Lost your mobile phone? Here’s how you can block, trace it using this new govt portal

The initiative will be extended to other parts of the country in 2020.

Mobile phone users in Delhi-NCR will now find it easier to trace or block their lost or stolen devices. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal that will enable blocking as well as tracing of stolen or lost mobile phones.

Launching the initiative, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said safety and security of phones are crucial given the country’s technological strides and digital prowess. “While we make optimum use of technology for development, there are equally smart criminals who abuse technology for their own ends,” Prasad said.

The launch of the portal for Delhi-NCR mobile subscribers will facilitate requests for blocking of stolen or lost mobile phones by customers, blocking of such mobile phones across various mobile networks, allowing services to other existing customers having mobile phones with the same International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, sharing of traceability data with police authorities, as well as unblocking of recovered phones. The CEIR is a centralised register or database and allows an individual phone to be blocked even if it is on a cloned IMEI number.

How to block/unblock a lost or stolen device?

An aggrieved person should to visit CEIR web portal at www.ceir.gov.in and submit details in a prescribed format. A person can also get the device blocked (or unblocked) by visiting the specified outlets of your telecom operator.

1. File an FIR with the police, and keep a copy of the report.
2. Get a duplicate SIM Card issued for the lost number from your telecom service provider.
3. Visit the web portal, fill out the request registration form and attach a copy of the FIR and address proof to block the IMEI number of their lost/stolen device.
4. Submit the form and note down the generated ‘Request ID’ for future reference. It is advised to keep the ‘Request ID’ safe as it would be needed for unblocking the IMEI in future.

Launched in Mumbai in September, the latest initiative is expected to benefit 5 crore mobile subscribers in Delhi and adjoining areas. It will be extended to other parts of the country in 2020.