Filmmaker and VFX artist Mohamad Sofian lost his bag on a flight when someone took it by mistake. It’s frustrating enough as is, but for Mohamad, it was tragic – as it contained not only his expensive gear, but also some unpublished projects. In desperation, he turned to the community for help, and they all joined forces to get his precious gear back.
What happened to the bag?
“Someone mistakenly took my bag from the flight named FlyScoot from Malaysia to Singapore on May 25th, arriving at 10:50 PM,” Mohamad wrote on Twitter on May 25. “I hope you can share this message until that person notices.”
The backpack contained important pieces of gear and his documents: his wallet, laptop, and hard disk with unpublished project files and videos. “If anyone receives a notification about a missing AirTag for Sofian’s wallet, please assist me in locating it,” he added.
Of course, Mohamad visited the Lost and Found department, but no luck. He noticed a backpack there that looked like his, which means that someone took his bag by mistake, and the airport staff thought this was Mohamad’s bag that he hadn’t picked up. He followed the location of his wallet, which remained unchanged for a while. However, the location then stopped, which made Mohamad believe that the one who took his bag was on a connecting flight to another place. “I will get the live location back once the bag lands and the AirTag receives coverage from a nearby iOS device,” he wrote. “I think my chances of getting it back now are very low.”
The happy ending
Even though Mohamad lost his hope, there was a plot twist. A day later, he tweeted that he had received a new notification indicating that his bag was at Clark International Airport. Many people jumped in with advice on what he could do, which is helpful… But nothing was more helpful and thrilling than a message reading, ” I took that bag sorry for that how can I reach you.”
I took that bag sorry for that how can I reach you
— Syed Khaja Mohiddin (@khajamoiddin) May 26, 2023
The message came from Syed Khaja Mohiddin, and he and Mohamad spoke privately so they could arrange a meeting. I saw people in comments warning Mohamad that it could be a scam, which is probably the first thing to have in mind in today’s world. However, it wasn’t. It turns out that it was a genuine and honest person who took the bag by mistake and wanted to return what didn’t belong to him. In a follow-up tweet, Mohamad wrote:
“Finally, I was able to reach him! I am sincerely grateful to Clark International Airport for their prompt cooperation, they called me and managed to locate my bag. A thousand thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about this, and millions of thanks to those who contacted their friends in the vicinity to assist. I deeply appreciate your assistance. Now I can continue editing my videos!”
I see this as a story that brings back faith in humanity, and I sure need these nowadays. Mistakes happen, and this was a very unfortunate one – but it’s a reminder of two things. One, you have to reach out and ask for help when you need it. And two, there still are good and honest people in this world, and that’s worth having in mind.
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