Mohamad Fahmi Abdul Aziz is a 28-year-old Malaysian scavenger who earns a living by looking for recyclable materials at a landfill in George Town in Penang Island. 

Fahmi recently earned praise online for choosing to do the right thing when he found a kettle full of Canadian dollars while sorting through the trash.

According to Fahmi, he wants to return the stack of C$100 notes to the person who lost it. While he refused to reveal the amount of cash he found, he shared that it was sizeable and “in the tens of thousands.”

“It is a daily routine for me to collect recyclable items at the dumpsite with my two workers,” he told The Star. “On Tuesday morning, I saw a shiny metal object half-buried in the ground. I pulled it out and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that the kettle was filled with currency bills.”

“I took it home and upon checking, I found it to be Canadian dollars. I was stunned,” he was quoted as saying.

Fahmi noted that he sought the opinion of a moneychanger to confirm that it was indeed genuine Canadian dollars.

“After a discussion with my wife and family members, we decided that it should be returned to the person who lost it. It could have been somebody’s savings and it has definitely been disposed of by mistake. I will not reveal the amount as I want the owner to reveal how much is in the kettle as proof of knowledge. I didn’t want to make a police report because if I have to surrender the money, I won’t know what will happen to it.”

Fahmi said that the idea keep the cash for himself did not cross his mind as it was not the right thing to do.

“I will seek advice from my religious teacher, and if I cannot find the owner, I might donate it to charity.”

As of this writing, no Canadian had reported losing a large sum of money, a Canadian High Commission official in Kuala Lumpur stated. The owner is encouraged to contact Fahmi at (+60) 017-491 3683.

Featured image via The Star