Egyptian praised for returning cash to UAE expat who lost his job

  DUBAI – An Egyptian man who found a pouch with Dh3,535 in cash that belonged to a Filipino who lost his job due to the pandemic has been praised for his honesty. Tamer Ibrahim, 42, a sales manager based in Abu Dhabi, told Expatmedia.net that his only thought after finding the pouch was returning it to the owner. Ibrahim had stumbled on the small, black pouch while walking in Al Muroor Road near Al Wahda Mall at around 4am on February 26. “At first I thought it was a discarded face mask,” he said. When he checked its contents, he found an Emirates ID, ATM cards, a vaccination card, three one thousand dirham bills and a five hundred dirham bill. “I knew I had to return it right away. I was thinking that this might be his month’s salary and he might send it to his family. I didn’t want him to suffer,” Ibrahim told Expatmedia.net. It turns out the owner of the pouch had lost his job due to the pandemic and had a “sleepless night” trying to find his lost valuables. Ibrahim said the look of joy on the owner’s face when he returned the pouch “made my day”. “We need to help people in whatever way we can. God helps those who help others,” he said. Ibrahim’s act of honesty has gained praise from netizens. Filipino assistant teacher Joanne Monter Jalandoon, 32, praised him in a post on Facebook group Abu Dhabi Kabayan Orig that garnered more than 500 likes. Jalandoon, whose husband is Ibrahim’s colleague, had been instrumental to finding the owner of the pouch on Facebook after the Egyptian contacted her husband for help. The Filipina said that Ibrahim’s honesty was inspiring. “Someone had suggested to him that he should just keep the cash, but he insisted on returning it,” Jalandoon told Expatmedia.net. The Filipina said that despite Ibrahim’s “personal problems”, he still did the right thing. “Despite life’s difficulties nowadays, there are still honest people out there. It’s heartwarming to know,” she said. Her husband, Jeoffry, a 37-year-old sales executive in Abu Dhabi, said he feels “happy to have helped someone”, and praised Ibrahim for his honesty and integrity. The Filipina and her husband wasted no time tracing the owner through social media and the contact details they found on the vaccination card. “What’s amazing was that we had a lot of common friends,” she said. Speaking to Expatmedia.net, pouch owner Bob Mauricio, 29, praised Ibrahim for his honesty, and the Jalandoons for their help. Mauricio said he had lost hope of ever recovering his lost pouch, but posted a plea for help on social media anyway. He also told police about the incident. “I was very shocked and extremely happy when it was returned to me, pouch, money and all. I didn’t expect it at all,” Mauricio told Expatmedia.net. “Thank you very much to all of you. I hope I can return the favor some other way,” he said. PIA/Expat Media
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