An unusual overnight search for a missing pair of earbuds has turned into a goodwill story for tourism officials in this historic city, after the lost device of a tourist from the Netherlands was traced
and returned within hours, even being flown to Mumbai to reach its owner.
The incident occurred during an international familiarisation tour organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), aimed at promoting the state’s world heritage sites to global travellers. Influencers, tour operators and journalists from countries including Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, England, the United States and Vietnam are part of the initiative.
Around 30 tourists from the Netherlands visited the Ajanta and Ellora caves between March 1 and March 3 as part of the programme. On March 3, the group explored the old quarters of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, travelling by autorickshaw through the bustling streets, sampling sweets at a local shop and shopping at a clothing store before departing for Nashik later that day.
It was only after reaching Nashik that one of the tourists, Himani from the Netherlands, realised that her expensive earbuds were missing. She immediately informed MTDC officials about the loss.
Tourism officials launched a search operation the same night. The MTDC team reviewed CCTV footage from the shops the group had visited and began tracing the autorickshaw drivers who had ferried the tourists around the city. The missing earbuds were eventually located with one of the drivers, who discovered that they had fallen during the ride.
To ensure the device reached the tourist quickly, MTDC arranged for the earbuds to be flown to Mumbai.
The swift recovery drew praise from the visiting tourists. “Foreign tourists come to India with trust, and it is our responsibility to ensure their journey is safe and smooth,” MTDC Deputy Director Vijay Jadhav said, adding that the staff acted promptly and successfully recovered the item.
After receiving her earbuds, Himani called MTDC officials to express her gratitude. She said she was impressed by how even small concerns were handled with care and added that the trip felt safe and welcoming, “almost like being with family”.
