Lost Mobile Complaint and CEIR Blocking: What to Do When Your Phone Is Lost or Stolen

Mobile chori ho gaya: pehle ek ghante mein kya karein?

1. Call the phone from another number. If someone honest found it, they may answer.
2. Call your telecom operator’s customer care and block the SIM, so OTPs cannot be received by whoever has the phone.
3. Call your bank’s official number to block UPI, net banking and cards linked to that number, especially if the phone had no screen lock.
4. Use Find My Device (Android) or Find My (iPhone) from another device to locate, lock or erase the phone.
5. Change your email password and sign out of other sessions, since email resets every other account.
6. Then file the police complaint and the CEIR block, explained below.

Watch outIf money has already been taken from your accounts, call 1930 at once and report on cybercrime.gov.in. Quick reports give banks the best chance to hold the money.

Lost mobile complaint kaise likhein?

Since 1 July 2024 police complaints and FIRs follow the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Section 173 lets you give information at any police station, whatever the place of the offence (a zero FIR), or by electronic communication, which is taken on record once you sign it within three days. You get a free copy of the FIR.

For a phone that was simply lost, many state police websites accept a lost article report online, and that report is often enough for a duplicate SIM and the CEIR block. For theft or snatching, ask for an FIR. Your complaint should include:

• Your name, address and phone number for contact.
• The make, model and colour of the phone, and the lost mobile number.
• Both IMEI numbers (dual-SIM phones have two), from the box or the bill.
• The date, time and place where it was lost or stolen, and what happened.
• Anything else lost with it, such as a wallet, cards or documents.

CEIR par phone block kaise karein?

CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) is the Department of Telecommunications’ system that blocks a lost or stolen phone’s IMEI on all Indian networks. You use it through the Sanchar Saathi portal. Keep these ready:

1. Get a duplicate SIM of the lost number from your telecom operator’s store, with your ID.
2. Open sancharsaathi.gov.in and choose the option to block a lost or stolen mobile.
3. Enter the phone details, IMEI numbers, the place and date of loss, and the police complaint number, and upload the complaint copy.
4. Enter your details and verify with the OTP sent to your mobile number.
5. Save the request ID. You will use it to check status and to unblock later.

TipNote your IMEI today: dial *#06# and save a screenshot somewhere other than the phone, such as your email. Without the IMEI, blocking takes far more effort.

Phone mil gaya to unblock kaise karein?

If the phone is recovered, unblock it from the same Sanchar Saathi portal using the request ID you saved when blocking. Tell the police station too, so the complaint can be closed. Once unblocked, the phone works on networks again.

If someone tries to use your blocked phone with a new SIM, the system can help the police trace it. Do not try to recover it yourself; share any information with the police.

Insurance, duplicate documents and buying a used phone

If the phone was insured, the insurer will usually ask for the police complaint or FIR copy, the purchase bill and the claim form within a set number of days, so file the complaint early. If your Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence or bank cards were lost along with the phone, mention them in the same complaint or use our lost documents complaint, since most offices ask for a police report before issuing duplicates.

Buying a second-hand phone? Ask the seller for the box and bill, and check that the IMEI on the box matches *#06# on the phone. Sanchar Saathi also lets you check whether an IMEI is blocked or flagged before you pay, which protects you from buying a stolen handset.

Finally, watch out for follow-up scams. People who lost a phone often get calls claiming the phone has been found and asking for a fee or an OTP to “release” it. Police and telecom operators do not ask for money or OTPs this way. Paste such messages into the Scam Checker.