Honest Bangkok cabbie cashes in, returns 80k to Maldivian man

A Thai taxi driver proved that not all of the capital’s cabbies are crooks when he returned 80,000 baht in cash, along with personal belongings, to a Maldivian man who left them behind while travelling from Banthat Thong Road to Pradipat Road in Bangkok.

The Maldivian man, Ali Hafeez, left his backpack in an orange taxi while travelling from Banthat Thong Road to a spare parts store on Pradipat Road on June 4. Hafeez sought help from another taxi driver, Siroj Chaisirin, who had previously given Hafeez his contact information.

Siroj accompanied Hafeez to a police station to file a report and then to Phithak Santirat Radio Station to broadcast a message about the lost bag on a popular channel for taxi drivers.

While officers were checking security footage to identify the orange taxi, the driver, Suphat Suraphon, arrived at the radio station to return the lost backpack and its contents.

Everything in the backpack was untouched including a phone charger, shorts, a passport, 28,658 baht in Thai cash, US$1,294 (47,300 baht), 1,690 Maldivian Rufiyaa (3,070 baht), and 2,840 Sri Lanka Rupee (346 baht). The total value of the cash was nearly 80,000 baht.

Suphat explained that Hafeez and two friends had taken his taxi on that day. After dropping them off, his car window accidentally broke, causing him to rush to a garage for repairs. While clearing the car, he found the backpack and its contents.

Despite being surprised by the amount of money, Suphat was determined to return it. He said he found lost items multiple times before and always returned them to their rightful owners. He expressed his hope that other taxi drivers would do the same.

In an interview with Channel 7, Hafeez revealed that he frequently visits Thailand for business, leisure, and shopping. He said Thai products were of good quality and affordable, and Thai food was delicious.

Hafeez also thanked Siroj for his assistance in recovering his bag. He was very grateful to have his valuables returned.