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Backpack With $100,000 In Cash Left Behind At San Jose Burger King

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – No one has come forward to solve this whopper of a mystery: Someone left behind a backpack with $100,000 in cash at a fast food restaurant in the South Bay this week.

For two hours, the backpack sat on a booth at the Burger King on North Bascom Avenue, before an employee brought it to her boss' attention. Inside was a whopping stack of cash, totaling $100,000.

Money Found San Jose Burger King
Backpack with $100,000 in cash left at the Burger King on North Bascom Avenue in San Jose. (Altaf Chaus)

Owner Altaf Chaus called the police. Chaus said he knew it was the right thing to do.

"The reason is I have been in this country almost 26 years, and all 15 years before I bought this Burger King, I worked two jobs and worked very hard to earn the money and save and buy the Burger King. So I know the value of the money," Chaus said.

San Jose police also found a pack of cigarettes, candy, and marijuana. Detectives are working with a few other clues in the bag, including a list of emails and phone numbers, and a bank withdrawal slip.

The big stash even surprised the officers.

"One officer was very shocked," Chaus said. "And he said, 'You know what? I'm very proud and you're a very honest man. I've been 20 years on duty, I've never seen anybody come with this amount of money to me.'"

Chaus said the backpack was left behind when it was busy at the restaurant and workers didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

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