On Tuesday (2 June), a taxi driver in Bangkok returned EUR8,500 (S$12,600) to two Sri Lankan tourists.
They had left a shoulder bag containing the cash in his vehicle earlier that day, alongside a pair of Tommy Hilfiger shoes and a hotel room key.
Wanting to return these items, the taxi driver, 50-year-old Mr Pathapee Yamsano, called the police radio station SWP FM91 to help him find the owner.
Source: Nation
According to Amarin TV, Mr Pathapee had picked up the passengers from Suvarnabhumi Airport and dropped them off at Silom Soi 19 at around 8.10am.
When he discovered the items, he rushed to SWP FM91 after a customer to seek help finding the owner.
“When I found it, I was shocked to see the large amount of money and wanted to return it immediately,” Mr Pathapee said. “Keeping it would be a burden; I’d have to find the owner. The money isn’t mine.”
Mr Pathapee said he has previously found mobile phones and thousands of baht in cash, but always returned them, as he still remembered who they belonged to.
However, this time, Mr Pathapee had several passengers before discovering the lost items, so he was not sure who owned them.
As such, he decided to reach out to the police radio station.
“At least this shows everyone that taxi drivers like us don’t think of keeping passengers’ belongings; if we find them, we return them,” he expressed.
Source: AmarinTV
After the radio station announced a search for the owner, an employee of the apartment building housing foreigners called to report lost items.
They then arranged for the owner, Sri Lankan national Mr Mohammed Aashif, to collect his valuables at the radio station.
“We were tired and sleepy when we got in, so we placed our bag behind the headrest,” the tourist recalled. “When we arrived at our accommodation and got out of the taxi, we realised we had left it behind.”
Mr Aashif and his companion filed a police report for their missing item, but later realised they could not get into their accommodation, as the key was in the missing bag.
He thanked the taxi driver and the police radio station for returning their belongings, and gave Mr Pathapee a cash reward to show his appreciation.
Source: AmarinTV
Also read: Migrant worker finds S’porean man’s passport, tracks him down on WhatsApp to return it
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Featured image adapted from AmarinTV.