Block a Lost Phone With Sanchar Saathi

Your phone is gone, taken from a pocket or left in a cab.

You block the SIM, and change your passwords.

But the phone itself can still be sold and used with someone else's SIM.

Unless you block it, too.

How can a phone be blocked?

Every phone has a unique number called an IMEI.

India keeps a central register of these numbers, called CEIR.

When you block your phone's IMEI there, networks across India refuse to work with it.

A blocked phone becomes much less useful to a thief.

A police complaint about the loss or theft.

Many state police websites let you file a lost-article report online.

Keep the complaint number and a copy of the report.

You also need your phone's IMEI.

It is on the box and the purchase bill, and dual-SIM phones have two.

If you still have the phone someday, dialling *#06# shows it.

You also need an active mobile number to receive an OTP.

Getting a duplicate SIM for your lost number first is sensible anyway.

Then:

Open sancharsaathi.gov.in and choose the option to block a lost or stolen phone.
Enter the IMEI numbers, the phone's brand and model, and where and when it was lost.
Upload the purchase bill if the form asks for it.
Add the police complaint details and upload the copy.
Enter your contact number and verify with the OTP.

Save the request ID you receive.

You will need it to check the status, and to unblock the phone later.

Use the unblock option on the same portal.

Enter your request ID and the details it asks for.

Tell the police that the phone has been found.

No.

Blocking stops the phone working on Indian networks.

To protect your data, also erase it remotely through Find My on an iPhone or Find Hub on Android.