130 lost mobile phones returned to owners by cyber cell in Faridkot

The cyber cell of Faridkot police has traced 130 mobile phones and returned these to their registered owners. These phones had gone missing or were stolen in the past few months, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Baljit Singh. The mobile phones, worth over Rs 20 lakh, were recovered with the help of Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), a centralised system, the SP added.

“These phones were traced after complaints had been registered on the CEIR portal, a wing of the Telecommunications Department of the Union Government. The CEIR is a centralised system implemented to manage and track mobile devices using their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. It helps in combating mobile device theft and misuse, after the details of the lost mobile phone is lodged,” said the SP.

Other than the contact numbers, most mobiles have important documents and bank passwords, said Mandeep Singh, who got his mobile which was snatched some time back.

Most of the stolen phones are resold to unsuspecting buyers who try to save money but got cheated. Many costly phones are resold abroad, where device IMEIs are not blacklisted. These phones are also used by the mechanics for the replacement of parts, said sources in the cyber cell.