Greta, a teacher in Turin, finds 600 euros at the postamat and gives them to the police: “Enough prejudices about us in the South”

«People often still harbor prejudices against those who come from the South, but I would do what I did a thousand times: I put myself in that gentleman’s shoes, he could have been my grandfather. I hope that my gesture serves to demonstrate to others that helping others is the best thing there is.”

Greta Landolfi26 years old, originally from Benevento, has been teaching physical education for two yearsBodoni-Paravia technical institute in via Ponchielli, a Torino. Last Thursday at 12.30 she got in line at the postamat in via Ternengoin Barriera di Milano, when her turn came, before she managed to insert the card, she was given 600 euros in cash: the pension of a sixty-seven year old Romanian, who, due to carelessness, had left before withdrawing the money.

Landolfi could have pocketed the money but instead she went to San Donato police station, handed the money over to the officers and made sure that the police could return the treasure to the pensioner. How touched, she thanked her by leaving 50 euros to the policemen, asking them to give it to the girl as a reward. “I took the 50 euros – explains the woman a Republic – I thank him but I don’t want to keep them: in the next few days I will return to the police station so that they can show me an association to which I can donate them for charity. I would rather meet the gentleman to say hello: we have never seen each other’s faces, I don’t even know his name.”

That of the young woman was also a “gesture of love towards the city that welcomed me – she adds – and then I am a teacher, I hope that my gesture is an example to my students: doing good is the most beautiful thing that there is”. Landolfi is the partner of an agent working at the Turin police station.

Last Thursday the woman was in line at the ATM closest to the professional institute where she teaches. “When I arrived I saw a gentleman with his back to the counter, while I was waiting I started looking at the phone – she remembers – when I saw that the counter was free I approached: the display said “operation in progress”, after a moment the machine spat out a bunch of cash, I took it to give it back to the owner, but there was no one left”.

So Greta Landolfi immediately calls her policeman companion. “A few minutes later I had to be at school, I had a lesson – she explains – I told him to inform the police station, to let them know that after work I would go to the police station to hand over the money”. So she did. “When I showed up at the San Donato police station to return the money, the officers thanked me and complimented me – she recalls – they were amazed because they told me: “It doesn’t happen every day”.

The investigators from San Donato they acquired the footage from the cameras pointed at the ATM and quickly traced back to the pensioner, who by mistake had walked away before the ATM completed the operation, but was convinced that he had already withdrawn the money.

“I only realized I was confused once I got home,” the man admits to the officers.

Fortunately, the teacher’s generosity allowed him to save his March pension: a story that ended with a happy ending also thanks to the work of the Turin Police Headquarters.

“I will donate the 50 euros to charity – repeats the woman – now I would like to meet the pensioner, it would be nice to testify together, through this little story, that you can still have faith in others”.