By Esther Lauaki
Hunger pangs could have cost two men $20,000 at a Tarneit pizza shop.
The pair walked into Pizza Tabrabane recently after a quick stop at a bank to collect money they said was for a house deposit.
The shop’s security cameras captured the moment the wad of cash, in a white envelope, fell to the floor from one of the men’s pockets before they left with their meals.
Shop owner Shakir Arafat, who started the business two years ago, said one of his staff found the parcel and handed it in when he returned from a delivery.
“The guys came to buy a pizza and had no idea that they had dropped the money on the floor,” Mr Arafat told
Star Weekly.
He said that about 15 minutes after they left, the men came back “really stressed”.
“They said they had dropped some money … they said the $20,000 was collected from their friends and family and they put it into the bank,” he said. “They didn’t want to leave it in the car because they thought it wouldn’t be safe.”
Mr Arafat said he wasn’t aware of the money until his driver came back and said he’d found the parcel on his way out.
Mr Arafat said he was thrilled to deliver the good news to the men, who had left their contact details.
“When I opened the envelope, there was a lot of money in there,” he said.
“The guys were so relieved when I called them and they came back later in the evening.
“I made him count it in front of me … whether it was $1 or $100, I wanted to make sure that they knew all the money was there.”
Mr Arafat said he turned down the men’s offer of a reward
“I didn’t want any money,” he said.
“I’m Sri Lankan and have lived in Truganina for 10 years.
“We work hard and we earn our money here.”
