India consistently ranks among the most forgetful countries in the Asia-Pacific region, while Mumbai was recently ranked the second most forgetful city in the world in Uber's Lost &amp; Found Index. Every year, thousands of phones, wallets, bags, laptops, headphones, passports, and personal belongings are left behind in taxis, airports, hotels, restaurants, offices, and public spaces.
Ironically, India is not facing an honesty problem.
In fact, multiple studies and real-world examples suggest the opposite. India was ranked among the world's most honest countries in the famous "Lost Wallet" experiment, where people were surprisingly likely to return valuables when given the opportunity. The challenge lies elsewhere: people often have no practical way to identify or contact the owner.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/040614_e.png" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
The scale of the problem is significant.
According to data from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), passengers left behind belongings worth ₹56.11 crore across 66 Indian airports in 2022 alone. However, only ₹11.47 crore worth of those items was successfully reclaimed by their owners. Nearly 80&#37 of the value of recovered belongings remained unreturned despite being safely collected by airport authorities.
Among the most commonly forgotten items were mobile phones, laptops, wallets, wireless earphones, smartwatches, sunglasses, passports, and travel accessories. Airport officials reported finding as many as 15&ndash;25 pairs of AirPods every day at major airports such as Mumbai and Delhi.
The trend continues to grow. Recent airport data shows that passengers left behind more than ₹58 crore worth of belongings in a single year, while Mumbai Airport alone recorded over 64,000 lost items in 2024.
These numbers reveal an important reality: most lost items are not stolen. They are simply separated from their owners.
The Missing Link
Imagine finding a wallet in a parking lot or a phone on a restaurant table.
Most people would happily return the item. The problem is that there is usually no simple way to identify or contact the owner.
As a result, lost belongings often remain stuck in airport warehouses, security offices, reception counters, police stations, transport depots, and lost-and-found departments.
The item has been found.
The owner simply cannot be found.
The QR Revolution Already Happened
Ten years ago, scanning a QR code felt unfamiliar.
Today, Indians scan QR codes countless times every day. From paying for a cup of tea to ordering food, parking a vehicle, accessing a menu, or boarding a flight, QR codes have become second nature.
India is now one of the most QR-friendly countries in the world.
That behavioural shift is creating an opportunity to solve another everyday challenge: lost and found.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/040615_e.png" alt="" />
The Rise of Recovery-Tech
Just as fintech transformed payments and food-delivery platforms connected restaurants with consumers, a new category known as "recovery-tech" is beginning to emerge.
Rather than relying on expensive tracking devices, batteries, or subscriptions, recovery-tech focuses on solving a simpler problem: helping honest finders reconnect lost belongings with their owners.
One company operating in this space is Bengaluru-based startup <a href="https://www.ownersid.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Owners ID.</a>
The company has developed smart QR identity tags and stickers that can be attached to everyday belongings such as luggage, wallets, passports, laptops, keys, headphones, vehicles, and pet accessories.
If an item is found, the finder simply scans the QR code and can instantly connect with the owner through a privacy-protected channel. No app is required for the finder, no phone number needs to be publicly displayed, and no batteries or GPS devices are involved.
The concept builds on a behaviour that Indians already understand scan a QR code and connect instantly.
The company has attracted interest from investors in both India and overseas and recently secured $260,000 in pre-seed funding from a Dubai-based investor, reflecting growing confidence in the emerging recovery-tech category. "We're currently receiving more enquiries from potential investors than partnership requests," joked a company spokesperson, highlighting the increasing interest in solutions aimed at improving lost-and-found recovery.
Building India's Return-to-Owner Infrastructure
India's digital payment revolution succeeded because it removed friction.
Lost-and-found recovery faces the same challenge today.
The intention to return items already exists. The scanning behaviour already exists.
What is missing is a simple and scalable infrastructure that allows finders and owners to reconnect instantly.
As cities become larger, travel becomes more frequent, and people carry more valuable belongings than ever before, the next major use of QR technology may not involve payments at all.
It may simply help lost belongings find their way home. Because most lost items are not truly lost.
They're simply waiting for a way back to their owner.

India`s lost-and-found challenge fuels the rise of recovery-tech, with QR-based solutions helping reconnect lost belongings with their owners.

India's Lost and Found Problem: Honest People, Missing Infrastructure

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India's Lost and Found Problem: Honest People, Missing Infrastructure

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