The Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi initiative has helped recover more than 75,000 lost and stolen mobile handsets across India in a single month, marking its highest monthly recovery since the platform was launched. Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia hailed the milestone, crediting coordination between the DoT, telecom service providers and police departments across States and Union Territories.
The initiative has recorded a sharp rise in recoveries over the past year, with monthly handset recoveries increasing by 201 per cent between April 2025 and July 2026. Data shown by the department indicates recoveries rose from 25,799 handsets in April 2025 to 77,692 in July 2026.
Recoveries rise sharply across India
Sanchar Saathi is designed to help citizens report lost or stolen mobile phones and enable their tracing through an integrated system involving telecom networks and law enforcement agencies.
The DoT said the increase in recoveries reflects stronger coordination between its Digital Intelligence Unit, field units and police personnel across States and Union Territories. The system is being continuously improved based on feedback from stakeholders with the aim of speeding up handset tracing and return.
As part of the process, citizens are now provided with the name of the concerned police station in traceability reports sent through SMS, email, the portal and the mobile application. Police authorities are also given details when a SIM card is inserted into a reported lost or stolen handset, including an alternate mobile number that can assist in tracing the device.
Citizens whose phones are recovered are also advised through SMS to factory reset the handset as a precaution against suspected malware.
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How Sanchar Saathi tracks stolen phones
A lost or stolen handset can be reported through the Sanchar Saathi web portal or its mobile application. Once reported, the handset is blocked on Indian telecom networks to prevent its misuse.
If someone later attempts to use the reported device, the telecom network captures the activity and generates alerts for the citizen and the concerned police station. This helps authorities trace the handset and return it to its rightful owner.
The department attributed the progress to what it described as a robust indigenous platform supported by integrated automated workflows and real-time device traceability.
The monthly recovery figures highlighted in the department’s data show a steady increase, with 50,534 handsets recovered in October 2025, 60,146 in February 2026 and 71,365 in May 2026 before the figure climbed to 77,692 in July.
DoT credits police and telecom coordination
Scindia praised the collaborative efforts of the DoT, State and Union Territory police forces and telecom service providers in improving recovery rates. The department said continued enhancements to Sanchar Saathi have strengthened the system and helped more citizens recover their devices.
The DoT said the initiative is intended to protect citizens’ digital assets while improving technology-driven governance. It has encouraged people to report lost or stolen mobile phones through the Sanchar Saathi portal or mobile application so that devices can be blocked, traced and, where possible, returned to their owners.
