Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug 21: A special programme under “Operation Vishwas”, an initiative of the CID Unit, Andaman & Nicobar Police, was organised today at the Police Line, Drill Hall, Sri Vijaya Puram on 21/08/2026, for handing over recovered lost and stolen mobile phones to their rightful owners.
The programme was graced by Shri Ravindra Singh Yadav, IPS, Director General of Police, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, along with senior police officers, police personnel, members of the media and citizens whose mobile phones had been successfully traced and recovered.
Operation Vishwas was launched as a month-long special drive by Police Station Crime & Economic Offence, CID, under the guidance of senior officers, with the objective of tracing and recovering lost and stolen mobile phones and returning them to their rightful owners. The initiative seeks not only to recover valuable property but also to strengthen public confidence in the police through technology-driven and citizen-oriented policing.
The name “Vishwas” (Trust) reflects the core objective of the initiative—to reinforce the belief among citizens that when they lose something valuable, the police will make every possible effort to trace and recover it.
During the drive, data relating to lost and blocked mobile phones was obtained through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) and subjected to detailed analysis and verification by the CID Unit. Coordination was undertaken with various Police Stations and District Police units to establish the present status and traceability of the devices. As per the CEIR data recovery rate of stolen/lost mobile phone of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 52.20%.
As part of the current exercise, a further 148 cases were identified for closure through verification and recovery efforts. Upon due verification and closure of these cases, the percentage is expected to rise to approximately 63.59%, representing an improvement of 11.39 percentage points.
The drive also demonstrated the ability of A&N Police to trace mobile phones beyond the Islands. Three mobile phones were traced and brought back from the mainland—one each from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In addition, 08 phones were recovered from North & Middle Andaman, 04 from Nicobar District and 01 from Shaheed Dweep under South Andaman District.
The recovered mobile phones include devices lost as far back as 2023, as well as phones lost in early 2026. The beneficiaries of the initiative belong to diverse sections of society, including women, college students, private-sector employees, Government servants, Defence personnel and other members of the public.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Ravindra Singh Yadav, IPS, DGP, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, highlighted that a mobile phone today contains valuable personal, professional and financial information, apart from precious memories. He stated that its loss causes considerable anxiety and inconvenience, while its recovery not only prevents possible misuse by criminal and anti-national elements but also restores an important part of the owner’s everyday life.
As per the latest available ranking, Andaman & Nicobar Police is presently ranked jointly at the first position in the country along with Andhra Pradesh in terms of mobile phone recovery performance. With the additional recoveries achieved under Operation Vishwas, the recovery percentage of Andaman & Nicobar Police is expected to improve further, thereby placing A&N Police ahead and securing the first position in the country in the mobile phone recovery ranking.
The successful conduct of Operation Vishwas reflects the commitment of Andaman & Nicobar Police towards technology-driven, transparent and citizen-oriented policing. The initiative reinforces the message that policing is not confined to crime prevention and detection alone, but also extends to providing effective and meaningful services to citizens.
The programme concluded with the handing over of recovered mobile phones to their rightful owners, many of whom expressed their appreciation for the efforts of A&N Police.
The general public is requested that, in case of loss or theft of a mobile phone, they may register the details of the device on the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) Portal and/or report the loss at the nearest Police Station at the earliest. Timely reporting and registration greatly assist the police in tracing and recovering lost or stolen mobile phones.