Indian woman in Dubai accidentally throws away gold worth ₹12 lakh. Here's how police help retrieve it

The pouch contained four 22K gold coins, each weighing 8 grams, and a 50-gram 24K gold bar.

An Indian woman visiting Dubai was left devastated after accidentally throwing away gold worth nearly Dh50,000 (approximately ₹12.32 lakh), only to have it returned days later thanks to a coordinated effort involving a garbage collector and the police.

A garbage collector had discovered the gold and taken it to the Gold Souk. (Representational image)

According to a report by Khaleej Times, Kamini Kannan, who lived in the UAE for 23 years before relocating to India in 2021, had travelled back to the city to attend a wedding. During her visit, she decided to reassess her long-term investment in gold amid a volatile week for prices in late January.

After noticing that the old pouch she used to store her valuables was worn out, Kannan temporarily transferred the items into another pouch and left it on the dining table. The pouch contained four 22K gold coins, each weighing 8 grams, and a 50-gram 24K gold bar. However, later that day, while cleaning up, the pouch was unknowingly thrown away.

The family only realised the mistake the next morning on February 1, just a day before Kannan was scheduled to fly out. A frantic search followed, but hope quickly faded when they discovered that her son had accidentally discarded the pouch. “Those items are worth about Dh50,000 today,” Kannan told Khaleej Times.

Believing the valuables were lost for good, the family did not even file a police complaint. “If it’s in the trash, that means it’s gone,” she said.

How did the police find the gold?

However, about 3 days later, an unexpected phone call changed everything. On February 4, Kannan’s son, Abhimanyu, received a call from their building guard, who informed him that someone was inquiring about the missing items. “He said that there was someone asking about the things we lost. Turns out, it was the police," Abhimanyu told the outlet.

According to the son, a garbage collector had discovered the gold and taken it to the Gold Souk, where authorities intervened and questioned him about its origin. “He told them that he found it in the garbage,” Abhimanyu said, recounting what the officer shared.

“It seems they have a whole system to track the garbage. They know what bag comes from where,” he added.

Abhimanyu was asked to visit Naif Police Station later that day with photographs, purchase bills, and proof of ownership. Though the process took a few hours, he described it as smooth and said the officers were “incredibly kind.”

“I truly love how wonderful Dubai is. There’s no other city like it,” Kannan added.