Kerala Man Drives 14 Hours to Return Lost Card to Tourist

When India Witkin realized she'd left her debit card in an ATM, she was already five hours away in another Indian city with no easy way to retrieve it. What happened next restored her faith in strangers.

The American traveler was solo exploring Kerala when she stopped at an ATM to withdraw cash. She accidentally left her card inside the machine and didn't notice until she reached Thiruvananthapuram, hours down the road.

Earlier that day, Witkin had visited a DHL office to ship a package home. She and the employee exchanged numbers for the transaction, a common practice in India where most payments happen through WhatsApp. When she realized her mistake, she called him to ask if he could check whether the card was still there.

Twenty-four hours later, he found it sitting on top of the ATM machine. But the real surprise came next.

The DHL worker, whose name is Krishna, didn't just mail the card or wait for Witkin to return. He and two friends climbed into a tuk-tuk and drove six hours through Kerala to hand-deliver it to her. The round trip took 14 hours on his day off.

When Witkin tried to offer him money for the effort, Krishna refused. He told her he knew she was traveling on a budget and that she should keep it for herself.

Sunny's Take

Witkin couldn't help but notice the meaning behind his name. Krishna is the Hindu god of love, compassion, and protection. She shared the story online, where it quickly sparked conversations about the quiet acts of kindness that travelers encounter, especially in Kerala.

Several people commented with similar experiences of locals going out of their way to help tourists recover lost items or navigate difficult situations. These weren't grand gestures captured for social media, just everyday people choosing to spend their time helping someone far from home.

For Witkin, it was more than getting her card back. It was a reminder that even when you're alone in an unfamiliar place, there are still people who will show up for you without expecting anything in return.