Railways and Telecom Department Join Forces to Trace Stolen Mobile Phones

New Delhi: To enhance passenger security, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has collaborated with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to help train passengers recover lost or stolen mobile phones. This initiative integrates the Rail Madad app with the DoT’s Sanchar Saathi platform, creating a streamlined process for tracking and blocking stolen devices.

Mobile phones constitute a major portion of items lost or misplaced by passengers in trains and at railway stations. Now, with the onboarding of 17 RPF zones and over 70 divisions onto the Sanchar Saathi portal, passengers can file complaints about lost mobile phones via the Rail Madad app. These complaints will automatically be transferred to the Sanchar Saathi platform, where the reported devices will be blocked to prevent misuse. Additionally, alerts will be generated for RPF personnel, increasing the chances of recovery.

A special training session was conducted for over 250 RPF officers from 17 railway divisions, along with officers from the DoT’s LSA field units. During the session, DoT officials provided an overview of the Sanchar Saathi portal and demonstrated its features related to mobile security. They also highlighted various technological solutions being implemented to counter cyber fraud and telecom-related crimes.

Union Telecom Secretary Dr. Neeraj Mittal, who inaugurated the training, emphasized the growing role of technology in crime prevention and law enforcement. “With the rapid advancement of technology, digital tools are more critical than ever in ensuring public safety. Onboarding RPF onto the Sanchar Saathi portal is a milestone in protecting citizens from cyber fraud and misuse of telecom resources,” he stated.

Director General of RPF Shri Manoj Yadav underscored the force’s commitment to passenger safety, citing the success of ‘Operation Aamanat,’ through which items worth ₹84 crore have been recovered and returned to passengers over the past year. He expressed confidence that integrating RPF with Sanchar Saathi would further strengthen efforts to track and return lost mobile phones.

The Railway Protection Force has been instrumental in safeguarding one of the world’s largest railway networks since its inception in 1957. Now, with this integration, mobile security for railway passengers will reach new heights. State police across the country have already been using the Sanchar Saathi platform effectively, blocking around 30 lakh mobile devices to date, of which 18 lakh have been traced and nearly 3.87 lakh successfully recovered. Police forces in Telangana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have been particularly proactive in leveraging this system.

The DoT encourages all citizens to report lost or stolen mobile phones through the Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in) to curb cybercrime and telecom fraud. The Sanchar Saathi app can also be downloaded for Android and iOS, making it easier for users to take proactive steps in securing their mobile devices.