Street Cleaner Returns Lost Gold Worth KSh 814k, Rewarded With Certificate For Her Honesty: "I Almost Cried"

• Residents in Thai province have hailed the integrity of a dedicated Thai road sweeper who discovered misplaced gold accessories valued at KSh 814,000
• Ratree Chumwong, a 55-year-old road sweeper, demonstrated commendable honesty by successfully reuniting the precious gold items with their owner
• Ratree shared that the incident happened during her early morning cleaning when she stumbled upon a circular container from a local gold shop

A street cleaner's remarkable honesty has earned her widespread praise and recognition as she returned gold accessories worth nearly 200,000 baht (KSh 814,000) to their rightful owner.

How did the street cleaner find lost gold?

Ratree Chumwong, a part-time street cleaner in the Mueang Phetchabun district of northern-central Thai province Phetchabun, was honoured with a special certificate by local authorities.

A Facebook post by Somkiat Ngamnil indicated while performing her morning cleaning duties, Ratree stumbled upon a round box with a clear lid.

Recognising the potential significance of the discovery, as the box resembled those used by local goldsmiths and jewellers, she took a commendable decision not to open it.

Further reports by Straitstimes showed she covered the box with a plastic bag and promptly informed a nearby restaurant's operator about her find.

The restaurant operator and the 55-year-old cleaner together alerted the police, who were able to trace the owner of the gold accessories.

Owner of gold dropped it while attending party

The owner, Ittiphon, a 31-year-old freelance photographer, claimed his valuables at the Mueang Phetchabun police station.

The items included a necklace, a bracelet, and a gold-framed amulet, amounting to nearly 200,000 baht (KSh 814,000).

Expressing his gratitude, Ittiphon explained that he had inadvertently dropped the box while attending a party on Sunday.

He was deeply moved by Ratree's honesty and actions, saying he was "overwhelmed" with gratitude for her integrity.

Ratree's act of honesty did not go unnoticed by the local authorities.

What was the street cleaner awarded?

The mayor of Phetchabun, Seksan Niyompeng, awarded her a certificate of recognition during a ceremony held on Wednesday morning.

In addition to the certificate, the mayor personally provided a cash reward as a token of appreciation.

Discussions are also underway within the municipal office about offering Ratree a permanent position.

Residents and netizens were quick to applaud Ratree's actions, expressing their admiration and appreciation for her honesty.

One netizen commented:

“If the seniors in the current era were like this, I would have a prime minister already.”

Mutahi grateful after stranger returns KSh 150k

Back at home, political analyst and strategist Mutahi Ngunyi recently expressed his gratitude and joy after the kindness of a Kenyan.

In a post on Twitter, Ngunyi disclosed that he recently started using Safaricom's M-Pesa to transact money.

He explained that on one of the occasions, he wanted to send KSh 150,000 to his hardware shop but had a mix-up on the digits, and the money went to the wrong person.

"Kenya has a few good men left. I just joined M-Pesa in March 2023. Then I sent KSh 150,000 to my hardware shop. I missed one number, and it went to the wrong guy," he wrote.