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Russian Pensioner Leaves 1M Rubles on Bus, Police Return Cash Intact

Michael Coghlan / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

An 81-year-old pensioner went on an emotional roller coaster when he left a bag with 1 million rubles ($14,800) on a trolleybus, only to have it returned by honest police officers.

Siberia’s Zabaikalsky region police said in a statement that they had found a bag full of personal belongings and several wads of cash on a trolleybus after a conductor's tip-off.

After identifying the owner's name based on documents found inside the bag, the police officers went on to find the man in the city, the regional Interior Ministry branch said in a statement Tuesday.

“The pensioner said he was transiting through Chita and forgot his bag while getting off the trolleybus,” police said.

After recovering the money, officers Alexander Ivanov and Zorikto Boyarov then helped the overwhelmed elderly man deposit his savings in a nearby bank.

“Having calmed down and feeling safe, the Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky resident thanked policemen for returning the property and providing help,” the branch boasted.

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