Blocking lost mobile phones just a click of mouse away

To block your lost mobile phone, all you need to do now is to log on to the department of telecommunication (DOT)’s Sanchar Saathi (https://sancharsaathi.gov.in) portal, after registering a police complaint.

Around 925 police stations in Bihar will be linked to the Sanchar Saathi, an integrated citizen centric portal, launched nationally on Tuesday by Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for communications, railways and electrics & information technology, said Girijesh Kumar Mishra, DOT’s special director general for Bihar and Jharkhand.

Over 500 police stations in Jharkhand already have access to the portal.

“The portal will allow mobile consumers to block or trace lost mobile phones, check genuineness of devices while buying a new or old mobile phone, know the mobile connections issued in their name and get disconnected the connections they do not require,” said Mishra.

Mobile subscribers can block their cellphone’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) by submitting a blocking request on the portal along with a copy of the police complaint or through the state police.

The lost mobile phones reported on the portal will no longer be usable in any of the network across India. If any attempt is made to use the reported mobile phones, its traceability report generated will help the police to trace the lost phone. It will also help curb counterfeit mobile phone market and act as a deterrent for mobile phone thefts, said Mishra.

The portal will also facilitate to check the number of connections issued against an individual. It will also facilitate them in reporting the mobile connection(s), which are either not required or taken by the subscriber.

An individual subscriber can have a maximum of nine mobile connections across all the telecom service providers.