In a welcome development for victims of mobile phone theft, Anakapalli police have successfully recovered and returned 625 stolen and lost smartphones worth Rs 1.20 crore. The operation formed part of the district’s ongoing initiative aimed at tracking and returning lost mobile devices to their rightful owners.

According to Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha, this marks the 10th phase of the mobile recovery programme. With this latest phase, the total number of devices returned has now reached 3,336 phones, collectively valued at approximately Rs 5.27 crore. Since the launch of this initiative, the police department has received 5,600 complaints to lost or stolen mobile phones. Impressively, over half of those cases have resulted in successful recoveries during the successive phases.

To streamline the recovery process, the police established a dedicated special cell. This team, equipped with modern tools and backed by IT experts, worked diligently to track lost mobiles using the device details submitted by citizens. Importantly, victims were not required to file an FIR or visit a police station physically, simplifying the entire process.

“I’m pleased that we could return 625 mobile phones today. Our goal is to build trust and ensure the public knows the police are here to help,” SP Sinha stated. He also highlighted the department’s growing reliance on tech-driven, transparent policing to better serve the community.

The handover ceremony witnessed the participation of Additional SP Y.M. Deva Prasad, Cyber Cell Inspector B. Venkata Rao, and other key officers including Inspectors Balasurya Rao, Laxman Murthy, Lakshmi, and Ramesh. IT Core SI B. Suresh Babu and his staff also played a pivotal role.

The event concluded with grateful citizens expressing their appreciation, reinforcing the police department’s commitment to public service and innovation in policing.

(With Inputs From ANI)