UDON THANI, Thailand – Capt. Methee Thapsuri, Deputy Investigation Officer of the Klang Yai Police Station in Ban Phue District, Udon Thani, was at the station when a 28-year-old man, Boonkong Munmueangpak, or Namfon, came in to report that he had found a large sum of money on March 13. Namfon, who lives in the rural village of Nong Waeng, Nam Som District, works by collecting recyclables and selling them to support his grandmother.
While cycling with a cart filled with old goods, he had found a stack of 1,000-baht banknotes worth 100,000 baht on the side of the road near the Thai Capital Company’s branch in Ban Phue District.
The police carefully counted the money, confirmed it amounted to 100,000 baht, and registered the report. They then accompanied Namfon to the location where he had found the money, taking photographs as evidence and reviewing nearby CCTV footage to trace the rightful owner.
While investigating, a 41-year-old woman, Ms. Piyanuch Srithong, arrived at the scene with her family. She explained that she had lost the money while conducting business in the area. The police invited her in for questioning, and after confirming the details, it was determined that the money belonged to Ms. Piyanuch. She was immensely relieved and grateful when the police returned the full sum to her.
In gratitude, Ms. Piyanuch praised Namfon for his honesty and good deed. She offered him a reward of 3,000 baht and even arranged for him to be driven home with his bicycle and cart. She was deeply moved by his honesty and his circumstances. During their conversation, Ms. Piyanuch shared that she had been buying rubber from local farmers and had borrowed 450,000 baht by pawning 11 gold necklaces. After reviewing the cash at her buying station, she discovered 100,000 baht was missing, which prompted her to search for it.
Upon reviewing CCTV footage, she saw that she had indeed received the full amount from the pawn shop, so she retraced her steps to the ATM where she had withdrawn money, where the police were already investigating the missing sum. Upon identifying the police, she immediately approached them, and after explaining the situation, she was able to recover her lost cash.
“I am so thankful that I got my money back in full. If it were someone else, they might have kept the money, but Namfon is a truly good person. He didn’t even think about keeping it for himself. I don’t know how to thank him enough. Initially, I gave him a small reward as a token of appreciation,” Ms. Piyanuch said, visibly moved.
Ms. Piyanuch also mentioned that after seeing Namfon’s living conditions and learning about his hard work to support his grandmother, she was touched. Namfon, who collects recyclables and earns around 500-600 baht a day, lives with his grandmother and does not engage in any illegal activities. His kind-hearted nature inspired her, and she plans to discuss with her family about offering him a more stable job in her rubber plantation or at her business. “Good people like him are rare,” she said. “We want to help him so he can earn enough to support his grandmother.”
Namfon shared his story, explaining that he had been doing odd jobs and collecting recyclables for less than a year. When there are no jobs available, he cycles with his cart to gather recyclables to sell. He had bought the bicycle with a digital wallet grant from the government. Despite his humble life, he was determined not to take the money he found. He recalled that his grandmother had always taught him not to take things that did not belong to him.
“I didn’t even consider keeping the money. It’s not mine. I was taught by my grandmother that if I ever found something like this, I should return it. I’m happy I could do the right thing,” Namfon said.
Namfon expressed that even if he had found a larger sum of money, like a million baht, he would have still handed it in to the police. He is content that the right thing was done, and he is looking forward to starting a new job with the help of Ms. Piyanuch.
