Chaos erupted on the Sirat Expressway after motorists stopped to collect cash that was dropped on the road. While some handed the money to the police to return it to the rightful owner, others disappeared with the unexpected windfall.
Police Senior Sergeant Major Phatsakorn Pramuansin of Highway Police Station 1 told Channel 7 yesterday, June 24, that he was driving to work along the expressway when he noticed several vehicles ahead slowing down.
Initially assuming there was an accident, Phatsakorn pulled over to investigate. However, he found no crash. Instead, he witnessed banknotes flying through the air and strewn across the road, along with documents and a passport.
Motorists stopped to collect the cash, which included both Thai baht and Chinese yuan. After identifying himself as a police officer, some motorists handed the money to Phatsakorn so he could locate the rightful owner.
According to the officer, several others quickly fled the scene with the money once they realised he was a police officer. A witness also informed him that a coach bus driver had initially claimed the money was his, prompting many to give their findings to the man.
Phatsakorn received over 20,000 baht in total from cooperative motorists. He checked the passport left at the scene and was able to identify the owner as a 36 year old Thai woman, Wanisa, whose contact information was also provided.
Wanisa had just become aware of the loss and was expected to collect her belongings from Highway Police Station 2, located near the scene.
Phatsakorn stated that no action had yet been taken against the motorists who kept the cash. Whether legal proceedings would be initiated would depend on whether Wanisa chose to press charges.
A similar incident occurred in 2023 in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen, when motorists returned nearly 100,000 baht they had found scattered across a road. Each driver had stopped upon noticing several 1,000-baht notes blowing in the wind.
The money was handed to the police, who successfully traced the owner. She explained that she had given the cash to a truck driver to purchase cassava roots. The driver had left the money on the vehicle’s doorstep and forgotten about it, causing it to be blown away while driving.
The story Bangkok expressway turns into treasure hunt after cash falls from vehicle as seen on Thaiger News.
