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Why a hero refugee in Germany handed in €150,000 he found in his wardrobe

A Syrian refugee in Germany discovered a large amount of money in a second-hand wardrobe and handed it over to the police.

Mr Muhannad M. and the wardrobe where he discovered €150,000 ©Minden Police
Mr Muhannad M. and the wardrobe where he discovered €150,000 ©Minden Police

Police reported that shortly after moving into a new flat in Minden, north Rhine-Westphalia, Muhannad M. found €150,000.

According to a report by Independent.co.uk, the 25-year-old Muhannad had been able to furnish his flat largely due to contributions from charities, and the wardrobe was included among the donations

While cleaning the wardrobe, he noticed a hidden compartment where two sheets of wood had been screwed together.

It inside this compartment that he found savings books worth €100,000 and €50,000 in cash.

“They were all new €500 notes. I thought it was fake money,” Muhannad told German national newspaper Bild.

After looking online for clues as to how to tell if the notes were fake, he concluded that that they were in fact real, Independent.co.uk reported.

The Syrian refugee informed migration authorities who then informed the police. “I am a Muslim. I’m not allowed to keep this money. My religion forbids it,” he said.

“Allah would never allow me to finance my own interests with someone else’s wealth,” Thelocal.de quoted Mr Muhannad to have said.

Police are now trying to trace the owner of the money.

“This young man has acted in an exemplary way and deserves great respect,” a police spokesperson said. “It sometimes happens that smaller amounts of money are handed in. But this kind of money is the absolute exception.”

Mr Muhannad who came to Germany in October 2015 to escape the civil war, will receive a finder’s fee of three percent of the value of the money.

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