CISF returned 27,917 lost items to fliers in 18 months

Articles left behind or lost by passengers are kept at the lost and found department, CISF office. Representation pic

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has, in the past 18 months, returned 27,917 articles worth R15 crore to fliers who had lost or forgotten them at airports or in aircraft.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport witnesses thousands of flights taking off and landing each day with a footfall of lakhs. Airport staff collect any valuables left behind by passengers and keep them with the lost and found department at the CISF office. From January 2021 to June this year, a total of 27,917 such articles were kept with the CISF and returned to the original owners.

"It is our duty to return the forgotten things to their rightful owners," said Shrikant Kishore, chief security officer at the airport.

CISF officials said that 1,825 cases of missing articles were lodged in January 2021, 2,601 in February, 2,462 in October, and 2,002 in December. Similarly this year, 2,124 cases were filed in March, 2,593 in April, 2,683 in May and 2,192 in June.

Officials said that mobile phones, laptops, chargers, iPads, cameras, etc. are among the most common things that were reported as lost or forgotten by passengers. "There have also been cases where the expensive articles were picked up by another passenger. We have scanned the CCTV footage in such cases and returned the things to their owners," said a CISF officer.