Manama: A Saudi driver has been highly praised on social media after he returned a box full of jewellery that a Kuwaiti family accidentally left in his limousine.

The 36-year-old driver, who refused to be named or photographed in order to avoid any ostentatious claims, said that he found the box on Thursday after he took the Kuwaiti family to the airport.

“I parked the car near a landmark hotel situated near the Grand Mosque in Makkah and waited for potential customers,” he said. “A Kuwaiti man approached me and requested to be driven with his family to King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah for his flight home,” he added.

The Red Sea port city of Jeddah is around 70 kilometres from Makkah, the sacred city where Muslims perform Umrah and pilgrimage.

“After we arrived at the airport, they rushed into the airport to make sure they were not late for their flight to Kuwait. After I returned to Makkah, I discovered the box on the back seat. When I opened it, I found it full of valuable jewellery and expensive gold items,” he said, quoted by Saudi news site Sabq.

The driver went to the hotel from where he picked the passengers, seeking a telephone or mobile number that would allow him to contact them and return the box.

“However, when I spoke with the receptionist and asked him about the Kuwaiti family that had just checked out of the hotel and about the possibility of obtaining their contact numbers in order to return the box, he shocked me by refusing to give it to me. As I insisted, he raised his voice and told me that he would not help the Kuwaiti family because they did not use the hotel car to go to the airport. I was really shocked and frustrated because the reception was my only link with the family.”

However, the driver did not want to give up and thought about resorting to social media.

“I posted a note stating I had a box left by a Kuwaiti family and I wanted people to help me locate them or get in touch with them. As I received no replies, I remembered I had the number of a Kuwaiti man whom I drove from the airport in Jeddah to the Grand Mosque in Makkah last year. I contacted Abu Ahmad and told him about the jewellery box,” he said.

“Two days ago, Abu Ahmad called me to tell me that he was able to locate the family and gave them my mobile number. The Kuwaiti man, Abdul Aziz, later called me and expressed his gratitude. It was so heart-warming to hear all the good prayers and nice words I hear from him.”

Abdul Aziz arranged for a Sunday trip back to Jeddah where he met the driver and took his box back before flying back to Kuwait.

“I am so happy the whole story had such a happy ending and I am so happy for the family. I do not wish to show off and that is why I do not want my name to be published or my picture to be taken. I did it for the sake of God and to remain true to my Islamic values,” the driver said.

Media users paid rich tribute to the driver for his honesty and for his persistence in contacting the family and returning the box, saying that he should be honoured for his morals and dedication.