Sometimes, it’s not the big things that leave an impression about a country. It’s the small, everyday moments that stick. For CA Sarthak Ahuja, a traveller who can’t seem to hold on to a pair of AirPods for long, Dubai ended up teaching him a lesson in honesty he won’t forget.
Why The UAE Raises The Bar On Honesty & Safety
View this post on Instagram
Picture this: it’s past midnight, you’ve just wrapped up a long day, and you pat your pocket only to find your AirPods missing. That’s exactly what happened to Ahuja as he got out of a cab. The panic was instant; another pair gone, probably forever.
The taxi driver noticed the worry and asked what was wrong. When Ahuja explained, the driver didn’t shrug or wave it off. Instead, he said, “Let’s go find them.” Just like that, the hunt began.
CA Sarthak Ahuja’s Story
With the “Find My” app guiding them, the missing AirPods showed up in a tower about 20 kilometres away. So off they went, circling blocks, scanning taxis, hanging near food stalls, hoping for a miracle.
But after nearly an hour, there was no sign. Exhausted, Ahuja decided to call it quits. Back at the hotel, though, came the real surprise: the driver refused payment. His words? “You’ve lost enough already. This was just helping a brother.”
It wasn’t just a kind gesture; it was hours of his time, given without asking for a single dirham.
Six Months Later, An Unexpected Return
Ahuja eventually bought another pair, wrote it off as bad luck, and moved on. But six months later, back in Dubai for a meeting, he got the shock of his life.
A colleague handed him the exact AirPods he thought were gone for good. The driver, it turned out, had done the legwork—tracing Ahuja’s last stop, checking with the building reception, and finally dropping them off with someone he’d been scheduled to meet that day.
No calls. No reward request. Just a quiet act of integrity.
Why Stories Like This Matter
It sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but in the UAE, it isn’t. Talk to residents and you’ll hear plenty: wallets returned with cash untouched, gold jewellery handed in, forgotten bags delivered back.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi regularly rank among the world’s safest cities, and it’s not only because crime is low. It’s because honesty feels like part of daily life. Taxi drivers, retail staff, neighbours, they all carry this sense of responsibility that visitors rarely expect.
Also Read: Can UAE-Based NRIs Enrol For An Aadhaar Card? Here’s All You Need To Know!
More Than Safety, It’s Trust
For most travellers, that’s the real surprise. In many countries, losing something means it’s gone. In the UAE, you’ve got a good chance it’ll come back, sometimes through unbelievable effort.
That’s why people say the Emirates doesn’t just promise safety, it delivers trust. And that’s worth more than any skyline or luxury hotel.
Cover Image Courtesy: CA Sarthak Ahuja/Instagram, CanvaPro
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.First Published: August 22, 2025 5:06 PM