Delhi Police says 67% lost & stolen phones recovered, but top cop flags data ‘incorrect’

In an official communication, sent to senior police officers by the Delhi Police headquarters on May 19, it was stated that CP Golchha scanned the data furnished by all the 15 districts along with the records available on CEIR portal from January 1 to May 18 this year.

However, the data raised red flags during the review, with the senior officers calling for a cross-check. “Data shown as mobile handed over to owner – 7,500 handed over to owners – prima facie seems to be ‘incorrect, need to be cross checked’ and verified again by the DCPs,” it said.

“Performance is highly ‘uneven’ across districts. South-West with 116 per cent, Outer with 110 per cent, New Delhi with 97 per cent, West with 96 per cent and South with 92 per cent – have reported strong outcomes in tracing and handing back devices, indicating relatively effective tracking, owner verification and disposal processes in these areas,” the letter added.

It further stated that by contrast, several districts showed worrying underperformance: North-East (25 per cent), North-West (32 per cent), Central (32 per cent) and Shahdara (49 per cent) were found to be low-performing.

Officials have flagged the districts with low-performing as well as the “unusually high-performing” data — such as over 100 per cent in South-West and Outer districts — for immediate managerial review and remedial steps.

It said that the data suggested a clear need for district-wise scrutiny, standardised follow-up on unlocked devices, and stronger accountability to convert portal traceability into actual recovery.

A source said that senior officers have now been asked to re-verify the records at the station level to confirm whether portal entries reflect physical handovers, or are the result of erroneous or duplicated uploads.

According to the website of the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications, a CEIR is a centralised database of mobile equipment identifiers, such as the IMEI codes. Such an identifier is assigned to each SIM slot of the mobile device. “The CEIR acts as a central system for all network operators…to share blacklisted mobile devices so that devices blacklisted in one network will not work on other networks even if the SIM card in the device is changed. It will help in combating mobile device theft and misuse,” it said.

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

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