Lost in Dubai, found in Pakistan, British man recovers lost airpods allegedly stolen by Indian national

British social media influencer Miles Routledge, popularly known as Lord Miles, was recently reunited with his long-lost AirPods in Pakistan, nearly a year after they were reportedly stolen at a hotel in Dubai.

Routledge had lost his AirPods in 2023 while staying at a hotel near Dubai Airport. Despite enabling Apple’s “Lost Mode,” which allowed for real-time tracking, the AirPods had seemingly vanished, until recently. 

A fresh location ping showed the device active in Kala Gujran, a union council near Jhelum, Pakistan.

With no direct contacts in the area, Lord Miles took to social media and publicly tagged Jhelum Police, sharing the AirPods' exact location. What followed was a surprisingly diligent response from local law enforcement.

According to a statement from the District Police Officer (DPO) Jhelum, Tariq Aziz Sandhu, a special investigation team was formed to look into the matter. Police began identifying residents in the area who had recently returned from Dubai.

The breakthrough came when one such individual admitted to possessing the AirPods, claiming he had unknowingly purchased them from an Indian citizen in Dubai.

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The man cooperated fully with police and even presented proof of purchase. He expressed concern upon learning that the AirPods belonged to a foreigner and feared being wrongly accused of theft. 

Wanting to avoid any misunderstanding, he voluntarily surrendered the device to authorities a day before flying back to Dubai and declined an offer of compensation.

Interestingly, the man who originally sold the AirPods was reportedly a part-time housekeeper at the hotel where Lord Miles had stayed, raising further suspicions that the device may have been stolen from the room during housekeeping.

 “I had put a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door and went out,” Miles recounted. “But when I came back, the AirPods were gone.”

Although Dubai authorities confirmed the location of the AirPods, they told Miles that the case was no longer under their jurisdiction once the device left the country. That’s when he turned to Pakistani authorities.

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The police offered to send the AirPods via courier, but Miles insisted on traveling to Pakistan himself to retrieve them, expressing his gratitude for the cooperation of both the police and the local resident who returned the device.

Despite the theft, Miles opted not to pursue legal charges against the AirPods suspect. “I’m just happy to have them back, and I’m incredibly impressed by the response from Jhelum Police.”

The story went viral on social media, drawing praise for Pakistan’s efficient police work and integrity shown by its citizens.