Three-wheeler drivers generally come in for a lot of flak for one reason or another. And perhaps, it may be hard to believe that there exist members of this largely indisciplined tribe whose honesty would earn police commendation.

Lal Premaratne certainly stands out as a remarkable example of honesty and sincerity. He amply proved it when he returned a handbag containing cash and gold jewellery to its rightful owner recently.

Lal was waiting for a hire in his regular "Vasana three-wheeler park" near the bus stand on the Galle Road at Soysapura when he spotted a ladies" handbag on the pavement.

He picked it up promptly as he realized a woman would have accidently dropped it while getting into a bus. He was anxious that it did not end up in the wrong hands in case it contained valuables.

Inside the bag were gold bangles, some cash, an expensive mobile phone, a passport and a National Identity Card (NIC) with a Tamil name and an address in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna.

National security was foremost in his mind as he called the Mt. Lavinia police. With a NIC listing an address in the North, there could be more to it than meets the eye, and he was eager to do his duty as a responsible citizen to avert any possible disaster.

The police asked him to keep the bag safely until a team was sent across. No sooner had he alerted the police, he saw a young woman in tears making frantic inquiries from passers-by. She was accompanied by a man who also looked equally desperate.

"I have lost my hand handbag ... did you see it fallen around here..?", she cried, tears rolling down her cheek.

The woman almost fainted in shock when Lal admitted that the bag was in his safe possession. "Malli (brother) take the cash, gold and everything else in it, but return the passport and NIC to me", she implored,

She breathed a sigh of relief when told that the police had been informed. Lal called the police again to inform that a woman claiming to be the owner had turned up.

Chief Inspector Lalith Abeysekera, Officer-in-Charge of Special Operations asked him to bring her along to the police station.

Police inquiries revealed that the woman is a teacher on the staff of Hindu College, Ratmalana. A native of Chavakachcheri, she lived in the area with her husband. After her bonafides were established, CI Abeysekera returned the belongings and pointed out to the overjoyed couple how fortunate they are that an honest man like Lal had found the bag.

Let alone the valuables, without her NIC, she would have gone through a nightmare living and working in Colombo. Neither would it have been easy for her to go back to Chavakachcheri, from where the NIC had been issued.

"Lal is a poor man – a three-wheeler taxi driver, but he has set an example worthy of emulation. He has not only proven his honesty, but also his civic-mindedness by promptly contacting the police", CI Abeysekera.