Hong Kong police arrest couple who took cash that fell from security van

A Christmas surprise ended in arrest for a Hong Kong beautician and businessman who collected thousands of dollars spilled on the street by bank security guards, but were tracked down by police who found the stash under their bed.

The pair were taking a taxi in the city centre when boxes of HK$500 notes – each worth about €53 – fell out of a security van with a faulty door. They stopped the car and began scooping up cash along with dozens of other passersby, the South China Morning Post reported. People had grabbed up to HK$15 million in cash by the time armed police arrived to seal off the road.

“At first people did nothing, then one person went into the road,” one witness told the paper.

The guards from G4S didn't notice the loss until they reached base 14km away. The money belonged to the Bank of China.

“The seal on two of the three plastic boxes was broken. They probably broke when they fell to the ground,” district police superintendent Wan Siu-Hong told Reuters.

Police have appealed to anyone who picked up cash to hand it in and said they will use CCTV footage to catch others. So far about 30 people have given up more than HK$5 million.

– (Guardian)