Mumbai: City has honesty, proven again; Man returns wallet, money
A recent Reader's digest survey ranked Mumbai second in its honesty test that involved a wallet getting 'lost' and if it was returned to the owner. That was the acid test. Bearing uncanny resemblance, a Khetwadi-based man returned a wallet along with the money to its owner, an Andheri-based doctor, recently. Meet Yatin Naik, who has been doing this for the past ten years.
'Pickpockets don't care for memories attached to wallets, I do'
"I do it for the blessings and the smiles," said Naik, adding that wallets are storehouses of memories. "They have pictures of their families, drawings made by their kids, besides government identity cards and ATM cards (in their wallets). Pickpockets don't care for these," he said. The 53-year-old has a network of beggars, sweepers, rag-pickers and gangmen who help him in his initiative.
It all started with an abandoned wallet near a tap
Nearly ten years ago, Naik found an abandoned wallet near a public tap in Andheri. That was when he decided to start this noble work, as "the police are anyway overburdened with cases." He scavenges through the wallets and if he finds any contact address/number, it becomes easy for him. Like, he contacted the doctor after he found a number written on a receipt.
'Commuters touch my feet or start sobbing'
"There have been times when commuters touch my feet or start sobbing on getting their wallet back," said Naik but at times, if money is missing from the wallet, the owner lashes at him. Normally Naik gathers 'sponsors and advertisers for directory of sugar factories' to earn a living, he dedicates more than a couple of hours in the evening for this.
