Guwahati Airport returns foreign currency worth ₹10 lakh to passenger
Synopsis
A passenger flying out of Guwahati's LGBI Airport left behind a bag carrying over ₹10 lakh in foreign currency — including 10,720 US dollars and 175 Chinese yuan. What followed was a cross-city recovery operation involving CISF, lost-and-found teams, and Hyderabad airport officials that returned the valuables intact to the owner's authorised representative.
Key Takeaways
LGBI Airport, Guwahati returned an unattended bag with foreign currency worth over ₹10 lakh to its rightful owner.
The bag, found on 26 June in the ATRS at Terminal 1 , contained 10,720 US dollars and 175 Chinese yuan , along with medicines and personal items.
The passenger had already boarded a flight to Hyderabad when the bag was discovered; CCTV footage confirmed this.
A coordinated effort between CISF , LGBI Airport's Lost and Found team, and Hyderabad airport authorities traced and verified the owner.
The bag was handed over to an authorised representative of the passenger after ownership verification.
Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati has returned an unattended bag containing foreign currency worth more than ₹10 lakh to its rightful owner, following a coordinated recovery effort involving airport authorities, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and officials at Hyderabad airport, officials confirmed on Tuesday, 30 June.
How the Bag Was Discovered
The bag was detected on 26 June during routine security screening at Terminal 1 of LGBI Airport, when CISF personnel found it unattended in the Automated Tray Retrieval System (ATRS). Following standard security protocols, the bag was secured and handed over to the airport's Lost and Found team for verification.
Upon inspection, officials found 10,720 US dollars, 175 Chinese yuan, medicines, and other personal belongings inside the bag. The name on the bag, combined with details on the medicine strips, provided the initial leads needed to identify the passenger.
Cross-City Coordination to Trace the Owner
A review of CCTV footage confirmed that the passenger had already boarded a flight to Hyderabad by the time the bag was found. Airport authorities immediately launched a coordinated exercise involving the CISF, the Lost and Found team at LGBI Airport, and Hyderabad airport officials to trace and contact the passenger.
After ownership was verified through prescribed procedures, the bag was safely handed over to an authorised representative of the passenger. The entire process — from detection to delivery — demonstrated swift inter-agency communication across two cities.
What Officials Said
Airport officials said the successful recovery underscored the efficiency of LGBI Airport's security and passenger service mechanisms, as well as the close coordination among the various agencies operating at the facility. They added that the incident reflected the airport's commitment to ensuring a safe, secure, and passenger-friendly travel experience.
Why This Matters
Unattended bags at airport security zones typically trigger heightened security responses. The fact that this case was resolved through passenger identification — rather than escalating into a security alert — points to the effectiveness of LGBI Airport's lost-property protocols. Notably, the recovery involved cross-city verification, a step that required real-time coordination between two major airports. As Indian airports handle increasing passenger volumes, such inter-agency frameworks are becoming critical to both security and service standards.
Point of View
But it carries a procedural lesson worth noting. The recovery succeeded because LGBI Airport's lost-property protocols were robust enough to bridge two cities in real time — a capability that many Indian airports still lack. The use of medicine-strip details as an identification tool is also a reminder that biometric and digital passenger-tracking systems, while expanding, are not yet the first line of response in such situations. As airport traffic grows, the gap between a smooth recovery like this and an unresolved security scare can come down to whether inter-agency communication infrastructure is in place before an incident, not after.
NationPress
1 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What foreign currency was found at Guwahati airport?
Officials found 10,720 US dollars and 175 Chinese yuan, along with medicines and personal belongings, in an unattended bag at LGBI Airport's Terminal 1 on 26 June. The total value of the foreign currency exceeded ₹10 lakh.
How did LGBI Airport identify the owner of the bag?
The name on the bag and details on the medicine strips inside helped officials identify the passenger. CCTV footage was also reviewed, which confirmed the passenger had already boarded a flight to Hyderabad.
How was the bag returned to the passenger?
Airport authorities coordinated with the CISF and Hyderabad airport officials to trace the passenger. After ownership was verified through prescribed procedures, the bag was handed over to an authorised representative of the passenger.
Which agencies were involved in recovering the bag?
The recovery involved the CISF, LGBI Airport's Lost and Found team, and Hyderabad airport authorities working in coordination across two cities to locate and verify the passenger's identity.
What does this incident say about airport security protocols at LGBI?
Officials said the successful recovery highlighted the efficiency of LGBI Airport's security and passenger service mechanisms. The case demonstrated effective inter-agency coordination and adherence to standard lost-property procedures.
