In 2011, an Australian janitor found A$100,000 stuffed into a TV station toilet; after nobody claimed it, he was awarded A$81,597

A routine cleaning shift at an Australian television station took an extraordinary turn in 2011 when a cleaner discovered more than A$100,000 hidden inside a toilet. The cash was found at Channel Nine’s Melbourne headquarters, sparking a three-year mystery over who left it there. According to SBS News, cleaner Chamindu Amarsinghe did not walk away with the money after discovering it. He reported the cash to his supervisor, who contacted police. Some of the money was found inside a sanitary bin, while additional notes were recovered from the plumbing. No one came forward to claim the cash, leaving investigators with more than A$100,000 and no established owner.The strange discoveryAmarsinghe was cleaning the toilets on the ground floor of Channel Nine's Melbourne headquarters when he saw something strange in one of the sanitary bins. There were bundles of Australian currency notes in the bin. Amarsinghe found the money so unusual that he initially thought it might have been a hoax. The police arrived at the scene, and after finding out that some money had been found in the bathroom plumbing, a plumber was summoned. This raised questions about where the money came from and who had left it there. However, despite all attempts to establish the rightful owner of the money, no claim was put forward.A mystery that lasted yearsAs reported by The Guardian, the money stayed with the authorities while attempts were being made to trace the source. At one point, a Sydney man was charged in connection with possible proceeds of crime, but the charge was soon dropped. In the end, investigators could not determine who had put the money there. Since no owner came forward, it became clear that the matter would end up in court. Almost three years after the discovery of the money, a Melbourne magistrate had to decide on its fate. At this point, Amarsinghe was already living in New Zealand, where he was pursuing his education in information technology. He continued working and studying, apparently without expecting to recover the money.By then, the question was no longer just about who had left the cash in the toilet. With no one coming forward to claim it, the court had to decide what would happen to the money and whether Amarsinghe should receive any of it. The ruling would finally bring the unusual case to a close, even though the mystery of who left the cash behind remained unsolved.The cleaner gets most of the moneyMelbourne Magistrates' Court magistrate Michael Smith awarded Amarsinghe A$81,597 of the money he had found. About A$19,500 was retained by the state. The decision rewarded the cleaner for reporting the cash and helping authorities investigate its origins. Police supported the decision, while the court noted that Amarsinghe had done the right thing when he discovered the money. What began as an ordinary shift ended with a life-changing sum.Amarsinghe said he was speechless when he learned about the decision. He planned to use the money to support his future, including his career in information technology. He also said he wanted to donate some of it to help disabled people and to a Buddhist temple. The biggest mystery, however, remained unanswered. Even after more than three years, investigators could not determine who had hidden the cash in the television station's toilet or why it had been left there. For Amarsinghe, the story had an unusual ending. The discovery began with a toilet full of unexplained cash and ended with a court awarding him A$81,597.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.