New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on Tuesday that its digital safety initiative, Sanchar Saathi, has enabled the recovery of more than 50,000 lost and stolen mobile handsets across India in October this year.

“This record milestone reflects unwavering commitment to secure citizens’ digital assets and public trust in technology-driven governance. The overall recovery nationwide has also crossed the 7 lakh milestone,” according to an official statement.

Karnataka and Telangana have emerged as top-performing states, each crossing 1 lakh recoveries, Maharashtra follows with over 80,000.

The monthly recoveries of lost and stolen mobile phones have surged by 47 per cent from June to October 2025, underlining the system’s growing efficiency and reach. With the help of this system, more than one handset is being recovered every minute across the country, the statement said.

At the core of this achievement is a robust, indigenously developed platform, integrating automated workflows and real-time device traceability. Sanchar Saathi’s advanced technology prevents the misuse of blocked devices. When a SIM is inserted into a reported handset, the system triggers alerts to both the registered citizen and the relevant police station, enabling faster and more efficient recovery.

This success is the result of seamless collaboration. Police personnel across states/UTs, DoT’s Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) and field formations (LSAs) have worked in close coordination to ensure devices are efficiently traced and returned to their rightful owners.

Regular capacity-building programmes and partnerships with state and UT police forces have been critical in strengthening on-ground response and operational excellence, the statement said.

DoT has urged citizens to download Sanchar Saathi app to not only report and block their lost or stolen mobile devices, but also to cross check genuineness of new and old devices that they intend to purchase. Citizens can also report suspected fraudulent calls and messages through this app and can cross check trusted contact details of banks and financial institutions.

–IANS

sps/na