750 stolen mobile phones recovered, returned to owners in Andhra's Anakapalli: Police

Anakapalli (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 10 (PTI) Police on Wednesday said they had returned 750 recovered mobile phones, valued at Rs 1.5 crore, to their rightful owners in this district.

Anakapalli Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said the phones had been recovered over the past three months and that this was the 11th such exercise using technology to trace and return stolen devices.

"We returned a total of 750 mobile phones to victims today. A mobile phone now holds personal identity, photos, banking details, and vital information," Sinha said at a press conference.

Since June 1, 2022, the district has recovered over 4,000 phones worth nearly Rs 7 crore through 11 recovery drives, he added.

Sinha further said that over 1,800 devices valued at around Rs 4 crore were traced this year alone, with recovered phones coming not only from Anakapalli but also from neighbouring districts and states, including Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Telangana.

The SP advised victims of lost mobile phones to report them through the Union Government's Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal or via the district police WhatsApp number, enabling them to lodge complaints without visiting police stations. PTI MS STH SSK