The Amritsar Police Commissionerate has returned 274 lost mobile phones valued at approximately Rs 41.40 lakh to their rightful owners in the latest phase of its recovery drive. This marks the fourth such distribution, bringing the total number of recovered and returned handsets over the past year to 974, with a combined worth of around Rs 1.67 crore.
Technology-Driven Recovery Efforts
The recoveries were made possible through technical surveillance and the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), a system that allows investigators to track mobile phones using their unique IMEI numbers even after the SIM card has been changed. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar stated that the devices were traced to various locations across India, including Srinagar, Bengaluru, Rae Bareilly, Agra, Madhya Pradesh, Ludhiana, and other places in Punjab.
The recovered handsets include premium and mid-range smartphones from brands such as Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Poco, Vivo, Oppo, Redmi, Realme, and Xiaomi. Some devices were traced from as far as Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Phased Distribution Drives
This is the fourth major distribution drive conducted by the city police. In the first phase, 100 mobile phones were returned; in the second, 200; and in the third, 400. With the latest phase adding 274 phones, the total number of recovered and returned handsets now stands at 974.
Of the 274 phones returned in the latest phase, 220 were traced by the Cyber Crime police station, while the remaining 54 were recovered by the Central Sub-Division police.
Challenges in Recovery
Rajbir Kaur, in-charge of the cyber cell, highlighted the difficulties faced by police teams in retrieving the devices. “We face difficulties in getting the mobile phones back because people sometimes do not return them easily. They have to be persuaded repeatedly to hand over the devices,” she said. She added that sustained technical surveillance was key to tracing the missing devices.
Citizen Experiences and Advice
Sakshi, a local resident, expressed gratitude after recovering her expensive mobile phone, which contained important data. Another resident, who recently lost his Apple iPhone, said, “I had lost all hope of getting my mobile phone back, but I was delighted when I received a call from the cyber cell informing me that it had been recovered.”
The police have advised citizens to immediately report the loss of a mobile phone at the nearest police station or Saanjh Kendra and register the device on the CEIR portal. Prompt reporting and IMEI-based tracking significantly improve the chances of recovery while preventing the misuse of lost or stolen devices.
