Thursday morning, the last week of April 2026.
I walked back into the gym at exactly the same time — 9:00 AM. There’s something about routine that gives you hope, even when things have already gone wrong. Maybe today would be different. Maybe someone had found my bag. Maybe the person who took it by mistake would return it.
I went straight to the front desk and spoke to the lady there. I asked her if they had managed to identify the person who might have taken my bag. She told me she had informed the senior manager, Harsha, who handles the premises.
That sounded reassuring — at least initially.
But I didn’t want to rely on assumptions. I asked for Harsha’s number and called him directly, hoping for a clear update. What I got instead was honestly shocking.
There was no ticket raised.
No investigation started.
No real action taken.
For a moment, I just stood there, processing it. My car keys were inside that missing bag. My car was still parked outside. And yet, the urgency I expected from the gym management was simply not there.
Frustration slowly started building up.
I decided not to leave immediately. Instead, I sat near the bag rack area — watching, waiting, hoping. Every time someone walked in or out, I found myself looking at their bag. Maybe someone had taken it by mistake and would return it once they realized.
Time moved slowly.
Minutes felt longer than usual when you’re waiting for something important.
I stayed there until around 10:00 AM. Finally, the front desk lady came back to me and said I could leave. She mentioned that she now had access to raise a ticket and had done so to retrieve the CCTV footage.
That should have happened earlier.
During that entire time, I found myself in an uncomfortable situation — glancing at other people’s bags, trying to match them mentally with mine. It didn’t feel right, but I didn’t have a choice. That’s what the situation had come down to.
Eventually, I left the gym.
No answers.
No clarity.
Just more waiting.
The rest of the day went on as usual, but not quite the same. Since my car keys were gone, I had to use my brother’s car to get around.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, the same thought kept repeating:
How does something like this not get immediate attention?
