[GUIDE] How to Report, Block and Unblock Lost Mobile Phones?

Have you lost your mobile phone recently?

Don’t panic.

Your mobile theft can now quickly be reported, and you can get your device blocked and unblocked, all without needing you to run here and there. Everything is currently online, thanks to our Department of Telecommunications or DoT.

The DoT, Govt of India, has finally made an easy way to access a portal through which you can register lost mobile phones and also be able to track it.

It helps you to remotely lock your handset so that others cannot misuse your data. Also, if you happen to find your lost device back, you can unlock your device using this service.

The platform uses an IMEI number of your mobile phone to register it as lost or stolen.

What is the IMEI number?

The full form of IMEI is the International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a numeric code that helps to identify mobile devices and some satellite phones too. The number is unique to each device.

Now, the IMEI Tracking has been employed by many companies, as well as the cyber police, to track lost or stolen mobile phones, and control mobile phone theft. Companies like Apple and Google rely on IMEI numbers to track the devices and also offer to block or unblock them.

So, IMEI number is significant for every mobile user, and one should find and note down the IMEI number safely somewhere. It will be of immense need in the future.

How to find your IMEI Number?

The most simple step to find the IMEI number of any device is to dial *#06# using the keypad of your device. If your device is a single sim, it will show one IMEI number, if its dual sim, it will show two.

There are other ways too. If you use an Android device, you can also find your device IMEI number in the My Account section of Google. If you use an iPhone, you can find your IMEI number in the Settings > Your Name > Your iPhone.

Copy your IMEI number and store it somewhere safe. Write it down on a Diary, maybe? This will come handy in case your device is lost or stolen.

In today’s post, we will be looking at the step by step procedure to report mobile thefts in India, and block the mobile phones. We will also give you the easy steps to unblock your device once you have found it.

Advantages of Remotely Blocking or Unblocking Device:

The primary objective of this is to prevent anyone from accessing the device and its data, even if the sim cards are swapped. Earlier, what happened was the thief could swap the existing sim card, making the device untraceable for more extended periods.

Some flagship phones are coming with eSim support, which prevents the sim swapping, which is good. But those devices are costly, and not many people use it. So, the majority of users are still exposed to mobile theft.

For them, this platform will help in blocking the device, even if the sim is swapped. It will track the mobile as soon as a new sim card is inserted to the stolen device.

So, the chances of getting your phone back will increase, because the device won’t be of any value to others, and eventually, police will track it down even if it gets sold in the grey market.

In the long run, the ultimate aim is to reduce mobile theft altogether. If a stolen mobile renders no value, the chances of mobile theft will also decrease drastically.

That is the idea behind this.

Step by Step Guide: What to do if your device gets Stolen?

I hope you have noted down the IMEI number of your handset previously because you will need that.

At first, you need to report the police about your theft by submitting a General Diary (GD) about the incident. This is a must for any theft.

Now, there are two ways to do that:

You can either visit your nearest police station from the area where the theft happened, or submit the GD online from the respective general diary websites.

Doing it online is time-saving and convenient because you don’t need to visit and file the report physically, and also you get the receipt of the GD instantly and can download and print it in the best quality. This isn’t the case offline.

But not all areas have online websites for reporting.

List of Police Websites to Report Lost Articles:

Some of the places where online reporting is available are:

Apart from this, you can search for your local police station online and report it. In case you don’t find it, you can use the West Bengal CID portal above to report it, which will also generate the necessary receipt. Else, you need to visit your local police station to report.

Once you are done and got your receipt, visit the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) website.

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You will find these 3 Tabs:

  • Block Stolen Mobile
  • Unblock Found Mobile
  • Check Request Status.

How to Remotely Block your Lost Device?

Using this option, you can remotely block your mobile if it gets stolen recently.

Click here to get the User Direct Request Blocking Form online.

[Note: At the time of writing this post (January 2020), this service is just a few days old and available for Delhi and Maharashtra Mobile Users only. That means, now only people residing in those areas, or using a sim from those circles can report it. This will be expanded to other regions very soon.]

On the top, you will find the Device Information Section. This will take in the basic info regarding your device.

[GUIDE] How to Block and Unblock Lost Mobile Phone using CEIR?

  1. Enter your Mobile Number 1 and 2 (in case you have a dual sim).
  2. Enter your IMEI 1 and 2 (in case you have a dual sim).
  3. Choose your Device Brand from the dropdown.
  4. Choose your Device Model.
  5. Upload your Device invoice. This is necessary to prove that you are the rightful owner of the device. The invoice need not be in your name. But the invoice mentions the IMEI number, which is sufficient to prove your claim. If you have brought your mobile online from Amazon, Flipkart, or PayTM, etc. or any other e-commerce websites, check your email for the receipt, or you can also request receipts of your previous orders from the respective websites.

Now move to the Lost Information Section. Here you have to provide details of the incident where you lost the device.

[GUIDE] How to Block and Unblock Lost Mobile Phone using CEIR?

  1. Enter the name of the place where you lost your handset.
  2. Enter the date and possible time when the incident took place.
  3. Choose the District and State from the respective dropdown buttons.
  4. Choose the police station.
  5. Enter the Police Complaint Number and upload the Police Complaint Receipt that you generated above.
  6. If you want to add any further details regarding the case, you can click the green button.

Finally, move to the Mobile Owner Personal Information Section:

[GUIDE] How to Block and Unblock Lost Mobile Phone using CEIR?

  1. Enter your Name and Address.
  2. Upload your ID Proof and enter the ID Number.
  3. Enter your Email ID.
  4. Enter your Mobile Number and verify it using OTP.

Now click on Submit. You are done.

A receipt will be generated for you with a request ID. Save it somewhere safe. You can use it to track your device later on.

Congratulations, you have blocked your device successfully.

How to Track Your Lost Device using CEIR?

Once you have submitted your lost device complaint with the Department of Telecommunications, they will actively track your stolen device.

Know this, that wherever may your device be, it will be blocked for further usage. Even if its sim is swapped, it can be tracked as soon as a new sim card is inserted.

So, don’t lose hope, now that you have reported it, you have a great chance to get back your device.

To track your request status, click here.

It will show you all the relevant information.

How to unblock your Handset if you find it back?

In case you find your device back, you can unblock it in three steps.

[GUIDE] How to Block and Unblock Lost Mobile Phone using CEIR?

  1. Visit the Mobile Unblock Portal.
  2. Enter your request ID.
  3. Enter your mobile number and verify it using OTP.
  4. Click Submit.

That’s all. Your deice will be unblocked.

Know Your Mobile App:

The DoT has also made an application for checking the validity of the IMEI number of a smartphone. It can be any smartphone, even if it is not stolen. It will just provide useful information regarding your device from the IMEI number you provide.

This is useful if you are going to buy a mobile from grey markets or some offline shop, or buying a second-hand device from someone. When you search for any IMEI, it will tell you whether the device is blacklisted, duplicate, or already in use.

To download it, Click Here.

You can also access it online from here.

Last Words:

I hope this post is useful to everyone. We often get panicked if our device gets stolen and lose all hope.

I urge you not to lose hope and report to the relevant authorities as soon as possible. Remember, the faster you report, the better your chances are to get your mobile back.

And kudos to our cyber police for making all the effort in between.

Thank you for reading. If you have any further queries, drop down a comment below. I will be happy to help. Thank You again.

Nirmal Sarkar
Nirmal Sarkar

Nirmal Sarkar is a Biotechnologist from the city of Joy, Kolkata. He is the founder of this blog and covers a wide range of topics from Gadgets to Software to Latest Offers. You can get in touch with him via nirmal@hitricks.com

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