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Tourist finds Dh3,000 she lost in Dubai transferred to her after returning home
Upon realising she lost the cash, the woman contacted Dubai Police through the tourist support service to file a report
- PUBLISHED: Thu 18 Jun 2026, 4:35 PM
What would you do if you were visiting a foreign country and lost a large sum of money shortly before your departing flight? Most probably you would say that the money can never return and you will not have time to stay longer to continue your search for your lost cash. In Dubai, however, this was not what happened with a tourist who lost Dh3,000 in one of the busy shopping centres in the emirate.
Upon realising she lost the cash, the woman, who is from an Arab country, contacted Dubai Police through the tourist support service to file a report, informing the authorities of her departure schedule.
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The relevant authorities acted swiftly and reassured her that they would follow up on the report and that the money would be sent to her if it was found, even if she had already left the emirate by then. A field team was formed by the Shopping Centres Security Section of the Tourist Police Department, which tracked the tourist's movements within the shopping centre, according to Lt. Col. Abdul Rahman.
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Within only two hours, the money was found in full at one of the stores and it went through verification of its value and the number of notes based on the woman's report. Dubai Police then transferred the money to her in her home country.
The tourist commended Dubai Police for their quick response and the swift communication with her even in her home country, expressed her happiness at recovering the money. "I didn't expect that," she said, praising the level of safety and integrity she found in Dubai and expressing her surprise to be able to recover money she lost at a shopping centre.
Dubai is known for numerous instances in which lost belongings are returned to their owners in record time. Just four days ago, Dubai Police recovered and returned a misplaced bag containing luxury watches and electronic devices belonging to a GCC national traveller after it was reported missing in the arrivals area of Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport. “A subsequent inspection revealed that it contained three luxury watches with a combined value of Dh103,880, in addition to a laptop and a tablet,” according to one officer. After completing verification and legal procedures, the items were returned to the rightful owner.
In May, the authority returned a handbag containing silver bars worth around Dh2 million to an Asian passenger after a search operation at Terminal 1 of Dubai International Airport (DXB).
In another recent case reported by Khaleej Times, airport police at Dubai International Airport helped trace and return a forgotten bag containing $20,000 cash and gold before the flight took off.
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.