Man Leaves $1 Million in Italian Restaurant
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“According to witnesses, the man seemed on edge and nervous when he arrived”
An Italian restaurant in Sydney, Australia had a little more ‘dough’ then usual on Tuesday morning. An unidentified man baffled police and witnesses when he abruptly left neighborhood restaurant Café Marco around 8am, leaving behind a suitcase containing over $1 million in cash. I know this sounds like a scene from a movie – which immediately begs questions like – was this a ransom pay off? Or some sort of mob deal? Unfortunately, the police have little information at this time other then what the patrons in the restaurant could tell them. Customers in the café described the man as Asian, and in his 30’s. He was reportedly dressed for the beach, wearing board shorts and a wrestling singlet – how this wasn’t already suspicious to normal people is a little surprising. According to witnesses, the man seemed on edge and nervous when he arrived. He ordered a coffee and talked anxiously to nearby customers. Multiple people told police that the man seemed to have suddenly gotten “spooked” and, as abruptly as he came in, he bolted out, leaving behind his mysterious suitcase. Upon discovery of the suitcase, the two owners of the café called the police, fearing that the unattended suitcase could potentially be a bomb.
They moved the suitcase outside to get it away from the customers until authorities arrived to dispose of it properly. Workers at the dentist office next-door to the café watched as police arrived and handled the possible explosive suitcase. “They took it into a stairwell away from public view and opened it,” said one worker. Much to the officers’ surprise, the suitcase was not a bomb at all, and instead was overflowing with $50 bills. Police were initially very vague about the amount in their reports, simply stating that the suitcase contained “a significant amount of cash”. The police have still yet to finish counting the money, but it is now estimated that there was somewhere around $1.28 million in the suitcase. “Local detectives have commenced inquiries to determine who the money belongs to,” said a spokesperson. After recovering the money, the police were able to apprehend a 49 year old man who fit the unknown Café Marco man’s description. He is now at the hospital awaiting questioning, because apparently he had some pre-existing medical condition that flared up while he was in custody at the police station. Unfortunately for the café owners, their morning did not improve, as their restaurant was swarming with detectives and forensic agents; it was not until late afternoon that they could return to their normal business day.
