Indian family in Dubai accidentally tosses gold worth ₹12 lakh in trash, recovers it later – here’s their unbelievable story

Dubai is known for its fast-paced life and strict systems, but it is also a city where small miracles happen every day. Recently, one Indian family experienced just that when a pouch of gold worth Dh50,000 ended up in the trash and was returned to them in just a few days, thanks to the city’s efficient police system.

A costly mistake at home

Kamini Kannan, who lived in the UAE for 23 years before moving to India in 2021, was visiting Dubai for a wedding. As gold prices were rising, she decided to check her collection.As reported by Khaleej Times, she moved four 22K gold coins, 8 grams each, and a 50 g 24K gold bar from an old pouch to another temporary pouch on the dining table. Later, while tidying up, her son accidentally threw the pouch away.Kamini told Khaleej Times, “Those items are worth about Dh50,000 today.”

The family feared the gold was lost

The next morning, Kamini realized the pouch was missing. Her son admitted the mistake, and they informed the building security. Still, they thought there was no hope of getting it back. “If it's in the trash, that means it's gone,” she said, according to the report.

Police tracking made the difference

Three days later, Abhimanyu, Kamini’s son, received an unexpected call. “He said that there was someone asking about the things we lost. Turns out, it was the police,” he recounted to Khaleej Times.

Abhimanyu met the police at the building reception and learned that a garbage collector had found the gold and taken it to the gold souk. When asked where he found it, the collector said, “He told them that he found it in the garbage,” Abhimanyu recalled.

How Dubai’s system works

Abhimanyu was impressed by how organized the process was. “It seems they have a whole system to track the garbage. They know what bag comes from where,” he said, as quoted in the report.

He then went to Naif Police Station with photos of the gold, bills, and proof of ownership.“All I had to do was take photos of the gold, bills and proof to show that it was my mum's.”Although the process took a few hours, Abhimanyu said that it was seamless and that the police officers were 'incredibly kind'.

Dubai’s strong record in returning lost items

Dubai is well-known for helping residents and visitors recover lost items. From taxi drivers returning wallets to airport staff finding lost luggage, these stories have become part of the city’s everyday life.Thumb image: Canva (for representative purposes only)