Staff finds S$10,000 cash on MRT train at HarbourFront, returns it to passenger

When an MRT train pulled up at HarbourFront MRT station recently, Soh Sin Chye got ready to complete his regular patrol of the carriages.

The 44-year-old customer service officer was in the midst of his routine checks when he caught sight of something out of place: an unassuming brown envelope, wedged snugly between the train seats.

He didn't expect to find a hefty sum of money in it.

The incident was revealed by SBS Transit in a Facebook post on Oct. 21.

Lost and found money

Opening the envelope, Soh discovered a stack of S$100 notes adding up to S$10,000.

An identity card and a passport were stored alongside the cash.

Some people might have been tempted, even if just for a moment, to say, "Finders keepers."

Soh had a different instinct.

"My first thought was that it needed to be returned safely," he said instead.

"It must have been incredibly important to the owner."

S$10,000 back with owner

Soh was quick to alert the Operations Control Centre of his discovery, said the post.

Station staff then held on to the envelope for safekeeping.

It took two hours before the envelope's owner showed up looking "distressed".

After verifying his identity, the staff handed the cash back to its rightful owner.

Soh happened to be there and personally return the envelope to him.

"I’m really happy that I could help out when he needed it most," Soh said.

Mothership has reached out to SBS Transit.

Top images via SBS Transit/Facebook