Mumbai Auto Driver Buys Return Tickets For 2 Bengaluru Schoolgirls Who Ran Away From Home

Auto-rickshaw drivers have a bad reputation for refusing rides, overcharging, and even tampering with the meters. However, there are some who go out of their way to help out their passengers in need.

According to Mumbai Mirror, on February 12, Sonu Yadav, a 28-year-old auto driver working at Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) figured out that the two teenage girls that had boarded his vehicle were actually runaways from Bangalore.

Bangalore Mirror quoted him saying,

“I took them to this production house where they claimed they had been called for an interview. But the security guard informed them to drop their resumes with him and that there were no walk-in interviews.”

He suggested that they call up the concerned person working in the production house and even offered to drive them home.

“This is when I felt there was something amiss. Both did not have any mobile phones. They made calls from my phone, but they got no answer. So I sternly asked them to reveal the truth or I would be compelled to take them to the police station.”

They revealed that they were 15-year-old Class 9 students at Little Angels Public School in Kanakanagar. On February 11, instead of going home after school both gathered Rs.840, wore burqas and came to Mumbai via Lokmanya Tilak Express to pursue their acting dreams.

He further added, “I did not charge them for the journey because I felt bad for them. To ensure that they would be safe, I made them sit inside the prepaid auto stand office which has CCTVs.”

Thereafter, the kind soul along with his friend Gulab Gupta pooled in Rs.700 to buy food and two return tickets to Bangalore East railway station that reached the destination on February 14. He also shared his number to call in case of emergencies during the journey back.

“I also spoke to their parents after they reached home. I am glad they reached safely.”

Kudos to the auto driver for ensuring that the girls returned home to their worried parents who had filed missing person reports. What he did was truly heroic.

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