The Department of Telecommunications' initiative Sanchar Saathi has successfully recovered over 75,000 lost or stolen mobile handsets across India in a month for the first time since its inception. This achievement highlights growing public trust and reflects strong coordination among DoT, telecom service providers (TSPs), and police departments.
The Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) flagship citizen-centric initiative Sanchar Saathi has recently achieved a significant milestone in recovering lost or stolen mobile handsets. For the first time since its inception, more than 75,000 such devices have been recovered across India in a month. This accomplishment highlights growing public trust in the initiative, showcases citizen empowerment through technology-driven governance, and reflects strong coordination among DoT, telecom service providers (TSPs), and police departments across States and Union Territories.
DoT, through collaborative efforts, is capturing feedback from stakeholders for continuous enhancements in the ecosystem aimed at increasing recoveries. Major enhancements undertaken to achieve this feat include providing citizens with the name of the police station in traceability reports via SMS, email, and portal & App; making details of SIM inserting in lost or stolen mobile handsets available to the police authorities including alternate mobile numbers for increasing recoveries; and advising citizens through SMS to factory reset recovered mobile handsets for safeguarding against any suspected malware.
The increase in monthly handset recoveries is significant, with a rise of 201% from April 2025 to July 2026. This achievement is the outcome built on a strong foundation and continuous enhancements in the system. DoT's Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) & its field units- LSAs and Police personnel across States/UTs are working in close coordination to ensure devices are efficiently traced and returned to their rightful owners.
Sanchar Saathi has flipped the plot on lost phones, serving as a game changer. Citizens are encouraged to report lost or stolen mobile phones via the Sanchar Saathi portal or mobile app.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
