In an extraordinary display of integrity that has touched hearts across the country, a scrap dealer in Faridabad, Haryana, returned gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 lakh to a family that had accidentally sold it as junk. The incident dates back to January 2025, when Ashok Sharma and his family decided to secure their valuables before leaving for the Kumbh Mela. Fearing theft while their house was empty, they hid 100 grams of gold—about 10 tolas—inside a small box, which was then tucked away in a sack filled with old clothes and household scrap. However, the plan backfired months later during a routine pre-Diwali cleaning drive when the family, having forgotten about the hidden treasure, sold the entire sack to a local scrap dealer, Haji Akhtar Khan, popularly known as “Khan Sahab.”
The mistake only came to light during Diwali prayers when the family went to retrieve their ornaments and realized the sack was gone. Distraught, Ashok Sharma rushed to Khan’s warehouse, but an initial search through mounds of waste yielded no results. Resigned to their loss, the family returned home, believing the gold was gone forever. However, Haji Akhtar Khan did not give up. Over the next four months, he and his family meticulously sorted through tons of accumulated scrap at his godown. His persistence paid off when he finally discovered the small box wrapped in paper, tucked deep within the discarded materials. Without a moment’s hesitation, Khan contacted the authorities and arranged to return the valuables to their rightful owner.
The gold was formally handed over to the Sharma family at the office of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ballabhgarh, Jitesh Malhotra, on February 19, 2026. An emotional Ashok Sharma expressed his immense gratitude, stating he had lost all hope of ever seeing the family heirlooms again. For Haji Akhtar Khan, the act was a matter of simple principle, stating that his conscience and his family’s values wouldn’t allow him to keep what wasn’t his. ACP Malhotra lauded Khan’s honesty as a rare and inspiring example of humanity that transcends all social and religious divides. This heartwarming story has since gone viral, serving as a powerful reminder that even in a fast-paced world, old-fashioned honesty and communal harmony remain very much alive.
