Coimbatore: Police commissioner K Periaiah will on Monday honour a 27-year-old two-wheeler mechanic, who had handed over Rs 12,600 he found on a city street to police.
J Manikandan, a native of Trichy, had found the money in the Pappanaickenpalayam area on Thursday evening. The two-wheeler mechanic had taken a motorcycle out for a test ride after repairing it when he noticed the money. “The vehicle ran out of petrol when I reached Pappanaickenpalayam. I parked it along the road and was walking back to the mechanic shop located near the Corporation North Zone Office when I found the money near Kannanur Mariamman Temple,” he told TOI.
“I waited at the place for at least half-an-hour, hoping that whoever lost the money would come searching for it. As no one turned up, I handed it over to the temple priest. I also conveyed the matter to a travel agency owner, who brought me to the office of the police commissioner,” said Manikandan.
Police officers told him to keep the money with the temple priest for some days as its owner might return to the area. Police also alerted local residents about the incident.
As no one claimed ownership after one day, Manikandan handed over the amount to deputy commissioner of police (law&order) S Lakshmi on Saturday.
Impressed by the deed, the police commissioner has decided to meet Manikandan in person and also give him a small reward.
If the owner of the cash fails to turn up, it will be handed over to the revenue department as per the 102 CrPC, police sources said.
