How to block your lost or stolen phone and how to unblock it

• You can now easily block your smartphone if you have lost it or stolen it.
• You can also unblock your smartphone once you have recovered it.
• Here’s how you can easily block and unblock your smartphone.

Losing a phone somewhere or having it stolen can be quite painful, especially when you are spending a huge amount on the device. The process for getting a lost phone blocked has now been made simpler by the government.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has launched the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), allowing owners to block their lost and stolen mobile phones easily.

Do note that you must file a police complaint before you can block your smartphone.

What happens when you block a phone?

When you block a phone, the phone’s IMEI will be blacklisted and the person who has the phone will not be able to use it on any company’s mobile network.

How to block lost and stolen phones

• To block a lost or stolen phone, head over to the CEIR portal.
  
• Now, click on “Block Stolen/Lost Mobile.”
  
• You will then be asked to enter your mobile number, IMEI, device brand, device model, and an invoice of the smartphone.
  

Once you have entered the device's details, you will be asked to enter details about where you lost the device or where it was stolen.

• You will also be asked to enter details such as the place where you lost your phone, date, state, district and the relevant police station.
  
• You will then have to enter the details of the police complaint number (FIR) and upload a copy of the complaint.
  

Once you have entered this information, you will be asked to enter your personal information.

• Enter your name, address and your identity proof such as Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, driving licence and other IDs.
  
• Then, enter the captcha and a phone number to verify the complaint with an OTP.
  

How to unblock a mobile after finding it

If you have found your phone after blocking it, you can use the CEIR portal to unblock it easily.

• To unblock a found mobile, go to the CEIR portal.
  
• Then, click on “Unblock Found Mobile.”
  
• Now, enter the request ID you received while blocking your phone and the mobile number used to block the phone.
  
• Then, select the reason for unblocking the phone, which includes recovered by police, found by self, blocked by mistake, and other reasons.
  
• Enter the captcha and a mobile number for OTP verification and click on “Submit.”
  

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