Even after paltry tip, he tracks down woman who left diamond rings

NEW YORK – A taxi driver returned a black bag carrying 31 diamond rings to a passenger who earlier had given him a 30-cent tip on an $11 ride.

Hours after Osman Chowdhury dropped off the passenger, he tracked her down through a flurry of phone calls and returned the bag, which she had left in the taxi's trunk.

The unidentified woman, who said she was a jeweler, offered a $100 reward. Mr. Chowdhury accepted the money to cover the fares he lost while tracking her down.

Mr. Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh, said that he didn't consider keeping the gems.

"I'm a hard worker," the cabbie said. "I enjoy my life. I'm satisfied. I'm not going to take someone else's money or property to make me rich. I don't want it that way."