ISLAMABAD: The Jhelum police have successfully recovered a pair of AirPods belonging to British social media influencer Miles Routledge, known online as “Lord Miles,” nearly a year after they were lost in Dubai.
Routledge had accidentally left the wireless earbuds in a hotel room in Dubai. Using Apple’s “Lost Mode” feature, he tracked their movements, only to discover that the AirPods had traveled thousands of kilometers and ended up in Kala Gujran, a small locality on the outskirts of Jhelum, Pakistan.
The devices occasionally pinged from around a local restaurant, narrowing the possible location. With no personal connections in Pakistan, Miles took to social media, sharing updates about the unusual trail and tagging the Jhelum Police, urging assistance.
District Police Officer Tariq Aziz Sindhu led the investigation. Officers began by identifying households with family members working in Dubai. Their inquiries pointed to four individuals, one of whom was currently in Pakistan.
During questioning, the man admitted to having the AirPods but insisted he had bought them from an Indian national in Dubai, unaware they were lost or stolen. After verifying his account, the police recovered the AirPods.
Miles was then contacted and given the choice to have the earbuds mailed or collect them in person. Choosing the latter, he announced his plan on social media, joking that he would “storm the area” with police to retrieve them and film the entire event. However, upon arrival in Pakistan, he found the matter already resolved and was instead treated to lunch by the local police.
In a televised statement, Miles praised the efficiency and dedication of the Jhelum Police, saying they had done what “Scotland Yard in London would not do for a British citizen like me.”
He also clarified that the original thief was not Pakistani but Indian, later claiming on social media that the individual had been arrested in Dubai for theft charges. Since then, Miles has continued to post about the incident, using it to criticize Indian nationals — a move that has sparked controversy online.
The story highlights a rare case of cross-border digital tracking, local police cooperation, and the unexpected global reach of lost personal tech in the age of connected devices.
