DUBAI- The Dubai International Airport (DXB) handled an unusual lost property case after a passenger left behind a jacket containing more than €30,500 (US $35,600) in cash and never returned to reclaim it.
Months later, Dubai Police officially closed the case after nobody came forward.
The incident took place at Dubai International Airport (DXB), which handled more than 95 million passengers in 2025.
According to PYOK, the case surfaced after the UAE Ministry of the Interior released a huge lost and found dataset under its open data policy.
Passenger Leaves €30,570 Cash Jacket at Dubai Airport
The jacket containing €30,570 in a combination of banknotes and loose coins was handed into the airport police station by a security officer at approximately 5:56 PM on New Year’s Eve 2025.
Authorities recorded the item through the UAE’s official lost property system, but despite months passing after the discovery, the owner never attempted to reclaim the jacket or the money inside it. Dubai Police eventually closed the case after no claimant came forward.
The unusual incident became public after the UAE Ministry of the Interior published detailed data covering every piece of lost and found property handed to police stations during 2025.
Dubai International Airport remained one of the world’s busiest international aviation hubs throughout 2025 and, until only recently, held the title of the busiest airport globally for international passenger traffic.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, UAE authorities registered 22,467 lost property reports during 2025, while 36,403 found items were handed into police stations across the country.
The majority of those cases were recorded at Dubai International Airport because of its massive passenger traffic. December 2025 became the airport’s busiest month of the year, with approximately 8.7 million travellers passing through its terminals.
Airport authorities regularly deal with misplaced baggage, electronics, wallets, passports, luxury items, and large amounts of cash due to the scale of daily passenger operations.
UAE Introduced Strict Lost Property Rules
Late last year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved new legislation imposing strict penalties on individuals who fail to report found property.
Under the updated rules, anyone who discovers lost property must register the item online within 24 hours and hand it over to a police station within 48 hours.
Individuals who illegally keep found property can face fines of up to 200,000 UAE Dirhams (US $54,400). The law also allows finders to request ownership of the property if the original owner fails to reclaim it within one year.
The legislation aims to strengthen transparency, improve public trust, and ensure valuable belongings are returned to their rightful owners whenever possible.
Dubai Police Previously Recovered a Misplaced Cash Bag
Dubai Police previously had better luck recovering lost baggage at Dubai International Airport.
In February 2025, an Egyptian traveller accidentally collected the wrong suitcase from the baggage carousel after arriving on a flight from Cairo International Airport (CAI). The passenger was rushing to check in for an onward flight to China when the mistake occurred.
The misplaced suitcase contained approximately US $6,800 in cash. Two bags from the same flight looked nearly identical, which caused the confusion.
The traveller only realized the error after leaving the baggage hall and immediately contacted airport police.
Officers quickly reviewed surveillance footage and discovered that a female passenger had unknowingly taken the wrong bag.
Using live airport camera systems, Dubai Police tracked down the passenger and successfully exchanged the luggage before either traveller departed the airport.
Dubai Airport Continues Expanding Security
Dubai Police and airport security teams continue strengthening surveillance capabilities, baggage monitoring systems, and digital reporting tools across Dubai International Airport.
The unclaimed €30,570 jacket case stands out because of the unusually large amount of cash involved and the fact that no passenger ever attempted to recover the property despite extensive police procedures.
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