Lost luggage and valuables at airports are being retrieved and returned to their owners with surprising speed and alacrity these days, thanks to certain techniques adopted by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

File pic for representation

In May-July 2014, the Mumbai Airport received 3,600 complaints of lost valuables or luggage, of which 3,200 were solved.
This sudden improvement in the success rate can be attributed to an internal circular, which states that valuables lying unattended for more than five minutes are to be brought to the notice of CISF, by airport staff.

First success
On February 2, around 9 pm, passenger Rakesh Davesava reported to CISF that his Apple iPhone had gone missing from the mobile charging point. CCTV footage revealed that another passenger had taken the phone and left the city on board a Go Air flight to Ahmedabad.

The details and description of the passenger were sent to CISF staff at Ahmedabad airport.

The man was allowed to leave after returning the phone to the Ahmedabad staff.

The phone was later sent back to Mumbai with the crew of the next flight to the city, and the owner was asked
to collect it from CISF Mumbai.

“If the owner is to travel to a particular destination, we inform the CISF to send the valuable to the owner’s arrival city, rather than returning it to the city where it was lost,” said a CISF official.