Both baggage that’s popped open and loose items get put aside at some stage of loading.
A handler looks at it all and puts loose items in the nearest bags respectively and sends it forward to the lost bag crew. That’s pretty much the simplest explanation here.
This thread is really clutching at straws. This bag literally didn't make it through transit, which means the whole "they made it weigh the same to avoid flagging in transit" seem pretty stupid doesn't it? It was lost in transit and returned much later. Exactly what happens when a bag splits open and is put aside in the backroom.
Fully agreed, but it's a bit baffling to me that you don't realize how you are the one clutching at straws. "There's probably some ticketing person that to this day are scratching their heads wondering where their scanner went after briefly placing it down on a baggage cart in the chaos of an airport" is simply like the least likely explanation for what happened.
What do we have that weighs 2 kilos? Hey, grab that thing over there!
Is this what current ticket scanners use? It could be that some passenger had packed an old scanner they intended to use for some fun project. It's just the type of thing I might have done when I had time for such things.