15 passengers forget belongings daily at Indore Airport:Bags, gadgets among 5,700 items returned in 3 years

Every day, around 15 passengers at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport leave behind personal belongings such as bags, mobile phones, laptops, chargers, smartwatches, gadgets and important documents. These items are later returned to travellers through the airport’s Lost and Found department. Hundreds of items left behind every month Airport data shows that nearly 440 passengers forget their belongings every month. In January, 497 items were left behind, while 405 items were reported in February. All recovered belongings are deposited with the terminal manager. Over the past two months, 209 passengers have claimed their lost items. In the last three years, the airport has successfully returned belongings to around 5,700 travellers. However, officials say that only about 25 out of every 100 passengers come forward to claim their lost property. Passengers often realize loss after reaching home In one case, a passenger who arrived in Indore from Mumbai realized only after reaching home that his bag was missing. When he contacted the airport, the bag — containing valuable items — was traced and returned to him after verification. In another incident, a parcel belonging to a passenger on a flight from Sharjah in the last week of February was found after all travellers had exited the terminal. The package was handed over to the terminal manager, but no one has come forward to claim it so far. Issue raised in Airport Advisory Committee meeting The matter was also discussed in a meeting of the Airport Advisory Committee. Airport authorities informed committee chairman and Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani that all belongings are returned to passengers promptly once a claim is filed. Documents required to claim lost items Passengers must follow certain procedures to retrieve their belongings: If collecting the item personally, they must present their boarding pass (with travel date) and a photo ID. If someone else is sent on their behalf, a copy of the boarding pass and ID must be provided, along with a letter addressed to the airport director detailing the item, the claimant’s name and the passenger’s signature. Unclaimed items sent for further action after three months Airport officials say many passengers either fail to report the loss in time or never return to claim their belongings. If an item remains unclaimed for three months, it is forwarded for further administrative action as per regulations.