Madhapur Police returns 48 lost phones to rightful owners

Hyderabad: Madhapur Police successfully recovered 48 mobile phones that were reported lost or stolen and handed them over to their rightful owners on Wednesday, October 7.

The estimated worth of the mobile phones in Rs 10 lakh.

The Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) Portal helped police trace the phones using their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers and, through sustained follow-up and verification, the devices were successfully recovered from different locations.

Police have appealed to citizens to immediately report the loss or theft of mobile phones and provide the IMEI number and other relevant details, which will help the police in initiating the tracing and recovery process through the CEIR system.

What is the CEIR portal?

The CEIR is a national portal managed by India’s Department of Telecommunications and is designed to help block, track, and manage lost or stolen mobile devices using their unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

IMEI numbers are written on the mobile packaging box or can be found on the mobile bill/invoice. A device’s IMEI number can be checked by dialling *#06#.

The IMEI number can be verified through the government’s web portal or by sending an SMS to 14422 with the message “KYM <15-digit IMEI number>”.

One mustn’t buy a device if the IMEI number is shown as black-listed, duplicate or already in use.