An Indian social media influencer named Madan Gowri recently published a ‘thank you’ video on Instagram, outlining the extraordinary experience of losing his iPhone at Dubai International Airport and then having the gadget recovered and sent to him — by flight; at no charge — by Dubai Police.
Widely considered to be one of the most elite law enforcement outfits in Asia, police in the emirate of Dubai tracked down the iPhone lost by Gowri at Dubai International Airport before he flew out to Chennai.
A report by the news website Khaleej Times quoted digital content creator Gowri as saying (in Tamil) in the Instagram video: “I realised my phone was lost after getting on the plane. I informed the cabin crew and was told not to worry, just e-mail the details later. Honestly, I had no hope of getting it back, but I still sent an e-mail once I landed.”
Surprise, surprise! Dubai Police responded to that e-mail, and asked for the phone’s description and identification number. Gowri was quoted as saying in the video: “What surprised me most was the speed. They replied soon after, saying the phone had been found. Once I confirmed it was mine, they sent it to me on the next flight free of cost.”
With 8.3 million followers on YouTube and 2.6 million followers on Instagram, Gowri’s story went viral. Dubai Police — and the emirate, in general — got a lot of praise in the comments.
An Instagram user named “ig.aryanverma” recounted how a cabbie in Dubai had not only returned the phone he left on the passenger seat, but also charged the phone to 100 per cent and drove back a long way to the passenger’s hotel to return the gadget.
The Khaleej Times article added how a British tourist in Dubai recently got back everything — cash, credit card, and identity documents — that he had lost at a mall in Dubai after misplacing his wallet. “Officers used CCTV footage and the force’s AI-powered lost-and-found system to track it down and deliver it before the visitor left the country,” said the news website.
