Athirappilly: Shaji Maliyekkal, a resident of Vettilappara, has once again let his honesty shine brighter than gold by returning a 4.5-sovereign chain he found in the Periyar River to its rightful owner. Remarkably, this is the fourth time that Shaji has come across lost jewellery and ensured that it was returned.

The incident unfolded the other day when Shaji and his wife travelled to Kuttampuzha in Kothamangalam to attend a relative's birthday celebration at a riverside resort. After the function, while strolling along the banks of the Periyar, he noticed something glistening in the water.

Stepping into the knee-deep water, he picked up what turned out to be a gold chain with three lockets. The ornament belonged to Anilkumar, a resident of Pallikkara, who had lost it a month earlier while visiting the same resort with friends. The chain had slipped off his neck while he was helping pull out their car after it got stuck in slush along a canal.

Subsequent heavy rains washed the chain into the river, and despite a search at the time, it could not be traced. The chain, which Shaji found on Saturday afternoon, was handed over to its owner on Sunday night in the presence of Minister Shibu Baby John. On earlier occasions, too, Shaji had handed over valuables he found to the Athirappilly and Chalakudy police stations.