According to News24, Frits Buter found himself unexpectedly reunited with his stolen iPad, which had been taken from him during a train tour in Paris in 2014.
A woman in Buter’s neighbourhood purchased the device online and recognised its original owner.
Buter, now 77 years old, had assumed the iPad was lost forever after the theft occurred during a crowded train ride to the Eiffel Tower.
The bag containing his iPad, passport, money, cards and travellers’ checks had been snatched, leaving him stranded without resources until he could get a new passport from the South African embassy in Germany.
Despite the ordeal, Buter was surprised to find himself treated with kindness by the train staff, who allowed him to travel in first-class accommodations despite his lack of funds.
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The memory of the stolen iPad faded over time until Buter received an unexpected call from a local woman claiming to have his device.
Initially skeptical, Buter dismissed the calls as potential scams. However, persistent outreach from the woman eventually led to a revelation: his iPad had miraculously made its way back to South Africa, ending up just kilometres away from his home in Bloubergstrand.
Meeting with the woman who had purchased the iPad, Buter was astonished to learn that she had got it from a private seller on a social media marketplace earlier in the year.
Despite being in pristine condition, the outdated technology rendered the device unusable for its new owner. Remarkably, the iPad still contained Buter’s name and contact details, allowing the woman to reach out and initiate the reunion.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events, Buter insisted on compensating the woman for reuniting him with his cherished memories.