Soumya tells us about Lata and how she lost her gold jewellery. Did she get it back? Here’s an exciting account based on a news report— an exclusive for Different Truths. 

Lata looked sadly at the gleaming metal in her hand. She brought her gold jewellery to Mumbai when she came here in search of a livelihood and carefully stored, wrapped in plastic, in an airtight box.  

But now, she would have to part with it.  

Her daughter’s wedding had cost a bomb. She had no regrets. The boy was an electrician and could provide her with a good life. However, the interest on the loan kept soaring high. 

Lata spoke to the bank. The bank officials confirmed that this jewellery, valued at five lakhs, would cover the outstanding amount.  

She put the box in her plastic carry bag and left for work.  

After work, her employer gave her the leftovers from breakfast, two vada-paos, and though she didn’t want it, she was too polite to say so and put them in her bag.  

On the way to the bank, she saw two kids rag pickers and gave them the breakfast package.  

On reaching the bank and looking into her bag, she was shocked to see the packet of gold jewellery missing. She realised that she must have given it to the rag picker.  

Running back, she saw no sign of them and went crying to the police station, blaming herself for having brought out her heirloom.  

The kind policeman returned with her to the spot and made enquiries. Noticing a CCTV camera, he looked at the footage, and Lata excitedly pointed out an image of the boys taking an auto-rickshaw.  

Tracing the driver from the number, they got the address where he dropped the boys, and further enquiries at the slum found them.  

They said, in the garbage bin.  

They returned to the site and pointed out the bin, but no package was there.  

Lata had utterly broken down by now. But the kindly policeman went to another CCTV camera, and the footage showed a lot of rats rummaging in that bin. 

They extended the search to nearby localities. Lata screamed joyously on spotting the box near the sewage drain.  

But again, her hopes were shattered as the box was empty.  

She returned to her shack, wholly shattered.  

But the policeman hadn’t given up.  

The following day he returned with some workmen and removed the cover to the sewer. Down there, intact, was a plastic package. On opening, there was the gleaming metal, sitting safely.  

You can imagine Lata’s joy in the miraculous recovery of her treasure.  

If this were fiction, it would be an absurd, unbelievable story. But this is real life. The national dailies shared this extraordinary miracle of lost and found. 

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Soumya Mukherjee

Soumya Mukherjee is an alumnus of St Stephens College and Delhi School of Economics. He earns his daily bread by working for a PSU Insurance company, and lectures for peanuts. His other passions, family, friends, films, travel, food, trekking, wildlife, music, theater, and occasionally, writing. He has been published in many national newspapers of repute. He has published his first novel, Memories, a novella, hopefully, the first of his many books. He blogs as well.

See Full Bio