GEORGE TOWN: The next best thing to a pot of gold might be a kettle full of Canadian dollars, which was exactly what a scavenger for recyclable materials found in a landfill here.

But Mohamad Fahmi Abdul Aziz, 28, does not believe in the “finders keepers” adage – he wants to return the stack of C$100 notes to the person who lost it.

Refusing to reveal the amount of cash he stumbled upon, Fahmi merely said the amount was sizeable and “in the tens of thousands”.

“It is a daily routine for me to collect recyclable items at the dumpsite with my two workers. On Tuesday morning, I saw a shiny metal object half-buried in the ground.

“I pulled it out and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that the kettle was filled with currency bills.

“I took it home and upon checking, I found it to be Canadian dollars. I was stunned,” he added.

Fahmi said he later showed a few of the notes to a moneychanger and confirmed that it was genuine Canadian dollars.

“After a discussion with my wife and family members, we decided that it should be returned to the person who lost it.

“It could have been somebody’s savings and it has definitely been disposed by mistake.

“I will not reveal the amount as I want the owner to reveal how much is in the kettle as proof of knowledge.

“I didn’t want to make a police report because if I have to surrender the money, I won’t know what will happen to it.

“I will seek advice from my religious teacher, and if I cannot find the owner, I might donate it to charity,” he told The Star.

Asked why he did not want to keep the cash for himself, Fahmi maintained that it was not the right thing to do.

A Canadian High Commission official in Kuala Lumpur, when contacted, said no Canadian had reported losing a huge amount of money.

“The C$100 notes were replaced by new higher security polymer bills in 2017 and the old ones have to be changed in the banks to be used,” he said.

When shown a picture of the currency notes, he confirmed they were legal tender but said they needed to be replaced with the new notes in the bank.

“There are some money changers who accept the notes because it is still in circulation. The person should lodge a police report as anyone can lay claim to it,” he added.

Fahmi can be contacted at 017-491 3683.