Epitome of honesty

A rickshaw puller in Bogura set an example of honesty by returning Tk 18.5 lakh to one of the passengers who rode his vehicle yesterday. 

Lal Mia, 55, who pulls a rented rickshaw in the district’s Sadar upazila, found a bag full of cash around 7:00am yesterday. Rajib Prasad, 35, owner of a fertilizer business in the district’s Nandigram upazila, left the bag on the rickshaw, said police.

Rajib said he was going to Rajshahi to meet his vendors and buy fertilizer materials. On his way, he left one of the three bags that he was carrying on the rickshaw. The bag had all the money that he was carrying.

Rajib rode the rickshaw from Jaleswaritola area to Satmatha area of the town and then headed towards Rajshahi on a bus. Suddenly, he noticed that one of his bags was missing and he went back to Bogura Sadar Police Station to inform the law enforcers about the incident. 

Meanwhile, Lal Mia noticed the bag full of money on his rickshaw and looked for the owner. Failed to find Rajib where he got off the rickshaw, he took the money to his home and kept it at the safest place.

“I was afraid that muggers could attack me and snatch the money. This is why I kept the money at my home and hoped that the owner would somehow find me as I failed to find him,” Lal Mia said.

SM Bodiuzzaman, officer-in-charge of the police station, said they found Lal Mia with the help of a CCTV footage and called him at the station.

“We asked Lal Mia if he had found a bag full of papers,” he said, adding, “Lal Mia said he found a bag but that was not full of papers. If said he would only disclose further detail if the owner could tell what was inside the bag.

“Later, receiving proper documentation, Lal Mia returned the money to Rajib,” the police official said.

Rajib, getting his money back, highly praised Lal Mia and gifted him Tk 50,000. Rajib left the money with police and urged them to buy Lal Mia a battery-run auto-rickshaw with it.

Contacted, Lal Mia said he was happy that he managed to return the money but he did not expect the gift.

“I pay Tk 200 every day to the owner of the rickshaw I pull. I am happy that he [Rajib] wanted to give me a rickshaw,” he said.

Ashraf Bhuiyan, superintendent of Bogura police, said, “Truly speaking, the rickshaw puller was very honest and had no ill intension. Such honesty is praiseworthy and an inspiring example.”