For lakhs of passengers rushing through railway stations each day, it takes only a moment’s distraction to lose their backpack, phone, or other valuables, often for good. However, at the New Delhi railway station, there is a person whom many count on to help retrieve their lost luggage: station manager Rakesh Sharma.
It was back in 2016 when the official helped a passenger — Ashish Pandey from Kanpur — find their bag with ₹5,000 in cash using their ticket details. Since then, by his own count, Mr. Sharma has helped retrieve 1,842 valuables, including bags, jewellery, documents, iPads, laptops, and even household items such as an electric kettle, earning renown. He recalls the case of the electric kettle with keen interest.
“The kettle was left behind by a doctor travelling from Delhi to Ajmer on November 9. The passenger made several phone calls to various stations. We located it on a Sunday, when my office is closed. I coordinated the exercise remotely. We conducted the verification and had the kettle delivered to the Ajmer railway station the next day,” he says.
Mr. Sharma adds, “Although this task is not part of my official duties, I take every lost and found case as a personal challenge. Reuniting passengers with their belongings gives me immense satisfaction and strengthens people’s trust in Indian Railways.”
