A DIY fan has given a new meaning to the saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ after he found £130,000 in old kitchen cabinets.
Thomas Heller, from Germany, bought them from an elderly couple’s estate on eBay and was chuffed when he even negotiated the original price down to £203, saving £50.
Inside one of the cupboards, the 50-year-old discovered tens of thousands of euros stashed in two secret boxes.
Instead of succumbing to temptation and pocketing the cash, the social housing managing director handed it in to a police station.
Mr Heller said: ‘One [envelope] was open and a lot of €100 bills were looking at me.
‘They [police] opened the second, locked cupboard in front of my eyes. There were larger bills in the envelopes. Two hundred, five hundred.’
Impressed by the amount of money and his honesty, police took the case to the district court and began an investigation to find the kitchen’s original owner.
The force established that the money belonged to a 91-year-old woman from the city of Halle, who was nursed in a retirement home after her husband passed away.
Police spokesperson Astrid Kuchta said: ‘The kitchen came from a household liquidation by an elderly couple from Halle.
‘The two cash boxes were well hidden in areas of the furniture that were difficult to see.’
The seller was actually the grandson of the elderly couple, who told local media he had no idea about the money hidden inside.
Under German law, keeping more than €10 (£8.41) of lost money constitutes embezzlement, with offenders facing up to three years in prison.
Despite this, Mr Heller’s honest nature was rewarded as the same law also states he is now eligible for a 3% finders fee, worth £3,784.
The good Samaritan has not yet revealed how he plans to spend the little fortune.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.