KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — A German man made a surprise find when he found £130,000 (RM709,944) cash in old kitchen cabinets he bought from e-commerce site eBay.

Thomas Heller had paid £203 (RM1,108) for the cabinets which he bought from an elderly couple’s estate, The Mirror reported.

When it arrived, the 50-year-old found money hidden in two boxes in one of the two cupboards which he promptly handed it to a police station.

Heller said one envelope contained €100 (RM458) while another envelope contained larger bills.

Investigations by police found the money belonged to a 91-year-old woman from the city of Halle.

Police spokesman Astrid Kuchta said the cabinets came from a household liquidation by an elderly couple from Halle.

"The two cash boxes were well hidden in areas of the furniture that were difficult to see."

The seller was actually the grandson of the elderly couple, who told local media he had no idea about the money hidden inside.

Under German law, keeping more than €10 (RM45) of lost money constitutes embezzlement, with offenders facing up to three years jail.

Heller’s honesty was rewarded however as the same law states that he is now eligible for a 3 per cent finder’s fee, worth £3,784 (RM20,645).