While returning from a friend’s wedding in Johor Bahru, a Singaporean couple was stopped by Malaysian immigration officers at the checkpoint for a car inspection. 

Not knowing that their handbag, which contained documents, bank cards and $4,700 in cash had fallen out of the vehicle during the check, the couple continued their midnight drive home, reported The Star. 

Interior designer Tan Zheng Guang explained that he and his wife were worn out from the journey and only realised the bag was missing upon reaching home. 

The 36-year-old thought the item might have been left behind at the hotel in which they stayed from Nov 3 to 5, but it was not the case. 

Tan immediately cancelled his bank cards but held back from lodging a report “as I had a feeling that someone would find my bag”, he told the Malaysian news outlet. 

Sure enough, he later received a call from the Singapore Consulate-General in JB, informing him that Malaysian immigration officers had found his bag. 

“Initially, I thought it was a scam call until the person sent me a picture of my identity card,” he recalled. 

An official from Malaysia’s Home Ministry reportedly said that two immigration officers at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar customs, immigration and quarantine complex discovered the bag on the car lane. 

They identified the owner using CCTV footage and alerted their superiors, who then contacted the Consulate-General to assist in locating Tan. 

The Singaporean retrieved his bag on Nov 21 and thanked the two officers who had found the fallen item. 

“Everything was accounted for and I am grateful to them for their honesty and professionalism in trying to locate me through our consulate,” he said. 

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com