Block a Stolen Phone on Sanchar Saathi: CEIR Steps (2026)

Short answer

Lock or erase the handset remotely first. Then collect two things the government form insists on: a replacement SIM for your old number and a police complaint (FIR or lost report). With both ready, file Block lost / stolen mobile handset on Sanchar Saathi, on the website or in the app. You get an 18-digit Request ID, the IMEI is barred on every Indian network, and the same ID is your key to unblocking it later.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) runs the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which you reach through Sanchar Saathi. The tricky part is the sequence: the online form checks things you can only arrange in person. Here is the order that works, then the unusual cases and the unblocking steps.

In this guide11 sections

Hour one: lock down your money and data
Within a day: the SIM and the police paperwork
No IMEI on record? Places to look
Filling in the CEIR block request
What CEIR does once you press Proceed
Unusual situations, sorted
The phone turned up: lifting the block
How often do blocked phones come back?
Other Sanchar Saathi tools worth knowing
Quick questions about CEIR
Official references

Hour one: lock down your money and data

Keep one point in mind from the start. CEIR acts on the mobile network, not on the phone’s memory. It stops the handset working on Indian networks, yet everything stored inside stays where it is. So begin with the tools that act on the device itself.

Android: use Find Hub

Go to android.com/find in any browser, or open the Find Hub app on another device, and sign in with the Google account that was on the lost phone.
If it might be close by, use Play sound; it rings at full volume for five minutes even on silent. If not, choose Mark as lost, which locks it with your PIN, pattern or password.
Before you pick Factory reset, select Settings next to the device and write down the IMEI shown there. Google notes that a reset phone is no longer available in Find Hub, so that number becomes hard to recover later.

iPhone: use Find My

Sign in at icloud.com/find, or open the Find My app on another Apple device.
Switch on Mark As Lost. It locks the iPhone with your passcode and suspends any Apple Pay cards.
Treat Erase as the final move, because Apple warns it can’t be undone. Afterwards, keep the iPhone in your Find My list anyway: removing it turns off Activation Lock, the feature that stops a thief from setting it up and selling it on.

Warning: If UPI, net banking or wallet apps were on the phone, call your bank now and ask for mobile banking and UPI to be blocked. Use the number on your card or passbook; Sanchar Saathi’s Trusted Contact Details section also lists verified bank helplines. If money has already left your account, ring 1930 or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in without waiting.

Within a day: the SIM and the police paperwork

The CEIR form spells out its prerequisites: a police report or FIR copy, a re-issued SIM for the lost number (the OTP is sent there), a valid identity proof to upload and, only if you have them, the purchase invoice and the IMEI numbers.

Get your number working again

Go to a store run by your operator (Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL) and ask for a replacement SIM on the same number. Carry your Aadhaar or another ID, since DoT has required e-KYC or digital KYC for every SIM swap since 1 December 2023. A new SIM on your number also means the card inside the missing phone stops receiving your OTPs.

Now plan for a pause. After a SIM change, incoming and outgoing SMS stay barred for 24 hours under regulatory rules, and operators apply the same bar when a new eSIM is activated. Because the CEIR code arrives by SMS, most people can only finish the form the next day.

Register the loss with the police

File the complaint at the local police station, or online if your state police portal accepts lost-property reports. CEIR accepts either an FIR or a lost report (LR). Keep the complaint number handy and save a copy as a PDF, JPEG or PNG file, because those are the formats the upload button takes.

Tip: Do this while you still have your phone. Dial *#06#, note the IMEI shown (dual-SIM phones normally list two) and email it to yourself. It takes ten seconds and saves a lot of searching later.

