Telangana Police recover over 21,000 stolen mobile devices this year

Telangana Police rank second in the country in recovery of lost/stolen mobile phones, Director General of Police Jitender said on Sunday as the state police successfully recovered 21,193 mobile devices during the current year till July 25.

The Central Equipment Identity Register (CIER) portal is operated in all 780 police stations in Telangana, the police chief said. A total of 21,193 lost or stolen mobile devices were recovered in a span of 206 days in 2024, of which the last 1,000 were recovered in eight days and handed over to complainants. On average, 82 mobiles are recovered per day, which increased from 73 per day in April 2024.

CIER was developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to curb the menace of mobile theft and counterfeit mobile devices. The portal was officially launched nationwide on May 17, 2023, and was started on a pilot basis in Telangana on April 19, 2023.

Additional Director General of Police Shikha Goel is designated as the nodal officer for the CEIR Portal and monitors the progress of work under it. According to the police, 10,000 lost or stolen mobile phones were recovered in 189 days, 20,000 in 291 days, 30,000 in 395 days, and 37,000 in 459 days.

The maximum recoveries have been made by Hyderabad Commissionerate with 3808 mobile devices, followed by Rachakonda Commissionerate with 2,174, and Cyberabad Commissionerate with 2,030 mobile devices. To enhance user-friendliness and serve the citizens of Telangana more efficiently, the state police, in coordination with DoT, have successfully integrated the CEIR portal with the TG Police Citizen Portal.

Police have requested that citizens utilise this service on the TG Police Citizen Portal -- www.tspolice.gov.in or www.ceir.gov.in -- for reporting lost or missing mobile devices. Since its inception, the CEIR portal has emerged as one of the most citizen-friendly initiatives by the Telangana Police. It has become a beacon of hope for individuals who have lost their mobile devices. Testimonials from numerous users attest to the portal's effectiveness and the positive impact it has had on recovering lost phones, the police chief said.