HONG KONG • A taxi driver has been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of stealing HK$1.1 million (S$188,555) that a passenger left in his cab.

The owner of a currency exchange left a bag full of cash in the taxi on her way home on Sunday night, according to local newspaper Ming Pao.

The driver - identified by his surname, Tang - was tracked down through the call centre used by the woman to book the ride.

Tang, 59, first told investigators that he had not seen the money and suggested another passenger may have stolen it later that night, local media quoted the police as saying.

However, the cash was later found in Tang's house, according to Ming Pao.

The cabby was arrested on Monday on suspicion of theft and for misleading officers, Hong Kong police said in a statement.

This is not the first time a large amount of unsupervised cash has tested the morals of Hong Kongers.

In 2014, boxes filled with over US$2 million (S$2.7 million) in cash fell out of an armoured van onto a major highway, sparking a frenzy as drivers and passers-by tried to get their hands on the notes.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE