A total of 15 mobile phones, which had either been stolen or lost in Mysuru city during the last one month, were returned to their owners at a function in the City Police Commissioner’s office on Saturday.
The total value of the stolen or lost mobile phones, manufactured by different companies, was around ₹3.5 lakh.
Launch of CEIR portal
Superintendent of Chamarajanagar district police Padmini Sahu hands over a retraced mobile phone to the owner in Chamarajanagar. | Photo Credit: arranged
City Police Commissioner Ramesh B said mobile phones, either stolen or lost, can now be traced quickly thanks to Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), a portal started by the Union Ministry of Telecommunications.
Earlier, after registering complaints of lost mobile phones, the police had to check if the equipment was being used and it was not possible to check for all the lost phones continuously.
However, with the launch of the CEIR portal, the IMEI number of the lost or stolen phones is uploaded. “When it is used, immediately an alert is received,” said Mr. Ramesh claiming that the exercise of tracing lost or stolen mobile phones has become swifter with the portal.
Looking for your lost phone
Police officials said people losing their mobile phones should first obtain an acknowledgement from the e-lost app of Karnataka State Police (KSP) and log onto https://www.ceir.gov.in to enter the details of their mobile number and IMEI details along with Aadhaar number.
The complainants should enter both the IMEI numbers if their mobile phones had two SIM slots, a police official said. If only one IMEI number is entered for mobile phones with two SIM slots, the phone can still be used by inserting the SIM card in the unreported IMEI, a police official said.
Only when both the IMEI numbers are reported can a phone with two SIM slots be completely blocked. “It will be of no use and the mobile has to be returned to the authorities,” the official said.
Whenever the stolen or lost mobile phone is used after it is blocked through the CEIR portal, the authorities will trace the equipment and contact the person using the phone and ask them to return the same.
“The phones are returned either through courier or physically. In many cases, the person in possession of the lost of stolen mobile informs the authorities that he had bought the same for amounts varying between ₹2,000 to ₹5,000,” the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj and other police officials were present on the occasion.
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