Bapatla police recover 1,125 lost mobile phones worth Rs 2.25 crore

Vijayawada: The Bapatla district police have recovered 1,125 lost and stolen mobile phones worth nearly Rs 2.25 crore in five phases under its Mobile Recovery and Distribution Programme. As part of the fifth phase, district SP B Umamaheshwar handed over 166 recovered mobile phones worth Rs 33.20 lakh to victims at the district police headquarters on Tuesday.Speaking on the occasion, the SP said mobile phones have become an essential part of daily life as they store personal information, banking details, educational records and business-related data. He said people face serious inconvenience when phones are lost or stolen and added that the district police department formed a special technical team under the supervision of a circle inspector-level officer to trace and recover missing devices.He said the special recovery team, headed by social media CI V Suryanarayana, has been working jointly with local police stations to trace lost and stolen phones using advanced technology. The police department has also coordinated with authorities in other districts and states to recover devices and return them to victims.According to officials, the mobile phone recovery rate in the Bapatla district was around 30% earlier. After the launch of the special recovery programme, the rate has increased to nearly 70%.The SP advised the public to immediately report lost mobile phones at nearby police stations and register complaints through the CEIR portal. He also warned people against purchasing second-hand phones from suspicious persons and said mobile shop owners should not unlock devices without proper ownership proof. Police stated that purchasing or selling stolen mobile phones is a punishable offence and may lead to criminal cases.