VELLORE: The cybercrime wing of the Vellore district police have come up with an easy but efficient method to assist people to recover their lost mobile phones without visiting a police station or filing a formal complaint. The initiative called Cell Tracker is a Google form, which can be accessed simply by sending a text message to the cyber cell's WhatsApp number — 9486214166.
Once the text message is delivered, the automated system will respond by sending the Cell Tracker Google form. The complainant now has to fill the form by providing necessary details of their lost phone.
The functionality was introduced on July 3, 2023 by Vellore range DIG MS Muthusamy and SP N Manivannan.
Kodishwaran, additional SP (cybercrime) of Vellore, said, "We have established a dedicated team of four to oversee complaints about lost mobile phones through the form. Once the team receives the phone details, they track the device using its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number."
The highlight of this initiative is that the residents need not file a formal complaint under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) at their local police stations, a procedure that often took at least a day, he added.
With the implementation of Cell Tracker, the registration of complaints has become more convenient and efficient. Karunakaran, a member of the Cell Tracker team said, "Sometimes, the police have more significant cases to handle at the station. However, since mobile phones are crucial in peoples' lives, our team takes care of the complaints through the form."
Team coordinator Padmavathy said, "When we receive a complaint, we swiftly start tracking the mobile phone and we usually recover those within a month." According to Vellore cyber cell officials, this initiative is yet to be available across the state.
Out of the total 821 complaints received in the past four months, the team has successfully recovered 372 mobile phones, added the officials. During the month of July, 162 cell phones worth Rs 35 lakh, were successfully recovered and handed over to the owners. In the second phase, 210 cell phones, valued at Rs 40 lakh were also reclaimed.
Sudarkodi, a college student who recovered her stolen phone after reporting the incident, said, "The phone was a gift from my father who passed away recently. With that phone, I hold fond memories of my father. I was on my way to college when the phone was stolen in March 2023. I immediately reported the theft using the Cell Tracker Google form and it was retrieved within a month."
"Our primary objective is to simplify the complaint process for the public. They no longer have to go through the hassle of visiting the police station to file a complaint," said SP Manivannan.