Who picked the techie's bag? Bengaluru's Kempegowda Airport authorities trying to find the answer

In a concerning incident at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), a 28-year-old software engineer returning from Germany inadvertently left behind one of his bags upon disembarking. The bag was subsequently picked up by another passenger, shedding light on a lapse in airport security protocols.

The software engineer, who goes by the pseudonym Satish, hails from Andhra Pradesh and resides in Thimmaiah Layout, Whitefield. He had arrived in Bengaluru via an Emirates flight at approximately 3 am on July 30.

Satish explained to KIA police that a fellow passenger who had arrived from Sharjah during the early hours of July 30 had unknowingly walked away with his bag. The bag contained valuable items including a laptop, his MTech marks card, documents related to his stay in Germany, a wireless headphone, mobile phone chargers and adapters, and Rs 3,000 in cash.


"I completed the immigration clearance procedure and collected my luggage. Unfortunately, I forgot to retrieve my laptop bag. I realized my oversight just as I exited the main entrance. Despite my attempts, the CISF authorities denied me re-entry," disclosed Satish.

He was subsequently directed to approach an Indian airline counter associated with Emirates. The airline personnel, after investigating the matter, informed Satish that his bag was not within the arrivals area. However, they assured him of a response within two days.

Following futile attempts to resolve the issue via email, Satish escalated the matter to the attention of the police. Citing the originality of his marks card and the company-issued laptop, he felt compelled to register a formal case.

Narrating his ordeal, Satish stated, "Police informed me that instances of passengers leaving their belongings at the airport are not uncommon, and usually, the authorities recover and return them. However, in my case, there was no progress for 10 days. Subsequently, I insisted on registering an FIR, which would facilitate obtaining a new marks card and a replacement laptop from my office."

Subsequent investigations by police uncovered that a passenger named Shameer Pulkuzhiyi, who had arrived in the city from Sharjah, had mistakenly taken Satish's bag from the ground handler. Reportedly, the ground handlers handed over the bag to Shameer without proper verification.

Acknowledging the delay in filing the FIR due to the time required for updates from the airport, a senior police officer affirmed, "Efforts are being made to trace the individual."