Jacket with 30,000 euros at Dubai Airport among lost items in UAE in 2025

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DUBAI: The sheer volume of misplaced property in the UAE reached new heights in 2025, headlined by the discovery of a black jacket containing €30,570 (approximately Dh121,974) at Dubai International Airport.

 A 39-year-old supervisor logged the item with airport police on New Year’s Eve, yet despite the significant cash value, the case was eventually closed as the owner never came forward. This incident represents just one of 36,403 found item reports filed across the country last year, highlighting the massive logistical task authorities face in managing abandoned property.

Statistical data from the Ministry of Interior identifies Dubai as the overwhelming center for recovered items, accounting for 99.1% of the nation's total. Within the emirate, Dubai International Airport was the primary site for these occurrences, appearing in 34,845 separate cases. 

While found property was frequently high-value with cash-related reports totaling 8,726 the "lost" side of the database was dominated by documentation. Identity cards were the most common missing item, making up 93.8% of the 22,467 lost item reports filed.

The peak of this activity coincided with the height of the winter tourist season in December, when authorities handled a combined total of over 6,400 reports in a single month. While passports, mobile phones, and jewelry like rings (666 reports) were frequently processed, the unclaimed €30,000 jacket remains the most significant entry in a year defined by tens of thousands of misplaced belongings.