November 23, 2011
SYDNEY (AFP) - A man was under police guard in hospital Wednesday after being arrested over the discovery of a suitcase stuffed with possibly up to Aus$1 million (US$977,000) in cash left at a Sydney cafe.
The unattended bag was found by staff on Tuesday morning and the man, reportedly a 49-year-old man from Hong Kong, was later picked up by police after being spotted acting suspiciously.
But he became ill while in custody and was taken to hospital with an unknown medical condition.
"It's expected that further action will be taken when he's discharged from hospital," a police spokeswoman said.
The Sydney Daily Telegraph said the man was in Australia on a student visa and the case was full of Australian currency of all denominations from $100 to $5 bills bundled into various amounts.
Witnesses said the suitcase contained "possibly one million" dollars but police would not confirm exactly how much money was inside.
