Surprise in Wels

“There are banknotes floating on the water”

Police officers inspect the counterfeit money that washed ashore in Wels.

(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

Where did the hundreds of euros come from? They were floating in the water on a flooded recreational area in Wels. The police called the fire department to help after a passer-by raised the alarm. And then there was a big surprise.

"There are banknotes floating on the water," a witness alerted the emergency services on Sunday. Banknotes, many 500-euro banknotes, were indeed floating on the flooded area into which the flooding Grünbach stream was currently flowing.

Drone operation
A simple recovery was not possible and it was unclear how much money was really floating here. So the police called in the fire department for help. Using a drone, they were able to locate the banknotes or bundles of money and guide firefighters on barges to the money.

Disposed of or washed out
The recovered banknotes were handed over to the police and the trained officers were quickly able to clarify that no treasure had been found here. On the contrary: it was counterfeit money.

It is unclear why the flowers were floating in the floodwater. Either they had been disposed of or the flood had washed the bundles of counterfeit money out of a hiding place. In any case, the investigators are certain that the owner will not come forward.