A new expat to Qatar has been praised by police for turning in a lost bag containing QR50,000 in cash, a check for QR200,000 and an iPhone, the Gulf Times reports.

The man, 24-year-old Jayson Castillo, is a Filipino national who has only been in Qatar for two months. According to the newspaper, he spotted a black leather pouch sitting near Al Khor roundabout Tuesday morning, as he made his way to work.

“First I looked at it for a minute and I was hesitant to pick it up because vehicles drive too fast on this stretch,” Castillo said.

He decided to take a look, however, and when he discovered its contents, he phoned a friend – a long-term Doha expat – for advice on what to do next. His friend told him to report the find to the local police station, which he did forthwith.

‘Be an honest man’

Castillo, who works at Fitness First in Al Khor, could not immediately be reached for comment by Doha News. But he told Gulf Times that his parents had taught him “to be an honest man despite being poor” adding, “you feel good when you have done something like this.”

The Qatari owner of the bag  – which apparently contained employees’ wages – was immediately contacted by police and told it had been found.

He thanked Castillo for returning it, saying he had no idea that it had been missing.

He told police that he thought it had fallen out when his car door had opened accidentally at the roundabout.

Thoughts?