New Delhi: The government’s Sanchar Saathi initiative has recovered more than 75,000 lost and stolen mobile handsets in a single month across India for the first time since its launch, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said.
Scindia praised the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), telecom operators and police departments across states and Union Territories for their coordinated efforts in increasing handset recoveries.
According to the DoT, monthly mobile handset recoveries have increased by 201% between April 2025 and July 2026, helped by continuous improvements to the Sanchar Saathi system.
The platform now provides citizens with the name of the police station handling traceability through SMS, email, the web portal and mobile app. Police authorities also receive details of SIM cards inserted into lost or stolen phones, including alternate mobile numbers, to assist investigations.
Citizens are advised to factory-reset recovered handsets to protect against possible malware.
Under Sanchar Saathi, users can report a lost or stolen phone through the portal or app. The handset is then blocked on Indian telecom networks, preventing misuse. If someone attempts to use the blocked device, the network generates an alert for the citizen and police, helping authorities trace and recover it.
The DoT said the achievement reflects the effectiveness of its indigenous digital platform, automated workflows and real-time device traceability system.
