Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh), March 31 (IANS) In a major success for the district police, the Cyber Cell team in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur has recovered 240 lost mobile phones and returned them to their rightful owners, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the total value of the recovered mobile phones is estimated to be around Rs 45 lakh. The operation was carried out by the Cyber Crime Police Station along with cyber cell teams from various police stations across the district, using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal to trace the devices.

Officials said that the recovery is part of an ongoing drive, under which a total of 1,400 lost or stolen mobile phones have been traced and returned to their owners so far. These devices were not only recovered from different parts of Jaunpur district but also traced to several other districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Azamgarh, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ballia, Pratapgarh and Bhadohi.

In addition, several phones were tracked and recovered from other states such as Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Rajasthan, showcasing coordinated inter-state efforts by law enforcement agencies.

The recovered mobile phones included a range of popular brands such as OnePlus, Vivo, Redmi, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Poco, Nokia and Samsung. Beneficiaries expressed great happiness after receiving their lost devices and lauded the police for their prompt and effective action.

Speaking to reporters, SP City Ayush Srivastava urged citizens to immediately report any lost or stolen mobile phones at the nearest police station and register complaints on the CEIR portal to enable swift tracking and recovery.

He also advised people to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to avoid falling victim to cybercrime, emphasising the role of public awareness in curbing such incidents.

–IANS

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