The Anantapur police on Friday handed over a record 1,216 mobile phones worth ₹3.3 crore to their rightful owners at the mobiles recovery mela held at Police Parade Grounds.
Superintendent of Police P. Jagadeesh highlighted the relentless efforts of the police teams in tracking and recovering stolen and lost property.
Speaking to the media, the SP said that the latest recovery took the total number of mobile phones recovered and returned by Anantapur police to 12,594, with an estimated value of ₹24.11 crore.
“The recovery is made in 20 States. The recovered phones number includes 1,179 phones handed back to people from other States, and 2,795 to people from 18 other districts in Andhra Pradesh,” Mr. Jagadeesh said.
The value of the mobile phones ranged between ₹499 to ₹1.5 lakh. Though the police traced several devices to other States, the cybercrime wing of the district police ensured speedy tracking and recovery by deploying the CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) platform.
The SP cautioned the public against buying second-hand mobiles and digital equipment from unknown sources, particularly at bus stands and railway stations. He said that the public while purchasing the mobiles should insist on bills and invoices and original packaging, as this would help avoid legal hassles.
Mr. Jagadeesh said that the mobile theft or lost victims can contact the police through the chatbot https://bit.ly/3yjd0rm or the CEIR portal at https://www.ceir.gov.in. They can also register complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in or through Dial 1930.