What is Sanchaar Saathi & How to use it to track and recover lost phones?

By Anshika Mishra On May 23, 2023

Sanchar Saathi is yet another step towards a Digital India to make our lives easy. An integrated citizen-centric web portal by the Ministry of Communications, Sanchar Saathi brings a host of important services to mobile phone users in India – from tracking the whereabouts of your lost phone to finding all the active telephone connections in your name. But this is just the starting point; there is a lot more to it; read the article below and find out.

What is Sanchar Saathi?

Sanchar Saathi is the latest user-centric service offering of the Department of Telecommunications to strengthen mobile users’ security, prevent identity theft to get new phone connections. and empower users with powerful tools to take actions related to mobile-related issues remotely.

The two essential modules of the portal are, namely, CIER and TAFCOP.

CIER Module: Block and trace your lost or stolen phones for free. You can also use it to unblock your phone and check the status of your request.

TAFCOP Module: To check if there are any unwanted mobile numbers operational in your name and report it

You can also use the Know Your Mobile option on the portal to check the genuineness of a new phone device you will buy.

Can it be used to block, track and recover lost mobile phones?

Yes, you can use the CIER module of the Sanchar Saathi portal to block, track and recover lost mobile phones in a few simple and easy steps. Unlike Google or Apple’s Find My Phone, which uses GPS and the internet to trace a phone, this portal uses your IMEI number to track the phone and bring more accurate data in time for you to locate and recover your phone.

You can temporarily block your stolen or lost mobile phone using the IMEI number on the Sanchar Saathi platform. Your phone will be blocked within 24 hours and will stop working on any of the country’s telecom networks. It prevents the use of stolen phones in the country. If anyone tries to use your blocked phone, it is traced, and the owner is informed.

As per the website, 5,02,148 phones have been blocked, and 2,47,789 have been traced by the portal until today. (22nd May 2023)

How Can I Use Sanchar Saathi to track and recover my lost or stolen mobile phones?

Using the portal is relatively easy, but you must keep a copy of your FIR, an activated SIM of the lost number(to receive OTP), a purchase invoice of the phone and your ID proof before filling out the registration form.

You can access the registration form using this link or by clicking on the Block Your Lost/ Stolen Mobile tab on the home page of Sanchar Saathi. Then use the following step-by-step guide to block the phone.

Step 1: Enter basic details of your lost device such as IMEI number, mobile number, device brand and name of the model. IMEI number could be found on the mobile phone’s packaging box mobile bill/invoice.

Step 2: Then you will have to upload the purchase invoice for the phone

Step 3: You must enter basic information about the theft, like the city, state and date you lost your device.

Step 4: Now, enter the mobile owner’s basic details like name, address, ID proof and e-mail id

Step 5: Enter a mobile number and get the OTP to proceed further

Step 6: Verify OTP

Step 7: Accept the disclaimer and click on the Submit button.

Step 8: Now, you’re officially registered on the platform and receive a unique Complaint ID, which can be used to check the status of your request and unblock the phone if you find it.

Step 9: Log in to the platform.

Step 10: Click on the ‘IMEI Search’ button and follow the instructions. The portal will trace and show your phone’s location if it is on.

Step 11: To block your phone, click ‘Block Stolen/Lost Phone’ and enter your phone number. Click on ‘Block’, and you are done.

When you find your phone, you can unblock the found phone quickly by visiting here and filling in some basic details in the form.

Other helpful information we can look up and take action on Cyber Awareness and Cyber Reporting Kendra, Unwanted calls and Sms, International Calls with Indian Numbers, TRAI my speed (to test the speed of your internet), etc.

These government portals and initiatives indeed are a step forward into the digital future and we should make the best of it!