What began as a cheerful visit to Dubai quickly spiralled into a moment of panic for an Indian woman after she unknowingly discarded gold worth around ₹12.3 lakh (nearly Dh50,000). What seemed like a costly and irreversible mistake soon transformed into an extraordinary experience that not only eased the family’s fears but also strengthened their admiration for the city’s systems and integrity.
Kamini Kannan, who had lived in the UAE for 23 years before moving back to India in 2021, had travelled to the emirate recently to attend a family wedding. During her stay, she decided to review her gold holdings after a volatile week in prices, Khaleej Times reported.
4 gold coins, 1 gold bar – All thrown in trash
Noticing that the pouch she normally used to store her valuables had worn out, Kannan temporarily shifted the items into another pouch and left it on the dining table. The bag contained four 22-karat gold coins weighing 8 grams each and a 50-gram 24-karat gold bar.
Later that day, while clearing up the house, the pouch was accidentally thrown away.
The family realised the mistake only the next morning, on February 1 — just a day before Kannan’s scheduled departure. A frantic search followed but hopes quickly faded when they discovered that her son had unknowingly discarded the pouch. Assuming the valuables were lost in the trash, the family did not even file a police complaint.
Series of ‘miracles’
Three days later, the story took a dramatic turn. On Friday, Kannan’s son received a call from the building security guard informing him that the police were making inquiries about the missing items. A garbage collector had found the gold while sorting waste and taken it to the Gold Souk, where authorities questioned him about its origin.
Police were able to trace the source through waste collection records. Kamini’s son Abimanyu told Khaleej Times, “They called me to Naif Police Station at 4pm the same day. All I had to do was take photos of the gold, bills and proof to show that it was my mum’s.” He added that while the process took a few hours, “it was seamless and that the police officers were incredibly kind”.
The incident left the family deeply moved. Calling the experience “unbelievable”, Kannan said the episode reinforced her admiration for Dubai’s systems and the honesty of people who ensured that a costly mistake did not become a permanent loss. “I truly love how wonderful Dubai is. There’s no other city like it,” she told KT.