PATHANAMTHITTA: Pamba police have successfully recovered 102 mobile phones lost by devotees during the last Mandala Makaravilakku pilgrimage at Sabarimala.
The phones were recovered with the help of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, which blocks lost phones and tracks their location.
While looking into over 230 complaints, around 25 phones worth Rs 6.5 lakhs were recovered by the police.
The police cyber help desk, set up to assist pilgrims, registered complaints from devotees and used the CEIR portal to block the phones.
When the blocked phones were turned on, the network service provider portal sent information to the complainant and the police station, helping officials track and recover the phones.
Most of the recovered phones were traced to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, with areas like Kambam, Theni, and Coimbatore being major hotspots.
Currently, the Pathanamthitta police are planning to expand their investigation to these areas and are advising people to exercise caution when purchasing second-hand phones.
The police cyber help desk has proven to be an effective tool in recovering lost phones and is likely to continue assisting pilgrims in the future.