One Phone a Minute Recovered: AI, Police, and People Power Drive Recovery Success
New Delhi: India’s battle against mobile theft has reached a landmark moment. The Ministry of Communications announced that over six lakh lost and stolen mobile handsets have been successfully recovered through the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) flagship digital safety platform, Sanchar Saathi. This milestone, achieved under the Block Your Lost/Stolen Mobile Handset facility, demonstrates how technology, governance, and citizen participation are converging to secure India’s digital ecosystem.
Launched in May 2023 and built on the principle of Digital by Design, Sanchar Saathi has evolved into India’s most comprehensive digital safety tool. With real-time integration between DoT, telecom service providers, and State/Union Territory police, the platform has turned the tide against mobile theft—helping recover roughly one handset every minute.
The system is simple yet powerful. Once citizens report a lost or stolen phone on the portal or mobile app, the device’s IMEI is blocked across all telecom networks in India. If a SIM is later used in that device, traceability is triggered and an alert is sent both to the citizen and the local police station where the complaint was lodged. Citizens are simultaneously informed via SMS about the police station to contact for recovery.
This robust framework has ensured not just traceability but tangible results. Monthly recoveries jumped from 28,115 in January 2025 to 45,243 in August 2025—a sharp 61% increase in just eight months. The milestone of six lakh recoveries symbolizes more than statistics: it means restored communication, prevented fraud, and renewed trust for lakhs of families across the country.
DoT’s field units are working closely with police forces nationwide, aided by capacity-building programmes to streamline recoveries. The rising numbers also mirror growing citizen awareness and confidence in the platform, reinforced by the campaign’s visibility and multilingual reach. The Sanchar Saathi mobile app is available in Hindi, English, and 21 regional languages, making it accessible to every demographic across India’s diverse linguistic landscape.
Beyond handset recovery, Sanchar Saathi offers an array of digital safety features:
- Chakshu – to report suspected fraud communications.
- Know Your Mobile Connections – to verify all active connections.
- Device Authenticity Verification – to check IMEI genuineness online or via SMS (14422).
- International Call Reporting – to flag suspicious overseas calls with Indian caller IDs.
- Trusted Contact Details – to access verified bank and financial institution contacts.
The platform has already logged over 19 crore website visits and more than 90 lakh app downloads, becoming a central pillar in the government’s Digital India and Digital Bharat vision.
Calling the achievement a reinforcement of citizen trust in digital governance, the Ministry of Communications urged all Indians to immediately report lost or stolen devices via the Sanchar Saathi portal or mobile app and use its suite of safety tools.
With this milestone, India is not only safeguarding citizens’ digital lifelines but also setting an international benchmark in tech-driven governance and public participation.
– global bihari bureau
