‘Faith in humanity restored’: Kerala man drives 14 hours to return US tourist’s lost debit card

3 min readNew DelhiJun 16, 2026 12:57 PM IST

The US tourist only discovered the card was missing after reaching Thiruvananthapuram, nearly five hours away. (AI generated image)

A solo trip through Kerala turned into an unforgettable lesson in kindness for an American traveller after she misplaced her debit card and was helped by a local man who went far beyond what anyone would expect.

In a video that has since gone viral on Instagram, New York-based traveller India Witkin recounted how she accidentally left her debit card in an ATM while exploring a small beach town in Kerala. She only discovered the card was missing after reaching Thiruvananthapuram, nearly five hours away.

“I was solo travelling, and I didn’t realise until I was in the capital city, 5 hours away,” Witkin said. Earlier that day, she had visited a DHL office to ship a package to the United States and had exchanged phone numbers with an employee there. “I had to go to the ATM to withdraw cash, but accidentally left my card inside the machine.”

The traveller admitted that a mix of the intense heat and a hangover from the previous night may have contributed to the oversight.

“As soon as I realised my card was missing, I called the DHL guy. Asked if he could check if it was still there. Prayed to every Hindu God and Goddess I could think of,” she recalled. “24 hours later, he found it. Sitting on top of the machine. A miracle.”

Getting the card back, however, was still a challenge. Witkin was due to leave India within 36 hours, and because it was Sunday, courier services were unavailable. Just when she thought she had run out of options, the DHL employee stepped in once again.

“Later that night, he calls me and he tells me to come outside. This man drove six hours in a tuk-tuk with two friends to hand-deliver my card. 14 hours round trip. On his day off,” she said.

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Witkin explained that she offered to pay the man for his efforts, but he politely refused. “(He) said he knew I was travelling on a budget and to keep it for myself. His name? Krishna. The Hindu god of love, compassion, and protection. Tell me karma doesn’t exist.”

She added, “Hopefully, this story restores your faith in humanity, because it did for me.”

The heartwarming story resonated with many online, with several users sharing their own experiences of the generosity of people in Kerala.

“Keralam will never disappoint you,” one user commented. Another wrote, “We lived in Kerala for 4 years, and my dad had forgotten his wallet 3 times in the autos during those years, they always returned it. It’s been more than 10 years since and we still talk about how kind and humble they are.”

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A third user said, “Proud of you for proving our Kerala is real Gods own country. Thank you Indiawitkin for featuring him as well.”