The Kannur City Cyber Cell has successfully recovered and returned 33 lost and stolen mobile phones to their rightful owners, tracing them to various parts of Kerala and States including Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradersh, Delhi and Karnataka.
Kannur District Police Chief P. Nidhinraj handed over the recovered phones to the owners and explained the role of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal in tracking and blocking lost devices.
Mr. Nidhinraj said that people lose their mobile phones in various ways. Many people have the habit of saving the password and other important details in the phone. Such phones can be misused and to prevent it, people should register the lose of their phone and upload the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) in the CEIR portals started by the Department of Telecom..
He said the phones lost between 2023 and 2025 has been recovered and handed over to the owner. The phones were traced and retrieved by a team led by Cyber Cell ASI M. Sreejith and CPO Dijin Raj P.K with some returned directly to owners and others via local police stations or courier services.
According to officials, the Cyber Cell has recovered nearly 300 phones in the past six months, highlighting the effectiveness of digital trancking systems.
Auhtorities urged the public to follow proper procedures when a phone is lost; obtain a duplicate SIM, lodge a complaint at the nearest police station and block the phone through CEIR portal (www.ceir.gov.in) using the IMEI number. If the phone is later used, it can be traced and recovered.
Those purchasing second hand phones are advised to check the device’s authenticity via the ‘Know Genuineness of Your Mobile Handset’ feature on the Sancharasaa portal (www.sancharasaathi,gov,in) using the IMEI number.
