worth ₹50,000 to a passenger, who was travelling from Noida Sector 52 to Greater Noida

A Noida auto driver on Sunday returned a lost bag containing a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera worth ₹50,000 to a passenger, who was travelling from Noida Sector 52 to Greater Noida.

In a hurry, the passenger had forgotten to take the suitcase from the auto. (Sourced)

With the help of auto coding, the auto was traced, as it was booked at the spot and the passenger had no records of the ride, according to the traffic police.

Shrikant Sharma, a resident of Ace City in Greater Noida West, said that he and his family members had visited Madhavgarh in Gurugram. “We reached the Noida Sector 52 metro station at 2pm on Saturday, and booked the auto for our house. In a hurry, we forgot to take our suitcase from the auto. We immediately came outside, but the auto was gone by then. We scanned CCTV footage of nearby areas and spotted the auto, but its registration number was not clearly visible due to the poor quality of the camera,” he said.

Ganesh Prasad Saha, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar, said that we traced the auto driver -- Dinesh Chandrapal, a resident of Sarfabad -- with the help of the code. “Chandrapal said that the suitcase was with him. We facilitated the process and returned the suitcase to Sharma on Sunday,” Saha said.

Chandrapal also said that he had ferried three to four other passengers after dropping Sharma. “I was unable to figure out whose suitcase it was as I spotted it two hours after the owner left the vehicle... So, I brought it home. When I got a call from the police control room, I returned it to Sharma,” Saha added.

Gautam Budh Nagar has 17,655 autos and nearly 9,000 of them have been registered and given unique numerical codes, which are clearly visible and easy to remember. These codes improve passengers’ safety and also help in finding lost valuables, said Saha.