UAE: Delivery rider returns Dh20,000 college fees, lost documents to distraught mum

Meet 35-year-old food delivery rider from Pakistan - Manzar Abbas. A UAE resident for over ten years, Abbas saved an Egyptian family from severe distress thanks to his simple act of honesty and kindness.

Abbas, a Talabat rider, was on his way to deliver a food order in Sharjah University City last week when he came across a women’s handbag casually thrown on the road’s sidewalk leading to the American University of Sharjah.

Hoping the bag’s owner would arrive to collect the bag soon, Abbas waited for a few moments next to it.

When no one turned up, he checked its contents to find large sums of money, a cheque of Dh20,000 addressed to the University, identification cards and important papers. After seeing that some of the identification papers and documents carried a mobile number of the bag’s owner, Abbas began making calls hoping to return the bag.

“I made at least ten to 12 calls to the number. There was no response at all. After that, I saw another number in those documents. I sent them a WhatsApp message informing them I’d found the bag,” said Abbas.

Turns out, the Talabat rider was trying to call an accountant and Egyptian mother of three Huda Abdul Wahab, who was desperately hunting for the bag she had lost.

Huda’s son and medical student Tareq Mohammed told Khaleej Times, “When Abbas called my mother, she was in a terrible state. We were all desperately searching for her bag everywhere. My mother was in the University to pay my sister’s college fees.”

When Abbas couldn’t get through Huda, he’d messaged her daughter, informing her that the bag had been found. “My sister called me crying saying that the lost bag had been found. That’s when we looked at our mother’s phone to see at least 12 missed calls from an unknown number,” said Tareq.

“We were in a state of total shock. Imagine someone is so keen to return a lost item that even after calling 12 times, they remained committed to returning the bag. Abbas assured us that he was on his way to meet with us and that the bag’s contents were safe. He rescued us when we were in a state of grief, despair and were completely heartbroken,” Tareq added.

The Egyptian family have been residents of the UAE for over 25 years.

“I have two siblings. We’re all studying to become doctors. My mother burst into tears when the bag was returned to us. We are very grateful for what Abbas has done for us,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Abbas said the happiness his good deeds brought the family is gift enough. “I started working with Talabat last year March. Before Talabat, I was working as a rider for Subway. I began my career in Dubai as a waiter at a restaurant. I worked my way up to getting a bike license,” he said.

“I felt terrific after returning the bag. I felt very proud to see a family so happy. Of course, I need a lot of money, and I have borrowed money that needs to be returned as well. However, I can never succeed if I steal from another person,” said Abbas.

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