Honest discovery: Gold ornaments returned by bus crew

A significant act of honesty unfolded recently when a private bus crew in Mangaluru returned approximately eight sovereigns of gold. The valuable ornaments were found on June 4, 2026, during the final trip of a bus servicing the State Bank to BC Road route.

The bus conductor, Ganesh Montapal, initially kept the gold at his home, mistaking it for artificial jewelry. However, after the owner contacted the bus owner, NS Bawa, the gold was reunited with its rightful owner on Friday night. The owner, hailing from Montimar near Manchi, had extensively searched various places before locating Bawa's contact on a bus ticket.

Bawa highlighted that while many lost items are returned, instances of lost mobile phones also occur. He shared an anecdote about a gold item that remained unclaimed for seven years before being returned to its owner after an advertisement.

Montapal, a conductor with 25 years of experience, found the gold on the last seat. He emphasized his responsibility to safeguard the item, stating, "even though we have problems, it is not right to keep such items."