Hawke’s Bay couple who found $70,000 on the ground hand it in to police

A couple had just picked their son up from daycare when they noticed a large blue canvas bag abandoned on the side of the road.

Police in Hawke’s Bay say they stopped and, upon examination of the bag, noted it was electronically locked and belonged to a bank.

The bag contained a reported total of $70,592.60 in cash.

Police say they thanked two members of the public for their help in a situation where “nothing will come remotely close to this level of honesty”.

Inspector Chris Wallace says the actions of the couple were a true test.

”As the great British writer CS Lewis said, ‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching’.

“It is fair to say that this couple certainly did that, and more.

”One of our long-serving colleagues noted he’d never heard of such a story in the 40 years he’s been based in Hastings.

”As a result of this find, the bank and its security company were notified. The cash bag was collected within minutes and made its way to the intended destination.”