About 30 or 40 10,000 yen notes were spotted floating down from an area near a bridge over the Sumida River in Tokyo on Friday, police said, adding that several residents apparently walked off with the cash.

Police arrived and recovered four 10,000 yen notes, one 5,000 yen note and one 1,000 yen note after receiving a call from a resident at about 11 a.m. saying that about 30 or 40 10,000 yen notes had fallen down from an area near the Kototoi Bridge over the Sumida River in Sumida-ku, Tokyo.

"A few people picked up the notes and left the area," the woman who alerted police was quoted as saying.

Investigators suspect the notes fell from a vehicle traveling along route No. 6 on the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway. As of 1 p.m. on Friday the owner of the cash had not turned up.

People who picked up the money could face charges of misappropriation if they didn't take the cash to police, law enforcers said.