Honest cabbie honoured after returning $4,000 found in taxi

Muhammad Tajamal Rana couldn’t believe his eyes.

The 48-year-old cabbie has found cellphones, purses, wallets and all kinds of other things in the back of his taxi over the years.

But never a giant bundle of $20 bills held together by a big elastic band. It had to be thousands of dollars.

And while others might have had different thoughts, Muhammad says he knew the right thing to do.

“The money didn’t belong to me, so I knew I had to return it,” says the married father of three, who has been driving cab for six years.

He called the dispatcher at Hamilton Cab, where he works, to get the phone number of the last person who used the cab and the specific address where he lived. Muhammad headed back to the Melvin Avenue area where he dropped the man off at 2 a.m.

He was met at the door by the man and his mother. He didn’t say why he had $4,000 with him, but the mother said something about it being for rent, Muhammad recalled.

He didn’t get a name but figured the man was about 30 years old. He was thankful but didn’t give a financial reward. However, the mother pulled out a $20 bill for Muhammad.

Word spread over the next while by word of mouth and on social media reaching the office of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Bob Bratina.

Bratina says he was so impressed with the man’s “honesty and character” that he put together a certificate for him saying, in part, “... You are to be commended for setting such a remarkable example of honesty and truthfulness in making our community a better place ...”

The MP presented it to Muhammad in a small ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Bratina’s constituency office.

Next week, Bratina plans to acknowledge Muhammad in the House of Commons in a “member’s statement,” an opportunity that MPs have to briefly mention issues from their ridings before Question Period.