Statue of Unity guides return tourist's purse containing Rs 70,000 cash, earn praise for honesty

Four guides working at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat returned a purse containing Rs 70,000 cash to its rightful owner, an Uttar Pradesh-based woman, who forgot it at a food court during her visit to the statue in Gujarat a few days back.

Since the woman had already left for her native place in UP, officials at the Statue of Unity, situated near Kevadia in Narmada district, handed over the purse to her Gujarat-based relative on Wednesday after verifying details, the Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority said in a statement.

Gujarat Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta lauded the guides for their honesty and integrity. On September 19, four guides - Shahin Memon, Jully Pandya, Jyotsna Tadvi and Pratap Tadvi - found an unclaimed purse when they went to the food court during lunch break. The purse contained Rs 70,000 cash, keys and other items, said the statement.

Realising that it might be of a tourist, the guides immediately alerted senior official Pratik Mathur, who along with other staffers then began the task to trace the tourist using documents found inside the purse. After calling some numbers, officials learnt that the purse belonged to Sneha Jalan, who visited the 182-meter-tall statue and other tourist attractions with her relatives on September 19 and then left for UP.

Since the woman could not come back to collect her purse, she urged the officials to give it to her relative based in Gujarat. The purse was handed over to Jalan's relative on Wednesday, said the statement.

Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta, who is also chairman of the Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority, appreciated the guides for their honesty. "Unity also symbolises Integrity & Honesty!! 4 guides at Kevadia displayed their uprightness by ensuring that a lost purse reaches its rightful owner. Shahin, Jully, Pratap & Jyotsna found a purse with Rs 70K cash & other items at food court.The purse belonged to Sneha Jalan," Gupta tweeted on Wednesday.

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