An expatriate woman accidentally threw away gold worth 50,000 dirhams (around ₹12.32 lakh) in the trash. After days of anxiety, the police recovered the gold and returned it, bringing a happy ending to the ordeal.

The incident took place in Dubai. Believing the gold was lost forever, the woman had not even filed a complaint. The experience was that of Kamini Kannan, an Indian woman who had lived in the UAE for 23 years, Khaleej Times reported.

Kamini, who had ended her expatriate life and returned to India in 2021, had come to Dubai to attend a wedding. Amid recent fluctuations in gold prices, she took out the gold she had purchased over the years to assess its value. It was then that she noticed the pouch in which the gold was kept had torn. She temporarily transferred the gold to another pouch and placed it on the dining table.

While cleaning the house later, unaware that the pouch contained gold, her son threw it into the trash. The pouch contained 22-carat gold coins weighing eight grams each and 24-carat gold biscuits weighing 50 grams. The incident happened on January 31.

The family realised their mistake only the next morning, with just a day was left before returning to India. They searched the entire house for the missing gold, but to no avail. When they learnt that the pouch had been thrown into the trash, all hope was lost. Convinced that the gold was gone forever, Kamini and her family did not approach the police.

Three days later, however, the story took an unexpected turn. Kamini’s son Abhimanyu received a surprise phone call from the apartment’s security staff, who said someone had come inquiring about the lost items. It was only later that they realised it was the police.

The events then became clear. A waste collector had found the gold in the trash and taken it to the Gold Souk. Suspecting something amiss, officials questioned him. When he said the gold had been found in a garbage bin, the authorities began searching for the rightful owner.

Abhimanyu said officials asked him to come to the Naif police station. After he presented photographs and bills of the gold, the police returned the valuables. The entire process took only a few hours, he said. Reacting to the incident, Kamini Kannan said she loves Dubai deeply and feels there is no other city quite like it.