Dubai Police, good Samaritan help resident recover missing Dh100,000

Dubai: A UAE resident who lost Dh100,000 while transporting business cash in Dubai has recovered the full amount after a “good Samaritan” alerted police and handed over the money.

The resident, identified only as Raj to protect his privacy, has visited a bank in Karama to encash a cheque for business-related petty cash requirements.

After collecting Dh260,000 from the bank, the cash has been packed into an envelope before he left the branch and drove away. However, sometime later, he has noticed that the envelope had slightly opened and one bundle containing Dh100,000 was missing.

“My first emotion was shock. I've never lost anything in the past 15 years,” Raj told Gulf News.

Believing the money may have fallen during transit, Raj has quickly returned to the bank to check whether the cash had been left behind.

A review of CCTV footage has confirmed that the entire amount had been received and carried out from the branch. He then reported the matter at a nearby police station and retraced his route in an attempt to locate the missing cash.

Despite the distress, Raj has still believed that there was a strong chance the money would be recovered because of the values he associates with life in the UAE.

“When I was tracing my path back, one part of me was assuring me that the civic society here in UAE is not ought to grab each other's throats,” exclaimed Raj.

“Unlike others, where I would not even have the hope of tracing back my steps in one of the busiest parts of the cities, here I took a chance and went back.”

Raj has revealed that some of the first people to assist him were cafeteria employees near the area where he had been searching.

According to him, a cafeteria staff and the duty manager noticed him looking around his car and approached him to ask if he had lost something.

When he has explained that he was searching for cash, they immediately informed him that the money was already with the police.

“By this time, some good thing has happened already. When they saw me in distress, they still came and spoke to me about it instead of turning a blind eye. There was this genuine intention to help and that's the fabric of the society here. Everybody's here with a purpose and it is driven by an honest living,” shared Raj.

The cash has been found by Muhammad Ali, owner of Al Ziyarah Documents Clearing Services. Upon spotting the bundle of cash on the ground, Ali has promptly contacted Dubai Police and handed over the full amount without hesitation.

Raj has later learned more about the man who found the money and said the gesture became even more meaningful after hearing his story.

He has noted that Ali started his life in Dubai earning a salary of Dh1,500 and had recently sent his wife and two daughters back to India to reduce expenses while focusing on growing his small typing centre business.

Raj has highlighted that the amount found on the road was close to what the man himself needed, yet he still chose to report it to the authorities.

“In a moment where he had a need as well, he still called and did the right thing. He comes with a lot of great values which are reinforced through the order and trust that exist within Dubai,” explained Raj.

The matter has been handled by officers from the happiness section at Rafaa Police Station, including captain Ali Haji Hassan Yousuf, first sergeant Mustafa Abdulwalu Saeed Alsahtoor, and first sergeant Ali Khalfan Humaid.

“I know that the system is robust in making sure that what is genuinely mine will come back and the police has a proper system of doing things,” said Raj.

Moreover, he has contacted Dubai Police through the 901 call centre and connected with the lost and found department, which he described as “phenomenal.”

Praising the overall experience, Raj has hailed Dubai Police as “a model of excellence,” particularly on how smoothly the procedures were handled.

“The process inside the station itself, which took about three hours, they were extremely friendly. Empathy was at its peak. At the same time, they were doing a proper investigation to get to the conclusion that it belongs to me,” stated Raj.

For Raj, the incident has become more than just recovering lost money. 

He has underscored that the experience reflected the culture of trust, safety, and accountability that residents experience in Dubai and across the UAE.

“Dubai is the safest city in the world. Come here.”