Van spills 2 million dollars on a busy road in Hong Kong, China, and brings early Christmas joy to dozens of motorists. A van that belongs to British company, G4S, was transporting a total of HK$270 million or about $35 million, accidentally spilled more than $2 million on Gloucester Road as its doors flew open.
Van spills 2 million dollars or $HK15 million on Christmas Eve, and story goes viral. On Wednesday, many Chinese thought that Santa Claus had visited the country for a special delivery, as the doors of a van belonging to G4S, a British security company, opened.
According to Chinese authorities, the G4S van was transporting a total of $35 million or HK$270 million belonging to the Bank of China (BOCHK). The driver had picked up the money from the Bank of China located in the city’s Wan Chai district at around lunchtime, when the doors opened.
The man was unaware of the doors being opened, and was therefore stunned when he arrived at G4S’ headquarters in Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon; and discovered that more than $HK15 million or about $2.4 million had vanished.
Most of the money, which was stocked in three cash boxes, had fallen from the van and landed on Gloucester Road. Taxi drivers, tourists, motorists, and passersby, were spotted on CCTV footage rushing to the busy street to collect as much money as possible.
A person, who did not take part in the looting, told local media it was a frenzy, and added:
“I saw a regular-looking Hong Kong lady with an armful of bricks of cash. It was as much as she could carry. She just disappeared into the depths of Wan Chai.”
Police chief inspector Addy Li Chi-kin, who is handling the case, has said that anyone who took money home from the street is encouraged to return it, or they will be arrested for theft. Addy Li Chi-kin explained:
“We hope those who had picked up cash on the day can return the cash to the closest police station as soon as possible so that police can handle [the matter] promptly.”
Authorities used CCTV footage to read the license plates of vehicles present at the time of the incident and the serial numbers on the notes; and they have already arrested 2 people.
A 43-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, who left their taxi to go steal on Gloucester Road, were arrested in Kowloon City and Tseung Kwan. They had taken a total of K$165,000 in cash and hid it under a mattress.
Thus far, more than 30 people have surrendered, and returned HK$5.69 million or about $640K, that they had stolen. The “van spills 2 million dollars in China” story has gone viral, prompting the European company to apologize for the incident.
G4S blames a faulty door for the incident and plans to reimburse the losses to the Bank of China. Van spills 2 million dollars, creating a lot of confusion for all those involved.
