Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Jan 13: In a heart-warming incident that has won widespread praise, a woman working as a civic worker with the Greater Chennai Corporation returned a bag containing gold jewellery worth over Rs 45 lakh after finding it on a roadside in T. Nagar.

Padma, who was on her routine sanitation duty on Sunday morning at Muppathamman Koil Road in T. Nagar, noticed a plastic cover lying on the roadside while sweeping. Curious, she opened it — only to be stunned to find a large quantity of gold jewellery inside.

Despite the temptation such a valuable find could bring, Padma displayed remarkable honesty and presence of mind. Without wasting a moment, she went straight to the Pondy Bazaar police station and handed over the bag to the police.

Upon verification, police found that the bag contained 45 sovereigns (around 360 grams) of gold ornaments, with an estimated market value exceeding Rs 45 lakh.

Meanwhile, Ramesh, a resident of Nanganallur and a former gold trader, had approached the police to report the loss of his gold. According to police, Ramesh had come to T. Nagar on Saturday evening to meet a friend and had inadvertently left the bag of gold near a roadside pushcart.

After verifying the details and ownership documents, police confirmed Ramesh as the rightful owner and handed over the gold to him.

Padma’s act of integrity has been widely lauded, with many hailing her as a true example of honesty and civic responsibility.