A man working at a factory received a significant amount of money, 34 times his usual monthly pay, due to a payroll error. Following this unexpected windfall, he decided to resign from his job and relocate to a different city. Vladimir Rychagov, employed in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, was on a five-day leave in January when he discovered the error. Instead of his own salary and holiday pay, he found the salaries of 34 coworkers deposited into his bank account, totaling 7.1 million roubles, equivalent to approximately £67,000.
Despite being informed by his employer that it was a mistake, Vladimir chose to retain the funds, stating that he received his December salary and an expected bonus for his exemplary work. He used the money to purchase a car and move his family to Khabarovsk, a city closer to Japan than Europe. Initially accused of involvement in diverting the funds, authorities found no evidence against him, leading to the dismissal of the charge.
Although there are no criminal charges against him, Vladimir might be required to return the money as it was a company error. However, he intends to escalate the matter to the Russian Supreme Court, citing research indicating that he is not obligated to return the funds if it was a technical mistake. Reports suggest that the payment was intended for a different branch, with a software glitch causing the error.
The company’s acting CEO, Roman Tudachkov, acknowledged the mistake, mentioning that legal proceedings would address the issue. A similar incident occurred in Chile in 2022, where a worker reportedly received 286 times his standard salary, leading to his resignation and disappearance after initially promising to return the money.