July 10, 2012
SAO PAULO (AFP) - A homeless Brazilian couple that lives under the bridges of Sao Paulo found a garbage bag filled with 20,000 reals ($10,000) on a sidewalk Monday -- and promptly turned it into the police.
Officials said the pair was out for a dawn stroll when they heard an alarm.
They walked closer to see what was going on and stumbled on a briefcase and a garbage bag full of money. The pair alerted a nearby security guard, asking him to call the police.
"When we arrived, the couple gave us the money. It might be the money stolen last week from a Japanese restaurant," said military police spokesman Bruno dos Santos.
The homeless pair "had the opportunity to flee with the money, but they called a security guard and asked him to call the military police. What they did is commendable," the spokesman said.
Jesus Silva Santos, the man who found the money, told the press that he earned a little more than $7 a day from recycling trash.
"My mother taught me never to steal," he said.
