Used phone buyers urged to check sale of blacklisted products

The City police have urged the public to verify the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) details of second hand mobile phones through the Sanchar Saathi portal before purchasing them, to ensure that the device has not been blacklisted as lost or stolen.

Police sources said that though a similar directive had earlier been issued to smartphone dealers, many sellers were found bypassing the verification process. Senior officers of the Kozhikode city police said buyers should independently check the IMEI number of a used phone through the CEIR verification page of the Sanchar Saathi portal-ceir.sancharsaathi.gov.in to avoid legal complications.

The advisory comes in the wake of a special drive by the City police during which 124 lost mobile phones were traced and returned to their owners within a span of two weeks. The mobile phones were handed over to the complainants on March 10 in the presence of District Police Chief (Kozhikode city) G. Jaidev and Assistant Commissioner of Cyber Crime Police station S.M. Pradeep Kumar.

According to the police, the recovery drive was conducted between February 20 and March 7 using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system of the Department of Telecommunications. The system enabled officers to trace phones reported missing from various police station limits in the district. Several devices were located not only within Kozhikode but also from other parts of Kerala and neighbouring States, they said.

Blocking phone once lost

Senior officers explained that once a lost phone was registered on the Sanchar Saathi portal, its IMEI number would be blacklisted through the CEIR system. If another SIM was inserted, the system would generate a trace. This would allow the investigators to identify the SIM number currently being used and track down the person in possession of the phone.

Police also advised the public to report loss of phones without delay for quicker results. Complaints can be filed through the official POL-APP, the Thuna web portal or by approaching the nearest police station. The IMEI number of the phone should be clearly mentioned in the complaint. The complainants should also obtain a duplicate SIM card and register the loss on the CEIR website to block the device

“On the portal, applicants can select the ‘Block stolen/lost mobile’ option and submit a request along with the complaint receipt, a valid identity document and proof of purchase such as the phone invoice,” said a senior police officer with the Cyber investigation cell. Once the IMEI number is blocked, no SIM card will function on the device though it can still be traced by law enforcement agencies, he said, adding that the device, on finding, can be unblocked through the same website by submitting the request ID and the reason for unblocking.