The New Delhi district police recovered 76 mobile phones over the past month across various police station jurisdictions and gave them back to their rightful owners on Saturday.
The bulk of the recoveries came from the Kartavya Path police station, where 38 phones were tracked and returned. Tughlak Road followed with 10 recoveries, while Tilak Marg accounted for seven. Other contributions included four phones each from Chanakyapuri and South Avenue, three each from Barakhamba Road, North Avenue, and Connaught Place, two from Mandir Marg, and one each from Parliament Street and the Cyber police station.
The operation relied heavily on the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, which enables the police to block, trace, and recover lost or stolen mobile phones using their unique IMEI numbers. By leveraging this technology alongside traditional policing methods, the teams were able to locate devices from various areas and return them to their rightful owners, the police said.
In February this year, the Delhi Police’s metro wing returned 201 phones to their owners. According to the police, cell phone thefts account for over 80 per cent of all crimes reported in the Delhi Metro, often orchestrated by organised criminal networks that swiftly dispose of or sell stolen devices. In the 20 days it took to complete the operation, 32 dedicated teams had travelled across 16 states – from Kerala to Jammu and Kashmir, and Meghalaya to Gujarat – tracking stolen phones and arresting culprits.
The police also set up a Court Facilitation Unit (CFU) to work directly with judicial magistrates. “The CFU helped streamline the process by enabling virtual appearances for complainants, thereby eliminating the need for physical court visits. Furthermore, the police ensured that victims were not burdened by legal fees, which had previously acted as a deterrent to seeking justice. Upon securing the necessary release orders, the Reconnecting Unit would ensure the return of recovered mobile phones – either at police stations or, where feasible, delivered directly via courier to the rightful owner’s residence,” Hareshwar Swami, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi Metro, had told The Indian Express in February.
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