No IMEI on record? Places to look

Where to look	What it shows	The catch
Retail box or purchase bill	The IMEI on the barcode label or invoice	Only helps if you kept them
Find Hub (Android)	The IMEI under the device’s Settings at android.com/find	The phone must have been signed in to Google with Find Hub on, and it vanishes from the list after a reset
account.apple.com (iPhone)	Devices section: select the iPhone to see its serial number and IMEI	You need the Apple Account password
Another Apple device on the same account	Settings, tap your name, then tap the lost iPhone in the device list	Requires iOS 10.3 or later
The CEIR form itself	Leave the IMEI boxes empty; after OTP a separate window lists devices used with your number so you can pick yours	Your browser must allow pop-ups

From Google’s Find Hub help, Apple Support article 108037 and the CEIR block form, all checked on 29 October 2026.

Filling in the CEIR block request

Open sancharsaathi.gov.in and choose Block lost / stolen mobile handset from the CEIR services, or tap the same service in the Sanchar Saathi app. The form also opens from ceir.gov.in. Anything marked with an asterisk is compulsory.

Device information. Mobile Number 1 is your lost number, now on the replacement SIM. Fill Mobile Number 2 only when a second SIM was in use. IMEI 1 and IMEI 2 are optional. Device brand and mobile price are required; the model name and an invoice upload are optional.
Lost information. Enter the place and date of the loss, choose the State/UT, district and police station, type the police complaint number and upload the complaint copy. Use +Add more if it runs to a second file.
Owner details. Give the owner’s name and address (up to 200 characters), choose an ID type (Aadhaar, PAN card, Voter ID, driving licence or another identity) and upload it. For Aadhaar, upload the masked version, where the first eight digits are hidden.
Verification. Type the captcha, enter the mobile number for OTP, tap Get OTP and then Verify OTP when the code arrives.
Declaration. Accept the self-declaration that the information is correct, then tap Proceed.
Keep the Request ID. A successful request generates an 18-digit Request ID. Screenshot it and email it to yourself, because checking the status and unblocking both depend on it.

Note: Two rules trip people up. First, CEIR only accepts a loss dated on or after the day the service launched in your state, and the form shows the state-wise launch dates. Second, if the phone was new and had never held a SIM, the online form can’t match it to a number. In that case take a copy of the FIR or police complaint that lists the IMEI numbers to the Sanchar Saathi CEIR District Nodal police officer.

What CEIR does once you press Proceed

The IMEI is shared with every operator, and Sanchar Saathi says a reported handset is blocked for use on Indian telecom networks within 24 hours. Blocking does not stop police from tracing it.

According to DoT, the moment any SIM is used in the blocked phone, the system generates traceability details and alerts both you and the police station where you lodged the complaint. Your SMS includes the details of the station to contact. DoT’s field units also work with state police to get traced phones back to their owners.

Following up on your request

Use Check lost / stolen mobile handset request status and enter either the Request ID or your police complaint number. Delhi Police LR and FIR numbers work, and so do complaint numbers from other state police portals. A completed request reads “Blocking Request is successfully processed”, and traceability details such as the police station appear when available.

Misplaced the ID? Forgot request ID sends an OTP to the number you gave while blocking and then lists every Request ID linked to it.

Unusual situations, sorted

Your situation	What to do
The state police registered the block for you	Follow up with the police. Sanchar Saathi says unblocking for such requests must also be registered through the state police.
A boxed phone that never had a SIM	Approach the CEIR District Nodal police officer with an FIR or complaint copy that mentions the IMEI numbers.
The number was an eSIM	Ask your operator for a new eSIM on the same number, then allow 24 hours before SMS (including OTPs) start working.
Two SIMs were in the phone	Fill in Mobile Number 2 and, if you have them, both IMEIs.
The phone was lost before CEIR started in your state	The form won’t accept it. Check the launch-date list shown on the form.

Based on the CEIR block form, the CEIR FAQs on Sanchar Saathi and operator eSIM pages, checked on 29 October 2026.

