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Indian expat Vartika Sharma had feared losing more than cash and documents after leaving her wallet in a Careem taxi
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The driver returned it intact, including a treasured photograph of her late father
An Indian woman in Dubai has thanked a taxi driver for returning her lost wallet intact after it was left in a Careem cab, with the incident gaining attention because the wallet contained the last photograph she had of her late father.
Vartika Sharma, an Indian expat, accidentally left the wallet in the taxi while travelling through Dubai. Besides cash, bank cards and her passport, it contained a passport-size photograph of her father, who died in December.
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Sharma said the photograph had immense sentimental value and could not have been replaced
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She described it as the last photograph she had of her father and said its potential loss made the incident particularly distressing
Several hours after discovering that her wallet was missing, Sharma was contacted by Careem Care and informed that the driver, identified as Ebenezer Afibi, had found it and reported it through the app.
When the wallet was returned, Sharma found that her belongings were still inside, including the passport, cash, cards and her father’s photograph.
The driver’s actions did not end there. When Sharma offered him a tip as a gesture of gratitude, Afibi reportedly declined it.
Sharma later shared the experience on LinkedIn, saying the incident had left her deeply relieved and grateful. She also acknowledged the Careem customer support team for helping facilitate the return of the wallet.
The incident has since been highlighted in Indian media as an example of a lost-property experience ending on a positive note. For Sharma, however, the most important part was getting back a small photograph that carried irreplaceable personal memories of her father.
The story was reported by Connected to India and subsequently covered by other Indian news outlets on October 4-5.
