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Vancouver radio appearance helps Coquitlam RCMP return lost IKEA money

The rightful owner received their missing cash four days after Mounties issued a public statement.
coquitlamrcmpikeamoneyreturned2022
Pantelis Sarris (left) got his cash back after a Good Samaritan found it at IKEA in Coquitlam on Sept. 11, 2022, and turned it over to RCMP. It was an appearance on Vancouver radio that helped with the investigation.

Pantelis Sarris has his money back.

More than two months after he lost a large amount of cash at IKEA in Coquitlam, RCMP determined he was the rightful owner and handed the cash over to him on Friday (Nov. 18) at the local detachment

That was four days after Mounties issued a public plea.

However, it was Sarris' guest appearance on a Vancouver radio station back in September that helped close the case.

In an earlier release, police explained the cash was found by an employee at the local IKEA (1000 Lougheed Hwy.) on Sept. 11 and later turned it over to RCMP.

The next day, Sarris called in to JACK 96.9 to share a "weekend regret," saying a bundle of cash fell out of his pocket while furniture shopping for his daughter.

"Turns out this is one of #DrexonJack's listeners. He called us to tell us he lost money in IKEA the Monday [Sept. 12] after it happened," the station tweeted on Nov. 15 when the story went public.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alexa Hodgins said this instance helped police connect the missing money with Sarris, and serves as a public reminder to file a report when a large sum of money goes missing.

"This is the outcome that we hoped for and are very pleased to see," she said. 

"It's really nice to see how the community came together to reunite Pantelis with his lost cash. Without the genuine integrity of the finder turning the money over to the police this ending would not be possible."

For more information about returning or claiming lost property, you can visit Coquitlam RCMP's website.