Find Your Lost / Stolen Mobile Phone - Make Complaint Registration at ceir.gov.in Official Website

CEIR portal at ceir.gov.in helps citizens block and trace lost or stolen mobile phones through IMEI verification. In case of a stolen or lost mobile phone, you have to make complaint registration at the CEIR official website, file an FIR and inform DoT through helpline number 14422.

Department of Telecommunications has been working on Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) since 2017. This is a database of IMEIs (International Mobile Equipment Identity), a 15-digit unique number which identifies mobile devices. India has over a billion wireless subscribers.

Former telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the web portal ceir.gov.in to report theft of phones. The portal now works as part of the Sanchar Saathi platform of the Department of Telecommunications. As per the latest CEIR dashboard, over 57 lakh mobiles have been blocked and more than 36 lakh mobiles have been traced so far.

How CEIR Portal Helps to Find Stolen or Lost Mobile Phone

CEIR portal works in a simple way when a mobile phone is stolen or lost. The IMEI number of the device is blacklisted so that the handset cannot be used on any network in India. The steps involved are given below.

• Firstly the person whose mobile phone is lost has to file an FIR in the nearest police station.
• Then the person has to inform DoT through helpline number 14422.
• After police complaint, DoT blacklists the IMEI number. This results in the handset being blocked from accessing any mobile network in future.

Block Your Device - Make Complaint Registration Online at ceir.gov.in

The user can block the device in case of a stolen or lost mobile phone by any one of the following means.

Through Form Submitted on this Website

Through a form submitted on this website, the procedure to do it is as follows.

STEP 1 - File a report with the police and keep a copy of the report.

STEP 2 - Get a duplicate SIM card for the lost number from your telecom service provider (for example Airtel, Jio, Vi, BSNL, MTNL etc.). This is required because OTP will be sent on this number while submitting the blocking request.

STEP 3 - Get your documents ready. A copy of police report and an identity proof must be provided. You can also provide the mobile purchase invoice.

STEP 4 - Fill out the request registration form for blocking the IMEI of the lost or stolen phone and attach the required documents. Click here to go to the CEIR complaint online registration form.

STEP 5 - After submitting the form, you will be given a Request ID. The same can be used for checking the status of your request and for unblocking the IMEI in future.

Through State Police

The user can also get the device blocked through the state police. The police register the blocking request directly in the CEIR system. If a blocking request already exists through state police, the user will get a message mentioning the FIR number when trying to block online.

After completing the above mentioned process, the device would be effectively made redundant in case of a stolen or lost mobile phone. With this same IMEI number, cellular operator would also be able to block the phone from accessing the network. The CEIR also has access to the GSMA global IMEI database which allows comparison of IMEI numbers to identify counterfeit handsets.

GSMA is a global body which represents cellular operators, gear makers, software and internet companies etc. in the telecom ecosystem. This ensures international cooperation in matters of handset theft.

Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR)

A Central Equipment Identity Register is a database of the IMEI numbers of blacklisted handsets. In case a device ESN or IMEI number is listed on CEIR, then it will not work on member service provider networks. This means if a person's mobile is stolen, then the user can make a report to put their IMEI number into CEIR. This will make the device unusable on any network in case of a stolen or lost mobile phone.

CEIR is popularly known as the IMEI database system in which network operators share their individual blacklists with one another. This is done to make sure that service is denied for particular devices which appear on the blacklist.

FAQ's

What is CEIR

With the aim to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market and discourage mobile phone theft, protect consumer interest and help law enforcement authorities for lawful interception, DoT intends to implement Central Equipment Identity Registry (CEIR) that connects to the IMEI database of all the mobile operators. 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.

What is the official website of CEIR

ceir.gov.in

How to Unblock Mobile Phone at CEIR Portal

To unblock a stolen or lost mobile phone, the user has to report to local police that it is found. After that the user can unblock the device by any one of the following means.

STEP 1 - Fill out the request registration form for unblocking the IMEI of the found phone. Click here to go to the form.

STEP 2 - After submitting the form, the IMEI will be unblocked.

The user can also unblock the device through TSP's specified customer outlets. If the blocking request was registered through state police, the user will have to approach state police to register the unblocking request.

For more details, visit the official website at ceir.gov.in