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The 'Block Your Lost/ Stolen Mobile Handset' facility on the flagship citizen-centric digital safety initiative "Sanchar-Saathi" of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has crossed a significant milestone by facilitating the recovery of over 6 lakh lost and stolen mobile handsets, said the Ministry of Communications in a release on Tuesday.
The Ministry added that this achievement underscores the government's commitment to protecting citizens' digital assets and demonstrates the power of collaborative technology in combating cybercrime. 'Block Your Lost/ Stolen Mobile Handset' facility on Sanchar Saathi integrates DoT, Telecom Service Providers (TSP) and State/ UT police in a real-time manner. Built on the theme of 'Digital by Design', this facility is helping recover one phone per minute, the ministry stated. 'Block Your Lost/ Stolen Mobile Handset' facility empowers citizens to report, block, trace, or unblock lost/ stolen mobile handsets across all Indian telecom networks. Reported lost/ stolen mobile handsets are blocked in telecom networks on pan India basis to prevent any misuse. As soon as any SIM is used with such a lost/stolen mobile handset, automated traceability is generated and an alert is sent to the citizens as well as the Police Station concerned where the complaint for the lost/ stolen mobile handset was registered. Citizens are provided with the details of the police station to be contacted through the generated traceability through SMS. Field units of DoT continuously collaborate with law enforcement through capacity-building initiatives, thus ensuring traced devices are efficiently recovered and returned to rightful owners. With these efforts, the recovery rate has shown consistent month-on-month improvement, with monthly recoveries increasing from 28,115 in January 2025 to 45,243 in August 2025 - representing a 61 per cent increase over eight months. The ministry further added that this upward trajectory reflects the platform's growing integration with law enforcement agencies and enhanced citizen awareness. "The crossing of 6 lakh recoveries represents more than just numbers - it reflects the restoration of digital security for hundreds of thousands of Indian families. Each recovered device represents prevented fraud, restored communication, and reinforced trust in our digital ecosystem," the release added. The ministry stated that the milestone reinforces the government's vision of a secure digital ecosystem where technology serves as an enabler for citizen empowerment and safety. The initiative exemplifies the spirit of Jan Bhagidari (citizen participation) in governance, demonstrating how collaborative efforts between government, technology, and citizens can create meaningful impact. (ANI)
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