HONG KONG police said Thursday they have recovered some HK$4.8 million (US$615,000) out of the HK$15 million that went missing after a money transport van with a faulty rear door spilled large bundles of cash over a busy road on Christmas Eve.

    Some motorists and passers-by treated themselves to an early Christmas around lunchtime Wednesday, dashing onto Gloucester Road to pick up large stacks of banknotes before armed policemen were able to stave them off and restore order.

    After extensive appeals, police said Thursday afternoon that 27 people had handed over cash, including two individuals who returned HK$1 million and one person who handed in HK$2 million.

    The police had previously asked the public to help return as much as HK$15 million that went missing in the frantic scramble for the cash, most of it in HK$500 notes.

    The van was transporting a total of HK$525 million in cash. Each cash box it carried contained HK$17.5 million.

    “Police will continue to seek evidence and chase back any lost money,” a police spokesman said.

    “If he or she keeps the money for his or her own use, he may commit an offense of theft which is a very serious crime under ordinance,” he said.

    No arrests have currently been made.(SD-Agencies)