The phone turned up: lifting the block

Inform the police station that took your complaint that the phone has been found.
Open Unblock found mobile handset on Sanchar Saathi or in the app, and select Un-Blocking Request.
Enter the 18-digit Request ID and the mobile number you gave for OTP and notifications when blocking.
Choose the reason: Recovered by police, Found by self, Blocked by mistake or Other reason, which asks for a few words of explanation.
Fill the captcha, request and verify the OTP, and press Submit.

CEIR forwards the request to the operators, and the handset works on mobile networks again once they lift the block. The status page should then read “Un-Blocking Request is successfully processed”. The unblocking form also offers an Update Police Complaint option, for adding complaint details to an existing request using its Request ID.

One more step before you start using it. A Communications Ministry statement reported by IANS in August 2026 said owners of recovered handsets are advised by SMS to factory-reset them, to protect against malware. Back up what you need first.

How often do blocked phones come back?

There is no guarantee, but the figures keep climbing. A PIB release dated 5 October 2026 put the totals at 60.96 lakh handsets blocked, 37.85 lakh traced and more than 14 lakh recovered. All India Radio reported 77,692 recoveries in July 2026 alone, a record month. And as the CEIR manual notes, a blocked device is useless on Indian networks, which removes much of the point of stealing it.

Other Sanchar Saathi tools worth knowing

Know mobile connections in your name: see every connection issued on your ID and report any you didn’t take or no longer need.
Know the genuineness of your mobile handset: SMS KYM <15-digit IMEI> to 14422, or check it in the app or on the portal. The reply tells you whether the device is valid, invalid or blocked.
Chakshu: report suspected fraud calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages. Our guide to stopping spam calls and messages in India explains when to use it.
Trusted Contact Details: genuine helpline numbers, email IDs and website links for banks and financial institutions.

The app launched on 17 January 2025 for both Android and iPhone, and it works in English, Hindi and 21 regional languages. It is your choice whether to keep it: on 3 December 2025 the government dropped the requirement for phone makers to pre-install it, and the government has said users can remove it whenever they want.

Replacing the lost phone with a pre-owned one? Run its IMEI through KYM before you pay and work through our second-hand phone inspection checklist. Our comparison of refurbished, used and new phones sets out the trade-offs.

At the counter: When someone visits our Mobivault shop right after losing a phone, we always give the same first advice: get the replacement SIM and the police complaint done before anything else, because the CEIR request can’t be submitted without them. For anyone buying a pre-owned handset, we suggest checking that the IMEI on its box matches what *#06# displays, and then running that number through KYM too.

Quick questions about CEIR

Is the IMEI compulsory on the block form?

No. Both IMEI fields are optional. If you leave them empty, CEIR opens a window after the OTP step listing devices that have been used with your number, so keep pop-ups allowed in your browser.

Why is the OTP not reaching my replacement SIM?

For the first 24 hours after a SIM change or a new eSIM, SMS is barred both ways, OTPs included. Try again the next day. If texts still don’t arrive after that, our guide to OTP SMS that never arrive covers the usual causes.

I have lost the Request ID. Can I still unblock the phone?

Yes. Use Forgot request ID, enter the mobile number you used while blocking, verify the OTP and you’ll see the Request IDs linked to that number.

The police already blocked my phone. Should I file again?

No need. When the state police register the block, Sanchar Saathi says the unblocking request has to go through them too, so ask the station that handled your complaint for updates.

Does blocking protect the photos and chats stored on the phone?

No. CEIR only stops the handset from using Indian mobile networks. To lock or wipe what’s stored inside, use Find Hub (Android) or Find My (iPhone).

What to do now: Lock the phone remotely, call your bank, request the replacement SIM and file the police complaint today. Submit the CEIR request the moment the new SIM can receive SMS. Keep the Request ID, the complaint copy and the IMEIs together in one email until the phone is back or you have given up on it.

Official references

All links below were checked in October 2026 (last on 29 October 2026).

Phone Stolen or Missing in India? Your Sanchar Saathi Action Plan