฿12M TRASH SHOCK: ฿12M in crisp banknotes found stuffed in a plastic box beside a condo trash bin in Nonthaburi. Shocked woman called police. Mystery man claims it’s his, blaming flood chaos. Cops probing bribes, tax evasion. Finder could earn ฿600K or the whole stash if ownership is not proved.
A grey plastic box was found in the garbage disposal area of a suburban condominium complex on Thursday night. Inside was more than ฿12 million in cash, hidden beneath a pile of clothes. The box was discovered by a resident who initially thought it might be useful for storage. However, when she opened it, she was stunned to find neatly stacked bundles of ฿1,000 notes, with ฿100,000 in each. Realizing the enormous value, she promptly called the police. On Friday afternoon, a man came forward and contacted Pak Kret Police Station to claim the money.
He told officers that he had placed the box outside by mistake after dealing with recent flooding in his condominium unit. For now, the cash is being held by police while a full investigation is underway. Authorities are working to verify the origin and ownership of the money. They are also focused on ruling out any potential links to criminal activity.
A woman in Nonthaburi got the shock of her life Thursday night after stumbling upon ฿12 million in cash—stuffed inside a plastic box left beside a trash bin. The discovery happened around 7:40 p.m. on June 5 at Building P2, Zone C of Muang Thong Thani.
The complex, located in the Ban Mai subdistrict of Pak Kret District, is one of the largest residential estates in Thailand.
Woman opens discarded box near condo elevator and discovers millions in tightly packed banknote bundles
The woman, a resident of the condo, was walking to dispose of her household garbage. She spotted a large grey plastic storage box sitting beside a trash can near the elevator on the fourth floor.
At first, she assumed the box had been discarded and planned to reuse it. But when she opened it and shook out the contents, bundles of cash spilt out. The shock froze her in place.
Inside the box were stacks of crisp ฿1,000 banknotes, tightly bound with green Kasikornbank straps. There were ten bundles containing one million baht each. Another twenty bundles were worth ฿100,000 each.
Right away, she called Pak Kret Police Station to report the find. Officers arrived within minutes. They inspected the scene and collected the box, its contents, and related documents. Everything was transported to the station for further examination.
According to police, the total amount inside the container was exactly ฿12 million. The notes were clean, dry, and neatly bundled. Most appeared new. Some of the bundles were still labelled with bank seals, indicating they may have come directly from a Kasikornbank branch.
Police also found a withholding tax certificate and an envelope mentioning the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The name on the documents was “Mr. Thaweewat,” but police withheld his surname.
Flooded condo unit may be linked to the box as police collect DNA and bring in forensics for fingerprint analysis
Additionally, officers found several pieces of men’s sportswear inside the box. The clothes looked like they had been packed in with the money. Police suspect the container came from a nearby condo unit that had recently suffered water damage. One building resident reported flooding in his room days earlier.
However, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the box was hidden or abandoned intentionally. Therefore, forensic officers from Nonthaburi Provincial Police were called in to analyze the evidence. The contents were dusted for fingerprints and examined for DNA. Police are trying to determine who last handled the box.
Pol. Col. Apisak Chotikasathian, Superintendent of Pak Kret Police, confirmed the cash was now in secure storage. He said the investigation had been escalated due to the large amount involved. By order of Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol Prembut, Commander of Provincial Police Region 1, the case is now being overseen by Deputy Commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Naradet Thiprak.
Their top priority is verifying the legal origin of the funds. So far, police believe the money was withdrawn from a Thai bank in 2020. The documents and straps support this theory. Nevertheless, officers are being cautious. “Just because it came from a bank doesn’t mean the money is clean,” Pol. Maj. Gen. Naradet said on Friday.
Man steps forward to claim cash after police confirm authenticity but hold off on confirming ownership
Meanwhile, police have begun tracing the name “Mr. Thaweewat” using the NBTC-linked paperwork. They plan to summon him for formal questioning. At 1:00 p.m. Friday, police announced that all notes appeared authentic and undamaged. However, no one had come forward to claim them.
That changed shortly after. A man contacted the police and claimed the money was his. He reportedly said he had stored the box inside his condo. After recent flood damage, he moved the container outside, planning to dry it out. Then he forgot to bring it back in.
Police have not verified his claim. For now, they are still checking fingerprints and looking into bank records. Authorities are also working with Kasikornbank to confirm when and where the money was withdrawn. This step is key to confirming legal ownership.
Even if the man can prove ownership, police say they must ensure the cash is not linked to crime or corruption. Interestingly, the presence of NBTC documents has raised questions. Was the money tied to a government agency? The NBTC has so far remained silent. However, they are believed to be cooperating with police.
Finder could claim ฿600,000 reward if cash goes unclaimed and police confirm it is not linked to crime
The case has sparked huge public interest—not just due to the sum involved, but also because of the potential legal implications. Under Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code, anyone who finds lost property must report it. If they do, and no one claims it within a year, they can claim full ownership.
In the meantime, the finder may be eligible for a reward. For items worth under ฿30,000, that reward is 10 per cent. For anything above that, they receive 10 per cent of the first ฿30,000 and 5 per cent of the remainder.
In this case, if no one claims the cash, the woman could receive up to ฿600,000. However, if she had kept the money without reporting it, she could have faced criminal charges. Police have praised her for doing the right thing.
“Her actions were commendable,” said one officer. “She followed the law and helped launch a proper investigation.” Indeed, if the rightful owner is never found, she could legally become the new owner. But that will only happen if the money is not deemed illegal property.
Mystery of box beside the trash stirs national curiosity amid speculation of bribes, tax evasion or a mistake
Meanwhile, speculation is swirling. Was the cash connected to tax evasion? Could it be linked to government bribes? Or was it simply someone’s long-forgotten savings? Police are keeping all options open. They’re also reminding the public not to jump to conclusions.
Still, in a country plagued by high-profile corruption scandals and shady dealings, the mystery has touched a nerve. Many are now wondering—how does someone forget ฿12 million beside a trash can?
One resident in the building, who asked not to be named, said he saw a man moving large containers out of a nearby unit a few days earlier. “He looked in a hurry,” the resident recalled. “Maybe he panicked after the flood.”
Anonymous finder hailed as ‘honest heroine of Muang Thong’ while police focus on the cash withdrawal
For now, the woman who found the money remains anonymous. Police say this is to protect her safety. However, her story has gone viral on Thai social media, where netizens are calling her “the honest heroine of Muang Thong.”
While the investigation continues, the box, the money and the documents remain locked in an evidence vault. Police say the next few days will be critical. If the man claiming the money can prove ownership and show it was legally earned, the case could be resolved quickly.
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But if the evidence doesn’t check out, the money could end up back in the hands of the woman who found it. In either case, the plastic storage box that was left out for the garbage has now become the centrepiece of a high-stakes mystery.
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