Police are investigating an Iraqi man who strewed a large amount of U.S. dollar and euro bills on a street in northern Seoul and later reported to police he lost money, officials said Friday.

The Iraqi in his 30s scattered dollar, euro and Korean won bills worth a total of 22 million won (US$16,930) on a street in a residential area of Seoul's Nowon district Thursday evening, according to police officials.

The man reportedly started strewing the banknotes after he tried to give money to a passerby, saying, "I have a lot of money," but the passerby refused to take it.

After scattering the bills, the man reportedly left the scene only to report to police later that he lost money.

In a following probe, police found no signs of crime, and a drug test on him yielded a negative result, according to the police.

"After determining the man is mentally unstable, police are looking for his family members or friends to hand him over to," a police official said.

All the bills he strewed have been retrieved, and they will be returned to him when he is handed him over, the official said. (Yonhap)