NT Reporter
Panaji
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Keshav Ram Chaurasia has urged the public to verify second-hand phones before buying, stating that most lost or stolen devices end up being sold through resale shops.
Chaurasia said that in the last two months, North Goa police recovered 50 such phones worth about Rs 15 lakh, with some of them handed over to owners at a function held at police headquarters on Tuesday.
“Most of the phones that have been recovered were from shops selling second-hand phones,” said Chaurasia. “So if you ever go to buy a second-hand mobile phone, then definitely check the IMEI once. Verify it once through the DOT platform.”
Police said the authenticity of a mobile handset can be checked through
the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) platform at https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/.
Charasia added that lost or stolen phones are often misused by criminals. Complementing the police personnel for their tracking efforts, Chaurasia said recovery operations would continue.
North Goa SP Rahul Gupta said police monitored the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) Portal to recover the handsets, with Calangute police recovering 33 phones, Panaji police 14, and Anjuna police 3, together worth Rs 15 lakh.
Gupta said, “When a mobile phone is reported lost or stolen, its IMEI can be blocked across all telecom networks through the CEIR portal, making the handset unusable with any SIM card. It was made operational across the country by May 2023.”
Gupta also complemented officers Raj Parab (Calangute), Aditya Mardolkar (Panaji), and Rupesh Ajgaonkar (Anjuna) for their efforts. Police handed over five mobile phones to owners, while the rest will be sent by courier.
One of the beneficiaries, Claudia Vaz, thanked police for recovering her phone that was lost in 2023.
