BANGKOK — 3 June 2026, A Thai taxi driver returned more than 300,000 baht (€8,500) in cash to a Sri Lankan tourist after finding a bag left behind in his vehicle, saying it never crossed his mind to keep a passenger’s belongings.
The handover took place at FM91 Trafficpro Radio Station in Bangkok, where station representatives witnessed the return of the lost property to its owner.
The incident began at 08:37 on 2 June when taxi driver Pathapee Yamsano, 50, from Samut Prakan province, contacted FM91 after discovering a black shoulder bag left in his green-and-yellow taxi.
The bag contained €8,500 in cash, worth about 322,000 baht, a pair of white Tommy Hilfiger trainers and a room key.
Pathapee said he had picked up the passenger from Suvarnabhumi Airport and dropped him off in Silom Soi 19 at about 08:10.
“I was shocked when I saw the amount of money inside and wanted to return it immediately,” Pathapee said. “Keeping it would only create problems because I would have to find the owner. The money was not mine.”
He said he had previously returned lost mobile phones and smaller amounts of cash, but in this case he did not know who the bag belonged to because it had been left on a storage shelf behind the rear seat.
“At least this shows that taxi drivers like us do not think about taking passengers’ belongings. If we find something, we return it,” he said.
FM91 later broadcast an appeal to locate the owner, while staff at the tourist’s accommodation also contacted the station to report the missing bag.
The owner was later identified as Sri Lankan tourist Mohammed Aashif, who arrived at the station accompanied by Mohammed Onaiz to collect the belongings.
Aashif said he had accidentally left the bag behind after feeling tired and sleepy during the journey from the airport.
“When I arrived at my accommodation, I realised I had left the bag in the taxi,” he said. “I reported it to the police and waited at the building, but I could not even enter my room because the key was inside the bag.”
He expressed gratitude to the driver and FM91 for helping recover the property.
“I am very grateful that the driver found the money and returned it,” he said. “I would like to thank him and FM91 for coordinating its return.”
Aashif also presented the driver with a cash reward as a token of appreciation.
