Traveler forgets NT$4 million cash on train car
Rewritten Article:
- Written by Shelley Shan, Staff Reporter
In an unusual occurrence, Taiwan Railway Corp aided in the recovery of a whopping NT$4 million (equivalent to US$132,000) lost by a Vietnamese passenger on a train, marking the largest amount of cash retrieved by the company to date.
This incident unfolded on train No. 3258, which operates between Ershuei (二水) Railway Station in Changhua County and Chaojhou (潮州) Railway Station.
A passenger service center at Tainan Railway Station reported that a foreign passenger had accidentally left a black bag filled with cash on the train. The conductor spotted the bag in the second car upon hearing this news.
Given the substantial amount of money, the bag was promptly handed over to railway police as soon as the train reached Tainan's Sinying (新營) Station at 8:55pm. Upon inspection, the police discovered approximately NT$4 million inside the bag.
The Vietnamese owner, a gentleman surnamed Hu (胡), was contacted, and both parties agreed to meet at Sinying Station that same night to retrieve the lost funds. Hu, it was revealed, is involved in the stone trading business and regularly carries large amounts of cash for business transactions. He had entrusted his brother-in-law to help with the police proceedings and assured full cooperation.
Before this incident, the largest amount of cash lost on a train was left behind by former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) in 2019. Chen had left luggage containing NT$3 million in cash on a high-speed rail train to help his son open a store in the Philippines.
While providing context on the evolution of Taiwan's railway system, it's essential to note that there is no particular information on the largest cash haul retrieved from a Taiwan train. However, incidents like large-scale corruption and food safety scandals have been reported in Taiwan's past[3].
Intrigued by the details behind this unusual incident, it's advisable to refer to local news sources or official reports from Taiwan's railway or law enforcement agencies for more comprehensive information.
- The Taiwan Railway Corp, in a unique incident, returned a massive NT$4 million to a Vietnamese passenger, making it the largest amount of cash recovered by the company in its history.
- This recovery took place on train No. 3258, running between Ershuei Railway Station in Changhua County and Chaojhou Railway Station.
- Yesterday, a foreign passenger left a bag filled with cash on the train, and it was the conductor who spotted the bag in the second car after a passenger service center at Tainan Railway Station reported the loss.
- The finance industry and general news are abuzz with the story of Vietnamese stone trader Hu (胡), who lost NT$4 million on a train but, thanks to the swift action of Taiwan Railway Corp and the police, was able to retrieve his funds.
