Worker loses money saved for wedding

Abu Dhabi: A low-income worker in Abu Dhabi lost the money for his daughter's wedding when his wallet was stolen on a bus.

"I lost Dh8,600 of my hard-earned money. It's unbelievable... I was supposed to leave on November 12 for my daughter's wedding in India. I have been saving that money hoping to spend it for her wedding," Shaukat Ali Abdullah, an Indian expatriate who works in a bank, said.

On October 21, at about 8.30pm, Abdullah boarded a bus from the stop along Hamdan Street in front of UAE Exchange to go to the Mina area for shopping.

He had about Dh400 in his wallet and an ATM card which had close to Dh12,000 on the day, he said.

"After the bus passed a few stops, I got a message on my mobile stating that Dh8,200 had been withdrawn from my account. I was absolutely shocked to realise that my wallet was stolen out of my pocket."

Quick thinking

Ironically, the man who has been a bank employee for 26 years noted the secret pin number of his ATM cards on the backside of the card itself.

"I have been in Abu Dhabi for 30 years now. It's my first such experience," he said.

He got off the bus at the next stop and informed the bank immediately, which prevented him from losing more money. The incident is currently being investigated by the police.

A police official has warned bus commuters to be particularly careful about their personal belongings, such as wallets.