The Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) flagship citizen-centric initiative, Sanchar Saathi, helped recover 77,692 lost or stolen mobile handsets in July, crossing the 75,000 mark in a single month for the first time since its launch, the Communications Ministry said on Friday.

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia welcomed the achievement, saying the milestone reflects growing public trust in the platform and stronger coordination among the DoT, telecom service providers (TSPs) and police departments across states and Union Territories.

“DoT, through the collaborative efforts, is capturing the feedback of stakeholders for continuous enhancements in the ecosystem focused on an increase in recoveries,” the ministry said.

The DoT’s Digital Intelligence Unit and field units worked closely with local police to trace lost or stolen devices and return them to their owners. Monthly handset recoveries rose 201 per cent between April 2025 and July 2026.

Sanchar Saathi now provides citizens with the name of the police station handling their case through SMS, email, the web portal and the mobile application, the ministry said.

The initiative also shares details of SIM cards inserted into lost or stolen handsets with police authorities. These details include alternate mobile numbers that can help police improve recovery efforts.

Sanchar Saathi also advises citizens through SMS to factory-reset recovered handsets to protect them from potential malware.

Citizens can report lost or stolen handsets through the Sanchar Saathi web portal or mobile application in a few simple steps. After receiving a report, the system blocks the handset across India’s telecom network, preventing anyone from misusing the device.

When someone attempts to use a reported handset, the telecom network detects the activity and sends alerts to the citizen and the concerned police station. Police can then trace the device and facilitate its return to the rightful owner.