In a significant operation, the Thiruvananthapuram city police recovered around 65 mobile phones valued at nearly Rs 23 lakh, which had been reported lost from various areas under the Fort police sub-division. The recovery was made possible through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal. The recovered devices were formally returned to their rightful owners by city police commissioner K Karthick during a ceremony held at the commoners' office on Wednesday.
How the CEIR Portal Works
The CEIR portal, launched by the Department of Telecommunications, is designed to trace, block, and recover lost or stolen mobile phones using their unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. By tracking the IMEI numbers and location data, the police were able to locate the phones from various parts of Kerala and even other states.
Recovered Devices and Areas
The recovered mobile phones included several high-end models, such as iPhones, Google Pixel, and Samsung smartphones. These devices had been reported missing from areas under the Thampanoor, Fort, Karamana, Kovalam, and Nemom police stations.
Commissioner Karthick emphasized that similar initiatives to trace and recover lost mobile phones would continue in the coming days as part of ongoing efforts to assist the public. He noted that timely reporting of missing phones significantly improves the chances of tracing and recovering them. The police urged the public to immediately lodge complaints at the nearest police station and register the details through the CEIR portal if their mobile phones go missing, as this facilitates prompt recovery.
Investigation and Team Efforts
The recovery drive was carried out on the instructions of the city police commissioner and under the supervision of deputy commissioner of police Deepak Dhankhar and Fort assistant commissioner Manoj Kumar. A special team comprising officers from the Fort, Thampanoor, Karamana, Kovalam, and Nemom police stations conducted the investigation and successfully traced the missing phones.
The team included SHO Jayakrishnan, Vinod Kumar, Joseph Lyon, Arun Kumar, Ajith Kumar, SCPO Sreejith, and CPOs Vivek, Sarath, Anuraj, and Anu S Krishna, among others. Their coordinated efforts led to the recovery of the devices, which were then returned to their owners, providing relief to the affected individuals.
