Mumbai Ola Driver Returns Passenger's Lost iPhone 16, Receives Rs 2,500 As Reward

A Mumbai Ola driver has won hearts online for going the extra mile to return an iPhone 16 left behind by a passenger. The incident happened when Driver Meer Shaikh found the phone in his cab after completing a ride in BKC but had no way to identify or contact its owner. Shaikh documented the incident in an Instagram video and said that he remembered that the passenger was a senior citizen. However, there were no incoming calls on the phone, and contacting the passenger through the cab platform was not easy.

Rather than simply hand the phone over to someone else or wait indefinitely, Shaikh decided to keep it safely with him and wait for the owner to get in touch. His wait eventually paid off when the passenger called. Shaikh learned that the owner was in Malabar Hill and decided to drive there himself to return the phone. 

"Finally, I got a call from the customer. I've spoken to the customer. I'll have to go to Malabar Hill; the customer is there. I'll go and give their phone back to them now," he said in the video. 

The video then showed Shaikh handing the iPhone back to its owner. The passenger thanked him for making the effort to return the device.

Watch the video here:

The passenger later surprised Shaikh by giving him Rs 2,500 as a reward for his honesty and effort.

Shaikh said the incident reminded him of an earlier video he had made about honesty and doing the right thing even when no one is watching. "So, I gave sir his phone back, and sir gave me 2,500 rupees. I made a video before this, honesty should always be rewarded like this. Thank you very much, sir!" he added. 

The story has since drawn appreciation on social media, with users praising the driver for taking the extra effort to return an expensive phone instead of simply waiting for the passenger to track it down.

"Humanity still exists. Salute to this honest driver," one user wrote, while another said, "Honesty is the best policy, proved once again."