The Palghar police in Maharashtra have recovered 104 lost and stolen mobile phones valued at Rs 20.40 lakh with the help of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, officials said on Thursday.
The CEIR, a national-level database created by the Department of Telecommunications, enables police to track lost or stolen mobile devices through their unique IMEI numbers.
Explaining the functionality of the CEIR, an official said, “If a phone is lost or stolen, its IMEI can be blocked via the CEIR portal, making the handset unusable on any mobile network in India, even if the SIM card is changed. We (police) can also trace these blocked devices when they reconnect to a network, which helps in recovery. Once found, the phone can be unblocked and returned to its rightful owner. Moreover, CEIR also detects cloned or duplicate IMEIs, preventing circulation of fake or illegal handsets.”
CEIR now serves as both a deterrent to mobile theft and a vital tool for citizens and the police to recover lost devices, further explained the official.
On Thursday, Special Inspector General of Police (Konkan Range) IPS Sanjay Darade distributed the recovered phones to their rightful owners at a programme held at the Superintendent of Police office in Palghar. Lauding the effort, Darade said, “The efficiency of the police force has increased due to the proper use of the CEIR portal. The trust of citizens in the police has become stronger because of this initiative.”
Superintendent of Police IPS Yatish Deshmukh, who led the campaign, said the success was achieved through a mix of technical investigation and human intelligence. “Palghar Police will continue to use technology in the same way to serve people in the future,” he said.
