What would you do if you found a purse containing almost a thousand dollars lying on the roadside?

That is a lot of money and enough to tempt anyone, but not these two teenagers who did the right thing to return the purse to its rightful owner.

Nasinu Muslim College Year 12 students Nereo Seruliwaliwa, 18 and Waisea Nabobo, 18, were honoured by the School yesterday morning for their honesty.

The pair were walking to a cousin’s place along the King’s Road when Nereo noticed the purse on the footpath next to the Bhawani Dayal College bus stop last Thursday.

Nereo said it was parent’s day and the two, after their interview at school, had gone to the internet shop to research their project topic.

“Waisea and I were speechless when we saw the amount of money in the purse. We had never seen so much money in our lives. We could not even count it,” he said.

“We talked and realised that the owner of the money must have worked hard for it. So we decided to check the purse for the owner’s number. We found that the purse belonged to a Ramiza Bibi, but there was no contact.

“There was another number in the purse and when we called it, it was the husband who answered. We managed to contact the owner who met us at Max Val-U Supermarket just minutes later.”

Waisea said Mrs Bibi was in tears when the purse was returned to her.

“The thought to take the money never crossed our mind. The money was not ours and we should not take it,” he added.

Nasinu Muslim College principal Safiq Ahmed said the actions of the two students showed the moral values instilled in them by their parents.

“What the two boys did is definitely exemplary. Their action is not only an example for other students, but for people of all ages. This also shows that our moral virtues class in school is also working,” he said.

“I know that this is the holy month of Ramadan as well but it shows that good values and moral transcends religions. All religions have the same teachings.

“And a lot of credit should go to their parents.”

Mrs Bibi’s husband, Abdul Fareed said it is remarkable what the two students achieved.

“This virtue displayed by the two students is hard to find. I am truly grateful for their actions and they should be commended,” he said.

Nereo hails from Navatuyaba in Toga, Rewa, while school prefect Waisea hails from Naitasiri.

Edited by Susana Tuilau

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