Forgetful passengers left behind a record number of items at the Kempegowda International Airport in the 2017-18 financial year.
Electronic gadgets, passports, credit cards, watches and sun glasses were among the 20,413 articles received at the airport's Lost and Found department. But among these were also prohibited items surrendered to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Of the total, as many as 5,686 articles were handed over to the original owners. A total of 7,153 items — mostly perishable goods — were disposed. Articles that remain unclaimed for a period of 90 days are either given to charity or auctioned to staff on the KIA campus.
According to KIA's operator, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), articles such as electronic gadgets and government-issued documents are retained for three months (90 days) from the date of receipt. "After the retention period, government documents are returned to the respective government departments," explained a BIAL spokesperson.
Indian passports are shipped to the Regional Passport Office, while foreign ones are sent to the respective embassies after a 30 day-retention period. Bank documents such as credit/debit cards, cheque books and pass books are disposed after 72 hours, while perishables such as food are disposed in 24 hours.
"With passenger movement on an upswing, we have seen a proportionate surge in lost articles at the airport. To deal with these articles, BIAL has a system in place to ensure that the items are stored safely. This ensures that when the rightful owners reach out to us, we have the articles in good condition," said BIAL's chief operating officer Javed Malik.
Electronic items accounted for 2,492 units. The list had 594 general items, 485 watches/pens, 367 mobile phones and accessories, 37 laptops, 29 tablets and seven cameras. Bags, apparel, medical accessories, kitchen appliances, travel accessories, sunglasses, tools and toys made up the rest.
KIA, said Malik, has a dedicated team to handle the lost and found articles.
"We want to assure passengers that anything that the Lost and Found department receives will be kept safely. To ensure owners are able to track their belongings, all details of the items found are uploaded on the airport website regularly in the 'lost and found' section, along with the procedure to claim their belongings. Owners, whose details are available, are contacted to hand over their belongings," he said.
To claim lost articles at KIA
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