Police in Hawke’s Bay have thanked two members of the public for their help in a situation where ‘nothing will come remotely close to this level of honesty’.

The couple had just picked their son up from day care when they noticed a large blue canvas bag abandoned on the side of the road.

They stopped, and upon examination of the bag, noted it was electronically locked and belonged to a bank.

The bag contained a reported total of $70,592.60 cash.

Inspector Chris Wallace says the actions of the couple were a true test of honesty.

“As the great British writer C.S. Lewis said, ‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.’ It is fair to say that this couple certainly did that, and more.

“One of our long-serving colleagues noted he’d never heard of such a story in the 40 years he’s been based in Hastings.”

As a result of this find, the bank and its security company were notified. The cash bag was collected within minutes and made its way to the intended destination.

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