But several hours later, his luck changed when he got a phone call that the bag had been found.

Not only that, the person insisted on returning it personally to his hotel although it was on the other side of the island.

Saravana, 46, from Kuala Lumpur, took to social media to highlight the honesty of Shukur Ghazali, 22, singing praises for the people on the tourist island.

He said his mother lost the slingbag at the Tanjung Rhu jetty, which people use to catch boats to the Kilim Geoforest Park – a popular tourist destination.

Saravana said besides the money, the bag also held his mother’s personal documents and some sentimental items from her late husband who died in December.

Saravana said he was surprised when Shukur insisted on delivering the bag himself due to the large amount of money.

“We didn’t know what else we could do to pay tribute to such a honest person,” Saravana told FMT after posting his experience on Facebook with a photo of a grinning Shukur.

“I thought this was the least I could do so that more good comes his way.

“This is an amazing story, and I have never experienced anything like this. The fact is there are people like him who are so genuine and caring.

“We gave Shukur a small token of appreciation. He initially refused it but took it only when we said my mother would feel bad if he didn’t accept it.

“Shukur was genuinely not looking for any reward. He just wanted to make sure my mother got back everything – and he asked us to check again and again to make sure everything was there in the bag,” said Saravana.

Shukur said that there was no doubt in his mind that he had to return the bag when he came across it on a bench at the Tanjung Rhu jetty, where he works as a photographer.

He said he called the hotel after finding the hotel’s key card in the bag. “It was not mine… so it wouldn’t have been right for me to keep it,” he added.