Panaji, Sept 2, 2025: The North Goa District Police organized a programme at the PHQ Conference Hall on Tuesday to hand over recovered stolen and lost mobile phones to their rightful owners. A total of 50 mobile phones, valued at approximately ₹15 lakh, were traced and returned through continuous monitoring of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) Portal and diligent efforts by police personnel.
The recovered phones include 33 from Calangute Police Station, 14 from Panaji Police Station, and 3 from Anjuna Police Station. The CEIR system allows the blocking of a lost or stolen mobile phone’s IMEI number across all telecom networks, rendering the device unusable with any SIM card. The portal has been fully operational nationwide since May 2023.
SP North Goa, Rahul Gupta, IPS, explained the functioning of the CEIR portal and praised the dedicated work of police staff members Raj Parab (Calangute PS), Aditya Mardolkar (Panaji PS), and Rupesh Ajgaonkar (Anjuna PS), who played key roles in tracking and recovering the devices. He assured that the recovery drive will continue and that more citizens will receive their verified phones in the coming months.
IGP Goa, K. R. Chaurasia, IPS, commended the initiative, highlighting the importance of such recoveries in preventing misuse of stolen phones in criminal activities. He also appealed to the public to verify the authenticity of second-hand phones before purchase.
During the event, IGP Chaurasia personally handed over phones to owners including Claudia Vaz (Taleigao), Shrikant Dodamani (Bambolim), Vicky Pilankar (Merces), Varsha Harish (Old Goa), and Uma Gawli (Candolim). The remaining devices will be sent via courier after due verification.
One beneficiary, Ms. Claudia Vaz, expressed her gratitude to the Goa Police and Panaji Police Station staff for tracing her phone that had been missing since 2023. She said receiving her lost phone reinforced her faith in the efficiency of Goa Police.
