Unclaimed lost items worth Dh7.6 million auctioned in Dubai

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Unclaimed lost items worth Dh7.6 million auctioned in Dubai

Dubai - Police received 6,575 reports of lost items which were not claimed last year.

by

Amira Agarib

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Published: Wed 18 Apr 2018, 7:57 PM

Last updated: Wed 18 Apr 2018, 10:15 PM

Revenues from unclaimed lost items in Dubai reached Dh7,658,482 last year, it was revealed on Wednesday. Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, assistant commander-in-chief of the Dubai Police, said that the police's lost and found department has a number of warehouses to keep the recovered items.
The police have received 6,575 reports of lost items which were not claimed last year and the revenues from auction of found items have gone up, as compared to 2016.
The police will soon introduce a smart application that will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to find lost items and deliver it to their owners. Al Mansouri added that the new smart application and programme will be put in place and further developed in the next three months.
The new system will help save time. The finder will enter description of the recovered item, the date on which it was found as well as the place and the content. The details will also be taken from the person who comes to claim it and the information will be matched with the new programme. As per law, the lost items will be kept for a certain period of time before being auctioned.
He said the police have introduced an electronic system so that all Dubai hotels can furnish information about the lost items they recover on their properties. The police will carry out inspections in the hotels to find out if these items reached the right hands.
He pointed out that people who find lost items can take their photographs and send them to the police. The owner can directly go to the police station to claim it. To report found items, residents can call the police toll free number 901 and the nearest police patrols would reach them and take the items in their custody. Also, they can deposit the found items at the smart police station at the City Walk. He said that the police also get in touch with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) as most people forget their valuables in buses or cabs.
Law for 'lost and found' items
Colonel Rashid bin Safwan, director of lost and found department, said these recovered items come under law number (5) of 2015. He said that the owner may leave a material behind with no intention to waive off its ownership. And anybody who possesses it illegally can be punished. According to the new law, those who find lost items or money must hand it over to the police within 48 hours to avoid penalty, he said.
Brigadier Mohamed Rashid bin Sarei, deputy director of criminal investigation, said the person who finds a lost item and hands it over to the police will be given a certificate of appreciation immediately for his honesty. The person will also get a financial reward of 10 per cent of the total worth of the found item, but this amount should not exceed Dh50,000. He said that if nobody claims the lost item, the finder can claim it within a year from the date it was found.
If the period to locate the owner lapses and the person who found it doesn't claim it, the police may sell the recovered item in accordance with the governing procedures and law. After selling it in the auction, the money will be deposited in the treasury of the Dubai government.
Money left behind by owners at airports, stations, ports, border outlets or hotels and lying unclaimed will be seized by the police after 60 days. Brigadier Sarei said the main role of the department was not to sell the found items but to hand them over to their authorised owners. He regretted that people who lost their items did not contact the police and they did not visit the police stations to report the lost items.
Remarkable commitment
Many stories about lost items handed over to people reflect the remarkable commitment of the Dubai Police.
> The police received a call from Saudi Arabia from a man who said that he lost his bag in Dubai and that he had important things in it, including his ID, marriage certificate and other vital documents. He said that his life had come to a standstill and he was unable to do any transaction. The police launched a search and found the bag in a record time and sent it to him through a courier.
> In another case, two British women had lost a watch worth Dh70,000 and Dh100,000 respectively in Dubai. The police contacted them and as it is difficult to ship money and gold, a police delegation visited the UK to hand over the watches.
> The police also handed over iPads and iPhones to a Saudi woman. Before figuring out its actual owner, the police had to check with 50 women, whose names were identical.
> A municipality cleaner found gold in the garbage and reported about it to the police. During the same time, a woman lodged a police compliant about her missing gold. The police matched the details and gave it to the woman.
> iPads were returned to a number of owners by finding out the serial number. In some cases, the police figured out the owner by the invoice and contacted them.
amira@khaleejtimes.com
 
 


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