A black jacket left behind at Dubai International Airport containing €30,570, approximately Dh121,974 in cash, was handed over to the police on New Year’s Eve.
A 39-year-old male supervisor walked into the airport police department at 5.56pm on December 31, 2025, turned in the jacket, and revealed the cash along with a handful of loose coins. The report was logged and eventually closed. No one came forward to claim it.
That jacket is just one of tens of thousands of items processed by UAE authorities in 2025.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels
According to data from the Ministry of Interior, authorities recorded 22,467 lost item reports and 36,403 found item reports over the last year.
When it comes to what gets lost, identity cards come first with 21,076 reports; 93.8 per cent of all lost item cases were for lost IDs. Passports came in a distant second at 1,126 reports, followed by mobile phones and licence plates at 19 each and laptops at 11.
On the found side, cash is on top. Over 3,363 reports were filed for found money under a single description alone, and when all variations of cash-related entries are combined, money-related found reports reach 8,726.
Wallets came in second at 1,208 reports, followed by personal ID cards at 1,168, resident IDs at 724, and rings at 666.
Of the 36,403 found items recorded around the UAE, 36,076, or 99.1 per cent, were in Dubai. Dubai International Airport accounted for the vast majority, appearing as the location in 34,845 cases.
December was the busiest month, with 2,806 lost reports and 3,680 found reports filed, coinciding with the peak of the winter tourist season.
Source: Khaleej Times