Bapatla police return stolen mobile phones worth nearly ₹40.20 lakh

The Bapatla district police recovered and returned 201 stolen mobile phones worth nearly ₹40.20 lakh during a distribution programme at SP camp office on Tuesday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) B. Umamaheshwar handed over the recovered devices to the victims and said a dedicated police team had been constituted in the district with the objective of achieving 100 per cent recovery of lost or stolen phones.

Addressing the media, the SP said that mobile phones had become an essential part of modern life as people store personal data, banking information and passwords on their devices. Losing a phone often means losing access to critical information, making quick recovery extremely important, he added.

He said the district IT Core Team, working in coordination with local police stations, traced the phones using advanced technology and complaints registered through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal and police stations.

According to the police, a special drive conducted over the past three months resulted in the recovery of 806 mobile phones worth ₹1.61 crore, raising the recovery rate to nearly 60 per cent from the earlier 30 per cent.

The SP urged citizens to report complaints, in case they lost their mobiles.