Honesty amid chaos: Man returns cash, jewellery found at Air India crash site
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Honesty amid chaos: Man returns cash, jewellery found at Air India crash site
Raju Patel, 56, was among the first responders to the crash site. He helped in pulling out victims and also recovered jewellery and cash from the debris. The London-bound Air India flight (AI-171) crashed into the medical college campus in Ahmedabad last week. 274 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board and over two dozen others on the ground were killed in the crash, which took place on June 12. He recovered several items, including cash, passports, mobile phones, laptops, ID cards, and jewellery, and handed them over to the police.
Among the first responders, the businessman helped in pulling out victims and also recovered jewellery and cash from the debris, which he later handed over to the police.
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The London-bound Air India flight (AI-171) crashed into the medical college campus in Ahmedabad last week just seconds after take-off, killing 274 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board and over two dozen others on the ground.
When Raju reached the site, all he witnessed was chaos, thick plumes of smoke, rising flames, and screams and wails piercing the air. Without much ado, he and others used clothes and mats provided by locals to carry the injured to ambulances. The London-bound Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad last week
“When I reached the crash site within 15 minutes, all I could see was thick black smoke. After a while, when the fire brigade partially brought the fire under control, we began rescue operations,” Raju told AajTak.
He said many were charred and dismembered far beyond recognition. “The bodies we found were charred beyond recognition. With the help of clothes and mats provided by the locals, we carried the bodies to ambulances,” Raju said.
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When rescue officials arrived, Raju took on the task of sifting through the debris for jewellery, cash, and documents.
“About three hours later, near the Atulyam Building where the engine had crashed, we removed some debris using iron rods and found a few bags,” Raju said. Raju took on the task of sifting through the debris for jewellery, cash, and documents
He recovered several items, including cash, passports, mobile phones, laptops, ID cards, and jewellery, and handed them over to the police.
“We recovered Rs 60,000 in cash, foreign currency, laptops, mobile phones, ID cards, and gold, including necklaces, bangles, mangalsutras, rings, and silver items. By 9 pm, we had collected all the belongings of the passengers that we could find,” Raju further said.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said each salvaged item was being documented and would be returned to the families of the victims.
Published By: Abhishek De Published On: Jun 18, 2025
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