Lost Your Phone in Kochi? How to Block It on Sanchar Saathi

If your phone is lost or stolen in Kochi, you can block it on every Indian mobile network through the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi portal, ideally with the phone's 15-digit IMEI number, plus a copy of your police complaint. The order matters: police complaint first, then a duplicate SIM for your old number, then the block. Done in that order, the handset becomes useless to whoever is holding it.

• How do I block my lost or stolen phone?
• Where do I find the IMEI if the phone is gone?
• What happens after the phone is blocked?
• Can I unblock my phone if I find it?
• How do I check a second-hand phone is not stolen?

How do I block my lost or stolen phone?

Sanchar Saathi is the DoT's citizen portal, launched in May 2023, with an app that followed in January 2025. The blocking module is called CEIR, the Central Equipment Identity Register. Here is the sequence that works:

• 1. Complain to Kerala Police. Use the Pol-App, the Thuna web portal (thuna.keralapolice.gov.in) or your nearest station. Kerala Police's own advice is to make sure the IMEI is written into the complaint correctly. Keep the complaint number.
• 2. Get a duplicate SIM. Go to your operator's store for a replacement SIM on the same number. The blocking form sends its OTP to this number, so you cannot finish without it.
• 3. Fill the block form. On sancharsaathi.gov.in, choose the option to block a lost or stolen mobile. You enter the lost number, the IMEI if you have it, brand, model and price, where and when it went missing, the police station and complaint number, and your own name and address, then upload the police complaint and an ID proof. The purchase invoice helps if you have it.
• 4. Verify and save the request ID. Enter the OTP and submit. You get a request ID. Write it down somewhere other than a phone you might lose; you need it to check status and to unblock later.

Have this ready	Why
IMEI number (if you have it)	It identifies the handset to be blocked
Police complaint copy and number	Uploaded with the request
Duplicate SIM on your old number	Receives the OTP
ID proof	Uploaded with the request
Purchase invoice (if you have it)	Supports your claim to the handset

If the thief has already used your UPI or banking apps, the phone is the smaller problem. Call 1930 first; our guide to reporting cyber fraud in Ernakulam explains what that call does.

Where do I find the IMEI if the phone is gone?

On the sticker on the original box, or on the purchase bill. That is it. The easy method, dialling *#06#, only works while you still have the phone, so do it on the phone you are holding and email the number to yourself. Most people only look for it once they need it.

Kerala Police also recommends Google's Find My Device for Android phones, which lets you ring, lock or erase the handset from another device after signing in to your account. Erase it if there is anything on it you would not want a stranger reading.

What happens after the phone is blocked?

The block applies across Indian networks, so the handset will not work with any SIM. The DoT says that if a SIM is put into a blocked phone, the system flags it and alerts both you and the police. By November 2025 the department said Sanchar Saathi had helped recover more than 7 lakh lost and stolen handsets nationwide.

Be realistic, though. Blocking is routine; getting the phone back is not. In July 2023 Business Standard reported that the DoT's CEIR system had traced about 2.85 lakh missing phones but only 20,771 had been recovered. Block the phone because it protects you, and treat recovery as a bonus.

Can I unblock my phone if I find it?

Yes. On the same portal, choose the option to unblock a found mobile, enter the request ID and the mobile number you gave for OTPs, pick a reason, and confirm with the OTP. Tell the police station too, so the complaint can be closed.

How do I check a second-hand phone is not stolen?

Before you pay for a used phone, send an SMS reading KYM followed by its 15-digit IMEI to 14422. The DoT runs this Know Your Mobile check, and it tells you whether the IMEI is blacklisted. If the seller will not let you dial *#06# on the phone, walk away. For other scams that start on a phone, see our explainers on digital arrest calls and locking your Aadhaar biometrics, or browse Tech & AI.

Note (as of October 2026)

Menu names on the Sanchar Saathi portal and app are as they appeared in October 2026. Government portals get redesigned, so if a button has moved, look for the same core steps: complaint, duplicate SIM, IMEI, request ID.