Now, you don’t need to feel helpless or dejected at the loss of your phone. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday unveiled a portal to trace lost o stolen phones. The portal has been started on a pilot basis in Maharashtra and will be eventually implemented throughout the country.

Speaking at the event, Ravi Shankar said that it is an attempt to leverage the power of technology and communication for the welfare of the people.

How The Portal Works

Whenever a call is made, the call records display the phone number and the IMEI number of the handset from which the call is made. IMEI ( International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a 15 digit unique indemnification number present in every phone which is allocated by global industry body GSMA and bodies authorized by it.

In the event of loss or theft of your mobile phone, you will have to lodge an FIR and inform the Department of Telecom (DoT) via helpline number 14422. DoT will immediately prevent the use of the reported lost/stolen phone by blocking it.

All major service providers like BSNL, Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone, Idea will be informed. If anyone tries to use the phone, these service providers will inform the police and help to track the phone.

Advantages Of The Portal

The move to block the IMEI number will prevent the mobile phones to duplicate the IMEIs across the network. The DoT is also working on a database of IMEIs called the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) which has access to GSMA’s global IMEI database, allowing comparison of IMEI numbers to identify counterfeit handsets.

This new portal will certainly bring down the incidence of mobile phone thefts and help trace lost phones.