Picked Up a Phone on the Way Home and Handed It to Police... Sued for 'Misappropriation of Lost Property' 40 Days Later

Found on the Road, Handed Over to Police the Next Day
Summoned 40 Days Later on Charges of Misappropriating Lost Property

Lost phone found by the informant. BobaeDream

A man who found a damaged mobile phone on the road during his commute and handed it over to the local police station was sued about a month later on charges of "misappropriation of lost property."

According to an online community post on December 2, the informant, Mr. A, shared, "I tried to do a good deed, but now I have to go through a police investigation," describing the absurd situation that arose from the phone he picked up a month ago.

Mr. A discovered a mobile phone with a broken screen on the road in front of a 24-hour mart in Hwadeok-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on his way home. The phone appeared to have been run over by cars and stepped on multiple times, resulting in severe damage. Inside the phone, there were also cards and photos. He explained, "Right after finding it, I took photos of the phone's condition to avoid any misunderstandings, and I also posted about it on Danggeun Market to record that I had no intention of illegally keeping it."

The photo he uploaded on Danggeun Market included the message: "Looking for the owner of a lost phone. It was found on the road and has a severely damaged screen from being run over by cars. I plan to hand it over to Songjeong Police Box after work tomorrow. I do not know the model."

Mr. A could not immediately go to the police station that day because it was about 3 to 4 kilometers from his home, so he decided to hand it over the next day after work. However, when he went there, he found that the police station had moved to a different location two days earlier. He said, "I was really annoyed, but I felt uneasy about just throwing it away, so I forced myself to stop by again after work the following day and finally handed it over."

However, about 40 days later, Mr. A received a bewildering message from the police. A detective from the Gwangju Police Station sent him a text stating that a complaint had been filed for "misappropriation of lost property" and requested his appearance. Mr. A said, "At first, I thought it was a prank message," and added, "I tried to resolve the situation amicably and even explained everything, so I was surprised to learn that I was sued afterward."

He explained, "Since I kept records of everything, I don't think there will be any legal issues. I don't know the other party's identity, so I am considering filing a countercharge for false accusation as a defense." He also suspected, "I wonder if the other party is using the broken phone as an excuse to demand a settlement."