A Bangkok taxi driver has returned cash and valuables worth about 200,000 baht left in his cab by three foreign Bahraini  passengers.

Preeda Yunbuaban, 48, picked up Ahmed Abdulmalek, a Bahraini businessman, his wife and one-year-old daughter from Soi Sukhumvit 11 at about 11pm on Sunday to take them to the Patpong area.

Mr Preeda then took another passenger to Suvarnabhumi airport.

As he was about to leave the airport, he spotted a sports bag on the back seat. He thought it belonged to the airport passenger and ran after her, but she said it did not belong to her.

The Chaiyaphum native then searched for clues to the owner. Inside the bag, he found 25,320 baht, US$2,000 and 110 Bahrain dinars in notes, seven credit cards, three passports, a video camera and a digital camera.

“I also found an All Seasons Hotel keycard, so I telephoned the hotel and the staff confirmed that the three were guests,” Mr Preeda said.

“I left a message for them and called Sor Wor Por 91 traffic radio to help coordinate the return of their belongings.”

The taxi driver yesterday handed over the bag to Mr Abdulmalek at the radio station. Mr Abdulmalek embraced Mr Preeda to express his gratitude and gave the taxi driver 10,000 baht as a gift.

“It feels so good doing a good deed,” said the cabbie. “I once lost my wallet years ago and remember well how terrible it was.”