“I was mugged, they took my phone, my wallet, all my belongings, cards, everything!” Such terrible news is nothing out of the ordinary for any netizen; it is like we are so accustomed to dealing with such situations around us that we have rather become desensitised. Walking down the memory lane, not so long ago, if you were a citizen of the city of lights, you probably carried a spare phone and a wallet every time you commuted, in fear of being mugged on the streets, every time you stepped out of your house.
Amidst the uncertainties of the ongoing pandemic, each day seems to start with an unexpected news, most of them devastating. Adding further to the misery, street crimes are also on the rise once again. However, earlier this week, Karachi witnessed a rare sight where two robbers, in what appears to be a change of heart, ended up returning the valuables they mugged from a young man, and ended up consoling him instead. This bizarre, yet heartwarming incident occurred with Muhammad Noman, an employee of a reputed food delivery platform in the country, foodpanda, when he was on his daily delivery routine at Nazimabad, Sector 1 on 15th June, 2020.
WATCH: CCTV footage of robbers in #Karachi consoling #food delivery man and returning his valuables after he breaks down into tears goes #viral.
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) June 16, 2020
For more: https://t.co/sjyrWUXJoc pic.twitter.com/GsgmurCNAw
The CCTV footage of this particular incident instantly became the talk of the town as soon as it started making rounds on social media. The video clearly shows two masked men approaching the victim who is in between completing food deliveries to the customers; first they rob the victim, but then an unusual twist occurs as they end up hugging and shaking hands with the victim. According to Noman, the muggers saw him break into tears, heard his plea, and returned all his possessions. The touching moment of unexpected compassion has made this one of the most watched and talked about videos online over the last week.
When Noman was approached to give details about the incident, this is what he had to say: “I was confused for a second, thought they were people I know because they approached me saying ‘Salam’ and ‘How are you?’ When I realised what just happened and saw them leaving, I teared up and asked them for my phone and money back, which is probably why those guys felt bad for me and returned everything.” (translated from Urdu)
However, this unusual turn of events has managed to puzzle netizens across the country. The video engaged myriad ‘social media warriors’ and all had to give their two cents in regards to this one-of-a-kind incident. Some believed this was ‘a small act of kindness’ that brought many to tears while others raised a concern about the food delivery app's employment policies. So, we decided to approach Nauman Sikander Mirza, CEO foodpanda, for a fact check as to what they are doing to protect their hard working employees.
We found that foodpanda’s priority, during the Covid-19 outbreak, is to ensure a flawless and safe experience for their customers, as well as the wellbeing of their riders. They provide all their delivery riders road safety training, Covid-19 protection gear, health insurance and accidental death coverage. Furthermore, insurance coverage is free of cost for all riders. “Riders are essential frontline workers and our heroes. These brave warriors embrace difficult conditions every day to deliver vital food and grocery items to your home, so you can avoid going out and lessen the risk of contracting Covid-19.” said Nauman Sikander Mirza who also urges the authorities to do more for the protection of such hard working heroes.
He further elucidated the way the system works. Each rider operates in a limited zone of 4-5kms radius so as to save their fuel cost with a designated department dealing with rider compensation which closely monitors rider’s earnings; with bonuses being provided regularly. In these bleak times, amidst Covid, where organisations laid off their resources, foodpanda was one of the few companies in Pakistan to provide earning assistance and ration support to their riders in areas where operations were halted due to the lockdown.
While talking about incidents of criminal activities, such as the one experienced by Noman, he went ahead and explained that if a rider is mugged, he has the provision to go to the rider ticketing platform where the rider needs to provide a copy of the valid FIR of the incident. Upon provision of the valid FIR, the looted amount is waived off from the rider, which is completely borne by foodpanda, in order to protect the rider from financial losses.
With a fleet of over 15,000 riders working tirelessly to deliver happiness to foodpanda customers across the nation, it is rather satiating to know that foodpanda treats the riders as a family and takes such good care of the safety and security of its employees. Last but not the least, we seem to think the robbers too, set an example of kindness by giving back the possessions of a person earning an honest living. Sometimes such little things in life can make a huge difference and reinstate the hope in humanity. We sure hope to see a time when Karachiites can live freely in their own hometown without fear of being robbed.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