Police in Hiroshima Prefecture revealed on Tuesday that a worker at a disposal facility found 10 million yen (just under $120,000) in cash in a pile of a garbage. The money was found on Monday, made up only 10,000 yen ($118) bills, on a conveyor belt coming out of a waste pulverizer.
Some of the money was torn up by the machinery, resulting in around 2,300 fragments, but most of it came out ok. The police in the city of Asaminami don’t believe the money was tied to a crime, as the garbage facility deals with bulky waste that can’t be collected on the street, like mattresses, cupboards, and other furniture. While mostly used by garbage trucks, individuals are able to dispose of things, meaning someone probably forgot or didn’t realize the large amount of money was inside.
The police say they are looking for the owner, but if it is not claimed in three months, the money will become the property of the local city government that operates the facility. By coincidence, not far away, in Hiroshima City, around 6 million yen (approx. $71,000) in cash was also discovered at a house to be demolished. Police are still looking for the owners of that money as well.
[via NHK]