Gandhinagar, April 30 (IANS) Gujarat Police have achieved a mobile phone recovery rate well above the national average, ranking third among large states in the country, according to official data, in a development that underscores the growing use of technology to tackle telecom-related crime.

Over the past year, Gujarat Police recovered 53,564 stolen handsets, recording a recovery rate of 46.71 per cent compared with the national average of 32.6 per cent.

Across India, a total of 50,48,516 mobile phones have been blocked so far, of which 1,83,985 were blocked in Gujarat.

The performance has been attributed to the coordinated efforts of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Gujarat Police, particularly through the effective use of the Central government’s ‘Sanchar Saathi’ portal and the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) module.

These tools have enabled authorities to trace and recover devices more efficiently, placing Gujarat third among large states in terms of recovery percentage.

Officials emphasised, “The recovery figures demonstrate the commitment of our teams and the impact of systematic monitoring through CEIR,” while acknowledging the role of field officers in achieving the results.

Data for the financial year 2025-26 showed that Ahmedabad City, Dang and Bhavnagar districts emerged as the top performers in CEIR rankings.

Ahmedabad City ranked first in the state with a final score of 56.70, recovering 4,935 handsets out of 25,500 block requests.

It also secured a full score of 100 out of 100 in the volume-based assessment. Dang district ranked second with 54.89 points, handling 328 block requests and recording an accuracy score of 77.33 per cent.

Bhavnagar district secured third place with a score of 53.44, recovering 273 handsets out of 634 block requests.

Officials said that nodal officers across districts played a significant role in tracing 1,14,670 blocked handsets, contributing to the state’s overall recovery performance.

On Thursday, state police chief Dr K.L.N. Rao presented shields and certificates to nodal officers from Ahmedabad City, Dang and Bhavnagar districts in recognition of their work.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening national security, preventing the misuse of stolen mobile phones and curbing telecom-related fraud, officials said.

–IANS

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