Retired headmaster returns RM1,739 dropped by labourer in Kapit

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Photo taken by the former headmaster shows the wad of cash where he spotted it in the Kapit Town Square.

KAPIT (Feb 15): A retired headmaster has been widely praised for returning a wad of cash that he found at the Kapit Town Square to its rightful owner through the police.

The man, who wished to remain unnamed, was walking through the square around 9am today when he spotted the money.

“I realised someone must have accidentally dropped the money, so I quickly took a photo of the cash with my mobile phone as evidence before picking it up,” he related.

“I then requested a woman who was passing by to witness me counting the money, which amounted to RM1,739.”

In the wad were 17 pieces of RM100 notes (RM1,700), seven pieces of RM5 notes (RM35), and four pieces of RM1 notes (RM 4).

After establishing the amount, the former headmaster went to the Kapit police station, located some 600 metres away, to lodge a report and hand over the cash.

The money was later claimed by a logging camp labourer, who had just received his monthly wages from his employer.

The labourer said he was anxious and worried when he realised the money had dropped from his pocket.

When he returned to the Kapit Town Square to search for it, he was told someone had handed it over to the police.

He then headed straight to the Kapit police station to claim the money with the payslip from his employer as proof.

Among those to praise the former headmaster’s honesty was businessman Yeo Yong.

He commented it is getting harder to find people with high moral values and discipline such as the former headmaster.

“Upon finding the dropped money, he handed it over to the police so that the owner could collect back the money.

“The former headmaster deserves to be commended for his noble act – what is not yours don’t take as one’s own,” said Yeo.