Articles that remain unclaimed at KIA for a period of 90 days are either given to charity or auctioned off to the staff of the airport. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar more-in The Kempegowda International Airport, which has seen footfalls increase with each passing year making it one of the busiest airports in the country, has seen a steep increase in the number of passengers forgetting their articles in the airport. The Lost and Found Department of KIA received as many as 20,413 articles in the previous financial year (2017-18), an increase from 14,591 articles during 2016-17. Out of the articles, 5,686 were handed over to the owners while the rest were unclaimed. A press release from the KIA stated that articles that remain unclaimed for a period of 90 days are either given to charity or auctioned off to the staff of the airport. 12% electronic items Out of the total articles in the last financial year, 12% were electronic items, such as mobile phones (367), watches (485), laptops (37), tabs and iPads (29), and cameras (7). It is not just gadgets, passenger also forgot crucial documents, such as passports, debit and credit cards, and bank documents. “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 departments. Indian passports are shipped to the Regional Passport Office while foreign passports are sent to the respective embassies after a 30-day retention period. Bank documents, cards, cheque books, pass books are disposed after 72 hours while perishable, such as food, are disposed in 24 hours,” the KIA release said. Unclaimed articles, such as clothes, bags and suitcases, are given to charities located near the airport. BIAL Chief Operating Officer (COO) Javed Malik said, “With the 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.” To find lost items at the airport, passengers can contact 080-66782257. The number is operational round the clock. They can also send an email to lostandfound@bialairport.com.

Stay updated with all the Bangalore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.