DoT’s Sanchar Saathi drives a 47% rise in monthly recoveries of stolen mobiles, showing faster impact

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has announced that its digital safety initiative, Sanchar Saathi, has enabled the recovery of over 50,000 lost and stolen mobile handsets across India in October 2025 for the first time. This milestone reflects an unwavering commitment to secure citizens’ digital assets and public trust in technology-driven governance. The overall recovery nationwide has also crossed the 7 lakh milestone.

Karnataka and Telangana have emerged as the top-performing states, each crossing 1 lakh recoveries; Maharashtra follows with over 80,000 recoveries. Notably, monthly recoveries have surged by 47% from June to October 2025, underlining the system’s growing efficiency and reach. With this system, more than one handset is recovered every minute across the country.

At the core of this achievement is a robust, indigenously developed platform that integrates automated workflows and real-time device traceability. Sanchar Saathi’s advanced technology prevents the misuse of blocked devices. When a SIM is inserted into a reported handset, the system triggers alerts to both the registered citizen and the relevant police station, enabling faster and more efficient recovery.

According to the press release, "This success is the result of seamless collaboration. Police personnel across States/UTs, DoT's Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) and field formations (LSAs) have worked in close coordination to ensure devices are efficiently traced and returned to their rightful owners. Regular capacity-building programmes and partnerships with state and UT police forces have been critical in strengthening on-ground response and operational excellence."

DoT urges Citizens to download the Sanchar Saathi App not only to report and block their lost/stolen mobile devices, but also to verify the genuineness of new/old devices they intend to purchase. Citizens can also report suspected fraudulent calls/messages through this App and cross-check the trusted contact details of banks and financial institutions, stated the PIB press release.

Sanchar Saathi continues to empower citizens and safeguard digital assets, in line with the Government’s Digital India vision. The achievement underscores the transformative impact of digital technologies, vigilant police forces, and dedicated DoT teams in building a secure, citizen-centric digital ecosystem, per the release.