Littering or Cultural Enrichment? South American Visitors Leave Behind Treasure Trove of Lost Items
The FIFA guests leave behind some more valuable things than just cans and bottles. The lost-and-found box in the capital's subway is filling up rapidly and looks almost like a museum.
Darya Okuneva has the details.
Toys, sleds, kickboards, bags, and suitcases. It's not a store or a storage locker facility. These things have been found in the subway. Since the beginning of the World Cup, the range of items has broadened with sombreros, Matryoshkas, and drums.
— Yesterday, I forgot my backpack with two Argentinian flags on a train at the Paveletskaya station.
— We've found your stuff. They're currently at the Komsomolskaya subway station.
Michele from Saudi Arabia shakes the policeman's hand and finds it hard to believe they found his wallet with all the money inside.
Michele: "It's a known fact, if lose your wallet in a public place, there is no chance to find it".
Michele was lucky, his wallet was found by Irina, a nurse's aide at Morozov's Hospital. She called the police, the patrol car was dispatched immediately.
Irina Yaslip: "They checked inside the wallet in front of me. They made a report, listing all the bills".
Anton also decided to return a bag with documents that a Mexican woman dropped while getting in a cab, but he took a longer way.
Anton Kiryanov: "I looked for her on Facebook. It was hard to find her, her name is Maria Gonzalez".
After striking out, Anton decided to go to the police. The bag's owner had already filed a missing report.
Maria Gonzalez: "Thank you, thank you so much".
Beside her bag, the police officers also gave Maria Gonzalez a souvenir. This is our gift to you, a DVD of a concert by our staff.
- Thank you, police.
These fans from Iran now have a calendar with the best Krylatskoe policemen. They got this souvenir with their bag that they left in a cab.
Muimijon Tiotkorov, a cab driver: "I forgot about this bag at the end of my shift. Yesterday, I got a call from the police, they told me I had a bag in my car. I remembered it, came here this morning and returned the bag voluntarily".
There are hundreds of similar stories, like this Peruvian woman who got her backpack back after she left it on a bus.
"I was very nervous, all my documents were in there. I couldn't get my fan ID and attend the game without them".
The fans say their inattention is due to being distracted by our city's beauty.
"I'm from San Francisco. We have a subway, but there's no art there unlike here".
Another reason is that fans don't stop rooting for their teams even when traveling.
Darya Okuneva, Dmitry Shestukin, Nikita Fomkin, Vesti.