KUALA LUMPUR: More than 270 personal items have been left unclaimed by their owners at Masjid Bandar Seri Putra in Kuala Lumpur, which has been in operation for a decade.
Among these items are valuable possessions such as branded watches, mobile phones, wallets, and glasses, some worth hundreds or even thousands of ringgit.
Prof Datuk Dr Riza Atiq Abdullah O.K. Rahmat, the mosque's chairman, said the practice of storing items left behind by worshippers has been in place since the mosque opened in 2014.
"So far, we have in our possession 250 watches, 10 wallets, seven rings, two mobile phones, two motorcycle keys, and one earring bracelet. Some of these watches are worth thousands of ringgit.
"Most of the items are found during the holiday season, either in the ablution room or the prayer area, possibly because their owners forgot them or they fell out of their pockets while praying.
"On regular days, we also discover items, and when we do, we typically make an announcement immediately," he told Harian Metro.
He shared that owners of valuable items like gold jewellery or mobile phones usually reclaim them promptly, often within a week.
However, some items have remained unclaimed for years, possibly due to congregants or visitors not realising they lost them at the mosque.
"There was a case where a person from Johor left behind personal items while stopping to pray at the mosque during a trip to Kedah.
"He was fortunate to quickly realise his loss and contacted us to retrieve the items on his way back to Johor. Others who come to claim their items are mostly from around the Klang Valley."
Riza Atiq said that for this reason, they have taken the responsibility to continue storing the personal belongings left by the congregation with the hope that their owners will come to claim their rights someday.
"If it's watches, wallets, mobile phones, and glasses that are not claimed, we will display them in a locked glass notice board for some time, while valuable and expensive items are kept in the office.
"Eyeglasses that have not been claimed for years are placed outside for the use of congregants coming to the mosque."
He added that besides making announcements and displaying the items in a corner of the mosque, they also spread the word on Facebook and TikTok.
"When someone wants to claim an item, we will ask for detailed information to prove they are the rightful owner, especially for valuable items like gold rings, to avoid giving them to the wrong person.
"My advice to anyone who has stopped to pray at this mosque is, if you believe you left something behind, contact us immediately as we also have space constraints for storage.
"If needed, we can mail the items; just show proof to facilitate the claiming process," he added.