How to track back your lost cellphone

New Delhi: Last month, 23-year-old Himanshoo Trehan was on his way to Delhi from Jallandhar, travelling in a tourist bus. A co-passenger offered him coffee when the bus stopped for refreshments. Himanshoo accepted albeit reluctantly. The next thing he knew, he lay bruised and doped in a hospital in Delhi, with his expensive mobile handset missing!

The thief had managed to drug Himanshoo and escape with his mobile phone.

This is not just a one-off incident. It’s just one of the many ways that cellphone thieves employ to dupe unsuspecting people.

But where do these stolen treasures go and what’s the modus operandi? Is there a technology that can trace these phones? IBNLive finds out.

Crack the Code

According to the police, there is an encrypted code called IMEI that is unique to each mobile handset. The code is mentioned on the instrument and the owner should note it down separately.

According to the police, there is an encrypted code called IMEI that is unique to each mobile handset.

The code is mentioned on the instrument and the owner should note it down separately.

In case of theft, this number can help the police locate the area where the cellphone is.

The crucial number can also help police trace the thief when he tries to sell it in the second-hand market.

After stealing the phone, the thief either uses it himself or sells it in the thriving second-hand markets in dingy bylanes of Delhi’s Gafar market, Karol Bagh, Chor Bazaar, Lal Qila or to other local dealers.

Customers come with their SIM cards, try it on the model of their choice and buy it if the instrument works well.

Track the Thief


Everyone in the loop - from the thief to second-hand dealer to the final customer - is interested only in making or saving money.

Locating the thief is a tough task. According to the police, everyone in this loop – from the thief to second-hand dealer to the final customer - is interested only in making or saving money.

The dealers would never cooperate with the investigators and neither would the customer show any interest - after all he's getting an expensive set at throw-away prices.

However, dealers shrug the charges and say it’s impossible to tell the difference between a thief and a genuine customer. Ratan Lal, a dealer in Tilak Nagar, says, "Sometimes, when very expensive sets are brought to us, we suspect that they are stolen. Otherwise, how can we ever know if the other person is a thief or not?"

Call the Cop

Because most people do not want to go through the rigmarole of endless police formalities, most of the times the complaints are registered as 'lost' rather than 'stolen'.

So, isn't there any hope for people who have lost their mobile phones? Well, there is. But only if they are ready to do the rounds of the police station every time a thief is caught.

Because most people do not want to go through the rigmarole of endless police formalities, most of the times the complaints are registered as 'lost' rather than 'stolen'.

Bihar Police have launched a drive to catch mobile phone thieves. They have maintained a database of IMEIs of the stolen phones and stop people at random to match the IMEI of their cellphone with the database.

The drive started after the police found out that many stolen cellphones were being used by criminals and gangsters.

Delhi Police say that they can be of help only if people cooperate.

So, while it may still be some time before good news starts ringing for all those who have lost their cellphones, exercising some caution might just help making things easier.

PHONEY PHONE PRIMER

Always buy phones with a bill. (phones bought without bills could be smuggled)

Note down the encrypted number.

Make a complaint when your phone is lost/stolen and specify the encrypted code.

Don't buy cellphones from the second-hand market.

These measures do not guarantee the return of your stolen mobile phone but makes it possible to exercise some control. The full-fledged recovery system is still a long way to go.

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