Modern Hero: The Syrian, the Riches, and the Wardrobe

When a Syrian known as Muhannad M. was granted asylum in Germany in October after fleeing violence in Homs, he had to rely on donations to furnish his new apartment in Minden. He just didn't expect someone to give him a wardrobe hiding $55,000. The 25-year-old says he was cleaning the wardrobe, donated by a charity, when he discovered a shelf was actually two pieces of wood screwed together, reports the Local. Inside a hidden pocket he found 100 crisp bank notes worth $55,000, plus bank documents pointing to an account holding another $110,000, per NPR. At first, he thought the cash was fake, but an Internet search soon convinced him the bills were real.

With the money, Muhannad could have taken his two younger brothers out of Syria, but "I am a Muslim. I'm not allowed to keep this money. My religion forbids it," he says. "Allah would never allow me to finance my own interests with someone else's wealth." He turned the money over to German authorities, who are searching for the rightful owner. "For the police and the town he is the hero of the day," police say, per the Telegraph. "It's quite often the case that someone finds a smaller amount of cash and hands it in to the police. But for it to happen with such a large sum is absolutely exceptional." Muhannad will now receive 3% of the funds—or at least $1,700—as a reward. (This hidden fortune has a shadier back story.)