Karnataka saw 1,83,416 lost or stolen mobile phones blocked, 71,173 phones traced, and 22,864 devices recovered.
Published Jan 16, 2024 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 16, 2024 | 9:00 AM
(Representational image/Creative Commons)
The state of Karnataka stands first in the country when it comes to the number of lost and stolen mobile phones recovered through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal ever since its launch.
The portal was developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Union Ministry of Communications, and was launched for the use of the citizens across the country.
As of 9 January, the number of lost or stolen mobile phones blocked by the CEIR portal in Karnataka was 1,83,416, while the number of mobiles traced in the state was 71,173.
Meanwhile, the state police had successfully recovered 22,864 mobiles after the people reported their phones lost or stolen on the CEIR portal, RTI queries sought by South First yielded.
A total of over 12 lakh phone users across India used the CEIR portal to get their lost or stolen mobiles blocked, among which more than six lakh mobile phones have been traced.
Of these, 71,834 mobiles were recovered at various police stations across the country.
However, in terms of blocking and tracing lost or stolen mobile phones, the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi stood first in the country with 4.69 lakh lost or stolen mobile phones being blocked.
Among these, 2.79 lakh phones were traced, but a mere 2,145 devices were recovered, according to data retrieved through RTI queries.
The CEIR portal is basically a Central government initiative under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which has been in coordination with all mobile service providers (MSPs) and offering a platform portal for mobile users to report their lost or stolen phones.
In Karnataka, the CEIR portal has been operational since September 2022. It is a citizen-centric portal of the DoT for tracing lost or stolen mobile devices.
The portal also facilitates for blocking of lost or stolen mobile devices in the network of all telecom operators so that such devices cannot be used in India.
If anyone tries to use the blocked mobile phone, its traceability is generated. Once a mobile phone is found, it may be unblocked on the portal for its normal use by the citizens.
Anyone can file a complaint of their phone going missing or being lost by keying into the portal details of the device, along with the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number.
The IMEI is a unique 15-digit serial number assigned to every mobile phone during its manufacture.
A senior police officer explained to South First that when a mobile phone user files a report on the CEIR portal, it traces such mobiles in use and blocks them.
After this, the police can find out the new mobile number that is being used on the phone and then recover it.
In Karnataka, the CEIR portal is monitored by the Crime and the Technical Services of the state police department headed by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Umesh Kumar.
Q. When should you block your lost/stolen phone’s IMEI?
A. The mobile phone user should block the IMEI of their phone if it has been lost or stolen.
Q. How to register a complaint?
A. To register a complaint, go to the CEIR portal and fill out the Complaint Registration Form. After the form is submitted, a unique Complaint ID will be generated. The form details will be mailed to your given mail ID as well. Save the Complaint ID and Registered Mobile Number for further use.
Q. How to block a lost/stolen phone?
A. The user can block the phone’s IMEI by two means. One is through filing a physical (written) complaint to the state police. The second is through a form submitted on the CEIR website.
Once the report is filed, keep a copy of the report. Get a duplicate SIM Card for the lost number from your MSP (eg, Airtel, Jio, Vi, BSNL, MTNL, etc). This is essential because you will need to provide this as the primary mobile number (OTP will be sent on this number) while submitting the request for blocking your IMEI.
Note: As per TRAI’s regulation, SMS facility on re-issued SIMs is enabled after 24 hours of SIM activation.
Get your documents ready: A copy of the police report and an Identity Proof must be provided. You can also provide the mobile purchase invoice.
Fill out the request registration form for blocking the IMEI of lost/stolen phone, and attach the required documents.
After submitting the form, you will be given a Request ID. This can be used for checking the status of your request and for unblocking the IMEI in future.
Note: If the user receives the message “Request already exists for IMEI *** and mobile number *** with FirNo = *** on *** by State police” after submitting the blocking request, it means that the request for their IMEI and mobile number already exists in the CEIR system through the state police.
Q. What happens after the user blocks their phone IMEI number?
A. After the successful submission of the blocking request, the user’s phone is blocked within 24 hours. After the phone has been blocked, it cannot be used on any network across India.
Note: This does not prevent the police from tracking the lost or stolen phone.
Q. When to unblock your phone’s IMEI?
A. The user should unblock the IMEI of their phone only if it has been found and is in the possession of the user.
Since the inception of the CEIR portal, a total of 12.2 lakh lost or stolen mobile phones have been blocked and 6.22 lakh lost or stolen mobile phones have been traced through this portal.
