Dubai resident honoured by police for handing over Dh1 million

Tariq Mahmood found the money in a lift in his residential building

Tariq Mahmood was honoured by police after handing in Dh1 million in cash he found. Photo: Dubai Police

A Dubai resident has been hailed for his honesty after handing over Dh1 million to police.

Tariq Mahmood discovered the large sum of cash in a lift in the residential building where he lives.

He took the money to Al Barsha Police Station.

It is not yet known how the money was lost or whether its owner has been traced.

Mr Mahmood was given a certification of appreciation in honour of his good deed at a ceremony held by Dubai Police.

He was praised for his community-spirited actions by Brig Abdul Rahim bin Shafi, director of Al Barsha Police Station.

Brig bin Shafi stressed the importance of such honest acts in strengthening the partnership between the public and the police and highlighted the importance of social responsibility.

It is not the first time Dubai residents have demonstrated good conduct in such matters.

In April, a boy of 5 was lauded as a “role model for others” after helping to ensure Dh4,000 he found in Dubai was handed to police.

Nigel Ners, from the Philippines, discovered the large sum of cash in the Al Qusais district of the emirate.

He gave the money to his father, who then delivered it to police.

Nigel also received a certificate of appreciation from the force.

Lost and found strategy

Dubai Police have a comprehensive lost and found system, established in the 1980s, which uses cutting-edge technology.

The Smart Found Items Programme is a database made up of lost items which can be easily tracked by officers.

It is in use at businesses, hotels, shopping centres, hospitals, schools, airports and public parks in the emirate and was in operation at Expo 2020 Dubai.

While returning lost items to the public is a challenging task, police have enjoyed their fair share of recent successes.

Last month, Dubai Police returned a large sum of cash to a resident after he lost his bag before boarding a plane to the UK from Dubai International Airport.

British resident Peter Lawson realised he left his bag at the airport, which contained $19,000 (Dh70,000), shortly after take-off.

In February, Dubai Police returned Dh9,000 to a tourist after she lost her bag before boarding a plane from Dubai International Airport.

A month earlier, a German passenger flying through Dubai International Airport was pleasantly surprised when police in the emirate returned €33,600 (Dh140,000) he had lost.

Siegfried Tellbach was flying from Germany to Thailand via Dubai International Airport when he lost his bag. He realised the money was missing when he reached Thailand.

The money was returned when he landed in Dubai on his return journey.