Bhubaneswar: Man returns wallet with Rs 8k to its owner

BHUBANESWAR: For someone without a steady job, stumbling upon cash would feel like spotting oasis in desert. But not for Ashok Rath, who returned a wallet filled with cash to its owner, who had lost it at the office of regional transport office (RTO-zone-II) here on Friday.
Suresh Nayak, owner of the purse, had visited the RTO-II office for some work when his wallet accidentally fell from his pocket. “I had Rs 8,000 cash, three debit cards, PAN card, Aadhaar card and some other important documents in the wallet. I realised about my missing purse nearly 30 minutes after returning from the RTO office,” said Nayak, who works as a track maintenance worker with the railways here.
Nayak, 33, said he found his purse missing when he was about to pay for a lemon juice at Baramunda. “I was upset and started returning on the same route till the RTO office, frantically searching my purse on the road. I also asked people at the RTO office, but to no avail,” Nayak said. The RTO authorities later checked their CCTV camera footages, but did not get any clue.
Crestfallen Nayak, who stays in Kolathia area here, was discussing with his friends about his bad luck same evening when he received a call. It was Ashok Rath, the good Samaritan, on the other side of the phone. Nayak beamed when Rath told him that he found his lost wallet with all articles, including the cash intact.
“I had gone to the RTO office around 1 pm to apply for my daughter’s driving licence. I found a purse on the office premises. I looked around, but nobody was present. I kept it safely and returned home,” said 55-year-old Rath, who used to work as an assistant in a film studio here long back.
“I found an identity card having phone number. I immediately contacted the person and verified whether he was the real owner. I asked him to meet me in Ghatikia area where I stay. I handed him the purse,” said Rath, who declined to accept any reward from Nayak. “Humanity still exists in the society. I salute Rath babu for his benevolence,” Nayak said.