A man in central China accidentally paid more than 140,000 yuan ($29,300) for two steamed buns after he entered his PIN rather than the amount due on e-payment platform Alipay.

Liuzhu He, the manager of the steamed bun shop in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, told local media that he didn't realise he received the wrong amount until he did his bookkeeping in late April — a month after the incident.

He said he approached the media for help when the owner didn't come back to collect the money.

Two people named Hongwei Han — the name of the customer — contacted local media and the case was referred to the police.

Hongwei Han (wearing a mask) didn't realise he spent the amount at the time. ( Weibo: Zheng Zai Fa Sheng )

The manager met one Mr Han at a local police station on Wednesday, where police confirmed he was the owner — the other man with the same name didn't show up.

The steamed bun company's manager also came down to the same police station and awarded Mr He 5,000 yuan ($1,050) for doing the right thing.

"5,000 yuan isn't much, I hope everyone can spread this type of behaviour," the company's manager said.

Liuzhu He was awarded a 5,000-yuan cheque for how he handled the case. ( Weibo: Zhengzhou News Radio )

The customer, Mr Han, said when he took his children to buy two buns for 1.5 yuan (30 cents) each last month, he didn't realise he had transferred more than $29,300.

"I didn't receive any text notifications, I really didn't realise," he said.

"Yesterday I received a call from an Alipay customer service officer, and they said there was something wrong with my balance."

While Mr Han admitted the incident created problems and disrupted both his life and work, he also thanked the police for their help and expressed his gratitude to Mr He.

Mr He told Zhengzhou Evening News he checked the surveillance camera footage outside his shop, but the customer bought the buns at peak hour and so he could not identify him from the crowd at the time.