Ramban, July 11: Banihal Police successfully recovered a handbag containing ₹1.32 lakh in cash and important documents belonging to a group of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra pilgrims after tracing a commercial taxi through a coordinated investigation.

Officials said the recovery was made under the supervision of Station House Officer (SHO) Banihal, Ashiq Hussain Lone, with support from the District Police Headquarters (DHQ) Ramban.

The incident took place on July 8 when three pilgrims, identified as Chabil Das, Sadanand Vispute and Suhas Dattatreya Suryavanshi, residents of Jalgaon district in Maharashtra, inadvertently left a handbag under the seat of a hired Honda Amaze taxi while travelling through the Banihal area.

The bag reportedly contained ₹1.32 lakh in cash along with several important documents. When the pilgrims approached the police, they were unable to provide details of the taxi driver.

Following the complaint, police initiated an investigation and examined technical inputs, toll plaza data and vehicle ownership records. With assistance from Sopore Police, the vehicle was identified and its driver was traced and summoned to Police Station Banihal.

During the inquiry, the handbag was recovered with the entire cash amount and all documents intact. After verification and completion of necessary legal formalities, the recovered property was returned to the pilgrims.

The pilgrims thanked the Jammu and Kashmir Police, especially the Banihal Police team, for their timely action and professional efforts in recovering their lost belongings.