Ola driver returns passenger’s iPhone 16, gets ₹2,500 reward: ‘Honesty should always be rewarded’

An Ola driver has won praise online after returning an iPhone 16 left behind a passenger and refusing to give up despite having no immediate way to contact its owner. The driver, identified as Meer Shaikh, documented the experience in a video shared on Instagram, showing how he eventually reunited the phone with its owner.An Ola driver tracked down a passenger and returned his lost iPhone 16, earning praise and a ₹2,500 reward. (Instagram/the_meer_shk)(Also read: Man forced to work as cab driver after losing job due to ‘workplace politics and false allegations’)In the video, Shaikh explained that he discovered the phone in his cab but initially received no calls on the device that could help him trace its owner.“I found a customer’s phone. No calls came on it at all, not even once. When I accepted a ride exit and picked up the customer… the customer told me it was his phone. And I was wondering which customer’s phone it was; they were senior citizens. But I won’t be able to contact them because calls don’t go through on Ola. Now, I’ll just wait for a call to come,” he said.Driver waits for owner’s callShaikh later shared that his wait eventually paid off when the customer contacted him. After speaking to the owner, he learnt that he would have to travel to Malabar Hill to return the device.“Finally, I got a call from the customer. I’ve spoken to the customer. I’ll have to go to Malabar Hill; the customer is there. I’ll go and give their phone back to them now,” he said.The video then showed the moment Shaikh handed the iPhone back to its owner. “Here, please take it,” he told the customer.“Thank you very much,” the customer replied, before adding, “No, thank you for coming back. Thank you.”“You’re welcome, sir,” Shaikh responded.Customer rewards Ola driver with ₹2,500After returning the phone, Shaikh revealed that the customer had given him ₹2,500 as a gesture of appreciation.“So, I gave sir his phone back, and sir gave me 2,500 rupees. I made a video before this—honesty should always be rewarded like this. Thank you very much, sir!” he said.Watch the clip here:Internet reactsThe heartwarming gesture drew appreciation from social media users, many of whom praised Shaikh for choosing to return the expensive phone.“Honest driver, pure gold! Respect,” one user wrote. Another commented, “Humanity still exs. Salute to this honest driver.”(Also read: ‘She is my ser too’: Delhi cab driver’s kind gesture for female passenger goes viral)“Honesty is the best policy, proved once again!” read another reaction, while a fourth user described it as the “Best video on the internet today.”HT.com has reached out to the user for his comments, and the copy will be ce his response is received.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)