MADURAI: At a time when taxi drivers are making headlines for all the wrong reasons in the country, a 24-year-old driver has been felicitated here on Monday for displaying honesty by returning valuables left in his cab by a foreign tourist. The Forum for Concern for Others presented the driver with a cash reward in recognition of his integrity.
Stephen J Muthu, founder director of the forum said, “As my friend Amandine Huet, had to catch an early morning train to Chennai, I had called a taxi service provider to take her to the junction from Valaithopu.”
M Dinesh Kumar, a cabbie, received Huet at 4.30 am and dropped her at the station. However, Huet left her purse containing `10,200 and a smartphone in the cab, Muthu said.
“Dinesh called back to inform me about it. He could have taken the valuables but he came forward to return those,” Muthu said.
Expressing happiness, Dinesh said, “There have been many occasions when I returned valuables to passengers. Every time I got ‘thanks’. This time around, I feel happy for such a warm recognition.”