Telangana tops in India in recovery of lost, stolen mobile devices using CEIR portal

Telangana has secured the top rank nationwide for its exemplary performance in reclaiming lost and stolen mobile devices through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal. According to an official release, Telangana has successfully recovered 5,038 mobile devices, achieving an impressive recovery rate of 67.98 per cent. This achievement positions Telangana at the forefront of recovering lost and stolen mobile devices via the CEIR portal followed by Karnataka (54.20 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (50.90 per cent). The CEIR portal, developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), was created to combat the challenges posed by mobile theft and counterfeit mobile devices. The portal was officially launched on a national scale on May 17, 2023, and its initial implementation took place in a pilot capacity in Telangana starting from April 19, 2023. Similarly, Karnataka initiated its pilot program for the CEIR portal in September 2022. The CEIR essentially enables individuals to prevent unauthorized use of their smartphones in the event of theft. Once a mobile device is blocked, the government can track and recover the phone. Users have the option to block their smartphones either through the CEIR website or the KYM (Know Your Mobile) app, which is available for download on the Play Store for Android and the Apple App Store for iPhones running iOS. CEIR portal is operated in all 780 Police stations in Telangana and Additional DGP CID Mahesh M Bhagwat, who is designated as Nodal Officer for CEIR portal in the state, monitors the progress of work under CEIR portal." 5,038 lost/stolen mobile devices were recovered in a span of 110 days, of which the last 1,000 were recovered in 16 days and handed over to complainants", the release issued on Tuesday said. Telangana Director General of Police Anjani Kumar congratulated Mahesh Bhagwat and team for consistent monitoring and helping unit level teams in achieving this feat. Telangana Police recovering mobile phones using CEIR portal has proven to be a boon to citizens of the state, the DGP said. To enhance user friendliness and serve the citizens of Telangana more efficiently the Telangana Police in coordination with DoT has integrated CEIR portal with Telangana State Police Citizen Portal, the release said. As a result, citizens are encouraged to utilise this service on the Telangana State Police Citizen Portal instead of visiting ‘MeeSeva’ or Police Stations for reporting lost or missing mobile devices, it added. With inputs from PTI.