LUCKNOW, March 25 -- The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Lucknow has recovered 287 lost and stolen mobile phones worth around Rs.70 lakh, with many of the devices traced to locations outside Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Tuesday. The recovery was made during a special drive launched by the GRP's surveillance team, which acted on complaints received during public hearings. The case took an interesting turn when technical tracking revealed that several of the missing phones were being used not only in different districts of UP but also in other states, indicating a wider network of theft and resale, officials said. "Dedicated teams coordinated with police units across multiple states. Using technical inputs and location tracking, the teams managed to trace and retrieve the phones from various locations," Rohit Mishra, superintendent of police (GRP), said in a press conference. "The mobile phones were collected from different places, secured and later handed over to their rightful owners during a programme at the GRP police lines," the officer said, adding coordinated efforts and use of technology played a key role. Police said efforts are ongoing to identify those involved in the theft and resale network. Mission Shakti initiative Meanwhile, the Vikasnagar police recovered 23 lost mobile phones worth around Rs.5 lakh and returned them to their owners under the ongoing Mission Shakti 5.0 initiative, officials said on Tuesday. According to station incharge Alok Kumar Singh, the recovery was made following complaints registered on the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal. A team worked across multiple police station areas in Lucknow and other districts of UP to trace the missing devices....