Sudanese nationals get back lost baggage within 24 hours

Thanks to a swift action by police, two Sudanese nationals got back their belongings, which they had left in a taxi, within 24 hours.

Mohammed Abdul Yusuf Al Hasan (22) and Abdul Rahim Basir Yaqub (39), on visit to Mumbai for their shoe-import business, landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on July 17, a police official said.

They took a taxi for South Mumbai. After reaching their hotel, they realised that they had left their bags, which contained passports as well as US dollars, Euros and Dinars worth Rs 4.5 lakh, in the backseat of the taxi.

They approached the Colaba Police station and lodged a complaint, the official said.

They did not remember the taxi's registration number, and could only tell police that they had reached South Mumbai via the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

Police trawled CCTV footage from the Sea Link and spotted the taxi and its registration number.

After finding out the driver's identity and phone number from the Regional Transport Office, police called him on his mobile, but he did not answer the calls.

The next day, apparently scared because of the calls by police, the driver went to Sahar Police Station outside the airport and handed over the bags to police.

The complainants were returned the bags, the official said, adding that the taxi driver was allowed to go after brief questioning.