'She returned Dh700 after two years': Why this Indian expat says this could only happen in Dubai

Dubai: On her first day driving in the city, Indian national Mallika Boobna got into a minor accident – and it made her realise why people love living in Dubai.

Boobna works as a partner at real estate firm Marrfa, in Dubai. She moved from London to Dubai in 2024, and quickly decided she needed to learn to drive. Her commutes in central London usually happened on the Tube (the city’s underground metro), and didn’t require her to drive, but in Dubai, where she was always on the move and visiting different properties, it was finally time. 

She said: “I lived in Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) and my work was in Business Bay, so taking a cab every day was too much. So, I realised I have to learn to drive.” It took her four months to get her driver’s licence. 

On her first day driving in the city, in October 2024, Boobna borrowed her uncle’s car, and headed to a hotel, where she and her colleague had a meeting with a developer. In the parking lot, instead of reversing into the parking space, she decided to turn her car in. 

She said: “Parking has always been difficult for me. My car doesn’t have cameras so I couldn’t see.” As she navigated her car into the parking spot, she heard a scratching sound. 

Her heart dropped.

Boobna said: “I’m a very anxious person, so I was panicking. Firstly, I scratched someone else’s car… I hoped I wasn’t in trouble. Secondly, I wasn’t driving my own car – it was my uncle’s expensive Audi. He trusted me with his car and I scratched it, so I was in a panic.”

Her colleague, who was with her in the car, calmed her down and suggested leaving a note for the other driver. Boobna apologised profusely in the note, and her colleague left his number for help with repairs or filing a report.

When Julia, the driver of the other car, got in touch with them, she did something that surprised Boobna: “She said, ‘I thank you so much because you could have easily just left. You guys were gracious enough to leave your number, so I appreciate it. Don’t worry about this.’” Julia’s car belonged to a rental company, so she said she would iron out the details with them. 

A few days later, Julia sent Boobna a receipt from the car rental company for Dh1,500. Boobna paid, Julia thanked her, and everything was sorted out. 

Over the next few months, she developed a cordial relationship with Julia, who invited her to visit her in Jumeirah Beach Residences (JBR) whenever she was in the neighbourhood. Boobna, in return, sent her holiday greeting messages on occasions like Christmas.

Two years passed and Boobna forgot about the incident until a few days ago, on June 3, when a new message popped up from Julia. She wanted to let Boobna know that she had finally returned her rental car, and when she was going through payment records, she discovered that the repair costs were Dh800, not Dh1,500. She owed Boobna Dh700 – and she wanted to pay.

To say Boobna was surprised is an understatement. She said: “[Julia] had no reason to return the money to me. Technically, the rental company did say Dh1,500. It was her luck that it cost less. She could have very easily kept the money, and she would not have done anything wrong if she did so, to be honest. But she chose, even after two years, to return the money she owed me. And she did it on the same day [that she texted me]! It doesn’t happen in today’s world, very often.”

Boobna speaks from experience. Originally from Patna in Bihar, India, she moved to London when she was 17, where she studied finance, and worked with international companies. In 2024, she realised she no longer wanted to live there: “I decided to go to Greece on a cruise trip. In the middle of [my vacation], I quit my job. Then I packed my bags and moved to Dubai.”

The impromptu move was a long time coming. She said: “My extended family was in Dubai, it was closer to home. It seemed like all the opportunities were in Dubai. I realised if I stayed in London for another year, nothing would change in my life. I had a good life, but it was very stagnant in growth. But I knew if I moved to Dubai, every single day would look different, and life in a year would be very different. And that’s exactly what happened.”

For Boobna, the situation like the one she and Julia faced, which was resolved so gracefully, could only happen in Dubai. She said it’s because no matter what challenges and situations people are facing, everyone is happy in the city. 

She explained: “I can speak about London, since I lived there for a long time. Everyone there is complaining about life, about surviving. In Dubai, we thrive! That’s why, when a good thing happens, people want to share that with others. Dh700 is a lot of money, in a lot of places, and for someone to give it back to you, is not common. That’s why I said it could only happen in Dubai.”

Next week, the two ‘accidental friends’ are meeting up for coffee to catch up and share a laugh – something else, that could only happen in Dubai, a city where the kindness of strangers is an everyday occurrence.