Man's Stolen Wallet Found After 14 Years But He Can't Use The Cash Since It Includes Old Rs 500 Note
The Railway Police in Mumbai found a man's stolen wallet after 14 years but did not return all its money because it had one demonetised Rs 500 note.
When a person loses their wallet, mobile phone or bag especially if lost in a public place, there is little hope it will ever be returned or find its way back to the owner.
That is why a lot of people do not even register a case when their belongings get stolen in public, and even if they do they can only hope that their belongings will be returned. And even if there is hope, one gets over it in what, one maybe two years?
Well, a case might teach you to keep your hopes up for a little longer but it is sort of bittersweet.
Mumbai Mirror
The Government Railway Police recently told a man that they had recovered the wallet that he lost... 14 years ago. The wallet was lost while the man was travelling in a train.
However, so much has changed in 14 years especially our currency that not all notes found in the wallet are still legal (hint: demonetisation).
Hemant Padalkar is 42 years old now. When he lost his wallet, it reportedly contained Rs 900, including a Rs 500 note, on a CSMT-Panvel local in 2006. Sometime ago, he received a call saying the wallet had been found.
According to Padalkar, the wallet went missing near Vashi. ¡°When I realised that my wallet had been stolen, I got down and filed a complaint with the Vashi GRP,¡± he told Mumbai Mirror.
Also Read: Visually Impaired Tamil Nadu Couple Find Savings Worth Rs 24,000 In Demonetised Currency Notes
Representational Image/Reuters
Padalkar said that initially he regularly and diligently followed up with the police but gave up soon (like a lot of us do). ¡°I followed this issue aggressively, but after a few months I forgot about it. In April, when I got a call from the Vashi GRP, I was really surprised,¡± he said.
However because of the lockdown, he could visit the GRP only last week. When he reached the office, an on-duty officer told him that the GRP had recovered the wallet, but they could not hand him back the Rs 500 note, as it was no longer legal tender.
The GRP said it has written to the Reserve Bank of India regarding the issue but is yet to receive a reply. The GRP official also said that they have recovered more than a dozen Rs 500 notes from thieves recently.
Representational Image/Raju Shinde and Deepak Turbhekar
¡°We are trying our best to change these notes, but are yet to receive a reply from the authorities,¡± another Vashi GRP officer reportedly said.
I think this is where the Hindi adage ¡®Haath aaye par muh na lage¡¯ fits.
Also Read: Indian Weddings Are Not Lavish Anymore, It All Began When Demonetisation Was Announced