Sanchar Saathi helps recover over 77,000 stolen handsets in July
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New Delhi, Aug 28 : The Department of Telecommunications' flagship citizen‑centric initiative Sanchar Saathi has helped recover 77,692 lost or stolen mobile handsets in July, marking the first time since its launch that it has crossed the 75,000-mark in a single month, a Communications Ministry statement said on Friday.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia hailed the achievement, saying that the milestone reflects growing public trust in the platform and stronger coordination among DoT, telecom service providers (TSPs), and police departments across states and Union Territories, the ministry statement said.
"DoT, through the collaborative efforts, is capturing the feedback of stakeholders for continuous enhancements in the ecosystem focused on an increase in recoveries," the statement noted.
The DoT's Digital Intelligence Unit and its field units worked closely with local police to trace devices and return them to owners, as the monthly handset recoveries rose 201 per cent from April 2025 to July 2026.
Citizens are provided with the name of the police station in the traceability reports through SMS, email and on the portal & application, the statement said, underlining the major enhancements undertaken in the initiative to achieve the feat.
Details of SIM insertion in lost/ stolen mobile handsets are made available to the police authorities, including alternate mobile numbers for increasing the recoveries.
Citizens are advised through SMS to factory reset the recovered mobile handset for safeguarding from any suspected malware.
A lost or stolen handset can be reported by the citizen on Sanchar Saathi in simple steps through a web portal or the mobile application. Once reported, the mobile handsets are blocked in the Indian telecom network, preventing the misuse of such devices.
Any attempt to use the lost or stolen handset is captured by the network, generating alerts to the citizen and the police station for recovery and return to the rightful owner.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia hailed the achievement, saying that the milestone reflects growing public trust in the platform and stronger coordination among DoT, telecom service providers (TSPs), and police departments across states and Union Territories, the ministry statement said.
"DoT, through the collaborative efforts, is capturing the feedback of stakeholders for continuous enhancements in the ecosystem focused on an increase in recoveries," the statement noted.
The DoT's Digital Intelligence Unit and its field units worked closely with local police to trace devices and return them to owners, as the monthly handset recoveries rose 201 per cent from April 2025 to July 2026.
Citizens are provided with the name of the police station in the traceability reports through SMS, email and on the portal & application, the statement said, underlining the major enhancements undertaken in the initiative to achieve the feat.
Details of SIM insertion in lost/ stolen mobile handsets are made available to the police authorities, including alternate mobile numbers for increasing the recoveries.
Citizens are advised through SMS to factory reset the recovered mobile handset for safeguarding from any suspected malware.
A lost or stolen handset can be reported by the citizen on Sanchar Saathi in simple steps through a web portal or the mobile application. Once reported, the mobile handsets are blocked in the Indian telecom network, preventing the misuse of such devices.
Any attempt to use the lost or stolen handset is captured by the network, generating alerts to the citizen and the police station for recovery and return to the rightful owner.
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