Mumbai, a city of over 20 million people, runs on movement—and even more so, on improvisation. So when an autorickshaw driver near the US Consulate in Bandra Kurla Complex saw anxious visa applicants struggling with their bags, he spotted a need no one had addressed.
“Bag de do. Safe rakhunga,” he reportedly said. And just like that, a micro-economy was born.
For ₹1,000 per bag, this driver offered to safeguard visitors’ belongings while they attended their visa appointments. In an area with tight security and no formal locker service, the driver’s solution was immediate, convenient, and highly appreciated. His story went viral after a LinkedIn post by Rahul Rupani of VenueMonk, who praised the driver’s “brilliant business model,” even estimating he was earning ₹5–8 lakh a month.
Social media celebrated him. Billionaire Harsh Goenka called it “pure Indian jugaad.” But as quickly as the fame came, so did the fallout.
Police Crackdown: Safety First or Missed Chance?
When the story hit headlines, Mumbai Police responded fast. The driver, along with 12 others who had set up similar services, was summoned. Authorities clarified that auto drivers are licensed to transport passengers, not store personal belongings. More importantly, they cited serious security risks. Storing unattended bags outside a foreign consulate, they argued, was not just unauthorized—it was potentially dangerous.
The crackdown ended the locker service overnight.
From a legal and security standpoint, the move was predictable. Diplomatic areas are high-alert zones. Every unattended item is a potential threat. But the incident reveals a deeper, more structural issue: when informal innovation fills a gap the system has failed to address, what’s the right response?
A System That Punishes Initiative
This man’s story isn’t an anomaly—it’s a case study. He didn’t scam anyone. He saw a pain point, and he addressed it with care. The issue isn’t that he broke the law intentionally; it’s that the law had no space for what he was doing in the first place.
Imagine if, instead of shutting the system down, authorities had created a regulated pilot project. Lockers, run by trained individuals like him, are located near high-security zones. Secure. Sanctioned. Even revenue-sharing with the city, perhaps. What could have been a moment of civic innovation turned into a cautionary tale.
Jugaad Deserves More Than Applause
India celebrates jugaad when it goes viral. But rarely does the system step in to formalize it. The problem isn’t the lack of ideas. It’s the absence of flexible frameworks to test, regulate, and integrate informal solutions that clearly solve real problems.
What happened at the US consulate could have been a starting point for a new urban service model. Instead, it became a story of missed opportunity and shutdowns. It’s a reminder: innovation without protection is vulnerable. And street-level enterprise, no matter how clever, still needs room to grow.
The Bigger Question
The demand for secure bag storage outside embassies hasn’t vanished. Nor has the entrepreneurial drive of people like this driver. The question is whether city planners, law enforcement, and civic bodies are willing to reimagine their relationship with informal enterprise. Because in cities like Mumbai, the future isn’t just built in boardrooms—it’s parked outside, offering help for ₹1,000 a bag.
