He handed over to police a bag containing more than Rs 1.17 lakh in cash which he had found lying on a road. He found the cash wrapped inside a polythene bag near a government hostel on Wednesday, August 5. He waited at the spot till 10 pm in the hope that the person who had misplaced the bag would return looking for it.

However, with nobody turning up to claim the bag, Qureshi, who is illiterate, carried it with himself as he headed to his rented room in the walled city area.

Once home, Qureshi narrated the incident to his wife Ameena and together they decided to return the money. However, they were scared that they might face problems at the police station.

“We were restless the whole night. Next morning, we shared the matter with our neighbours, who asked us to keep the money to change our life. But we know that ill-gotten wealth brings problems and we did not think of keeping the money even for a second,” the couple said.

Meanwhile, SHO Kotwali police station, Chiranji Lal, said that a man today approached them claiming the money belonged to him. “The man claimed that his bag containing over Rs 2 lakh went missing near government hostel and we are verifying his claim,” said Lal, adding that the cash will be released only by a court.

While it is great that Qureshi was honest and forthcoming despite the fear of cops and a temptation to keep the money, it would be interesting to know whether the remainder amount went missing after the bag was found, after it reached the cops or before it was found.