Dubai: In a heartening show of honesty, an Indian expatriate returned a purse containing 25,000 dirhams (around $6,800) and vital documents to an Italian woman who lost it on the roadside in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), media reported. Rasheed Pericheri, 36, took it upon himself to return the lost purse that he came across on a pavement in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi to the rightful owner, Emirates 24/7 reported on Tuesday. The purse contained several credit cards, 500 dirham notes and other documents. Pericheri, in his search for the owner, managed to get the contact details through the driving licence from the UAE's traffic department.

Pericheri later found out that the purse belonged to an Italian expatriate, Elvira, whose husband was recovering from a heart attack. "When I called her (Elvira) to inform her that I had found the purse, with the money, she began crying," the report quoted Pericheri as saying. "She said a big thank you and gave me some money also as a gesture of gratitude," he added. Elvira said she failed to find her purse when she returned to the road after she lost it. She also lodged a complaint with the police. "I was carrying 25,000 dirhams to buy three tickets for me and my two sons to fly to Italy. My husband, an engineer in Abu Dhabi, had a heart attack and we had to repatriate him to Italy," Elvira said. "He has still not recovered and is in a coma. I am so grateful to Rasheed, who took the pain to track me down and hand over the purse," she added.