Cleaning woman who turned in lost cash vindicated after investigation

A cleaning lady who was sacked after she called the police to turn in a lost bag with 20,000 yuan ($2,882) inside should be rewarded, according to a statement released by the Administration for Market Regulation in Xigang district of Dalian, Liaoning province, on Monday.

A 59-year-old cleaner surnamed Song found a lost bag with two large bundles of cash inside when she was cleaning the sink at Dalian Zihang Seafood Restaurant on Jan 28. She handed it over to the front desk after no one claimed it.

Several days later, she reported it to the police after learning the money was still there. She was fired shortly after, according to a report from Peninsula Morning News in Dalian.

On Saturday (Feb 25), the topic "a cleaner was fired allegedly because she reported to the police when she found a lost package with 20,000 yuan inside" was trending on social media.

Later that night, the restaurant posted a video on its official account on Douyin saying Song, employed by an outside cleaning company, wanted to take back the money two days after she handed it over to the front desk of the restaurant, and it was they who handed it to the police after discussion with the cleaning company.

The restaurant manager also pointed out Song resigned voluntarily with no wage reduction.

However, Song denied allegations she wanted to take the money back.

She said she had sought legal advice and informed the restaurant manager before she reported it to local police.

"If I wanted to take back the money, why would I report to the police and contact reporters?" Song asked in a report from Jimu News.

Right after she reported to the police, she got a call from the cleaning company demanding Song not call the police and warned against it.

Instead of resigning voluntarily, Song was fired by the cleaning company on that day after receiving payment, she told the reporter.

After an investigation by a special team formed by Xigang district on Sunday, the Administration for Market Regulation released a statement on Monday clarifying Song went to the police and she should be rewarded for her behavior, adding the cleaning company did not handle the incident properly.

Penalties will be levied on the restaurant managers whose staff made improper remarks, and the managers of the companies involved apologized in-person to Song.

However, Song refused to return to her old post.