Sukumar Shetty, a public distribution system operator in Mannagudda, Mangaluru, was relieved after the police recovered his stolen phone in Mangaluru on June 3, Saturday. | Photo Credit: ANIL KUMAR SASTRY
It was a simple feature phone worth around ₹1,000; but for Mannagudda resident Sukumar Shetty, its recovery by the police was worth thousands of rupees. The phone was stolen from his public distribution shop in Mannagudda in the city in December 2022 and Mr. Shetty reported the same to the police. The phone book had some important contact numbers and he badly needed them.
He was all praise for the Mangaluru City Police for finding it through the Central Equipment Identity Registration (CEIR) Portal and handing it over to him at a programme at the Police Commissioner’s office on Saturday.
It was not just Mr. Shetty, but about 90 persons who had assembled at the Commissioner’s auditorium to receive their stolen mobile phones too, that were recovered by the police through CEIR portal on Saturday.
240 stolen phones recovered
Speaking on the occasion, Police Commissioner Kuldeep Kumar R. Jain said as many as 2,391 mobile phones were reported stolen in the commissionerate limits since December 2022. Of them, the police got 2,133 mobile phones blocked through the CEIR portal. While information about 524 handsets was ascertained, 240 were recovered. The Commissionerate had handed over 147 of them earlier and returned the 93 handsets on Saturday.
Mr. Jain said the Commissionerate had got 5,892 mobile phone handsets blocked, including those involved in cybercrime and stolen ones since December 2022.
Chat Boot
The Commissioner said the city police had created a ‘Say Hi To Whatsapp’ Chatbot through which complainants could send “HI” to 8277949183. They have to fill details of the lost phone on Google Forms, the link of which would be sent to them.
The facility of finding lost/stolen mobile phones through the CEIR portal was launched in Mangaluru on September 5, 2022. Those who have lost the phones could either complain at the nearest police station or lodge a complaint through the KSP (Karnataka State Police) App. After lodging the complaint, they could either fill in the details on www.ceir.gov.in or get it done through police by providing the IMEI number and blocking the same. The police would then proceed to locate the phones and recover them.
Deputy Commissioners of Police Anshu Kumar and B.P. Dinesh Kumar were present.
