New delhi, May 12 -- The Delhi Police on Tuesday handed over more than 12,600 stolen and lost mobile phones to their rightful owners under its special initiative 'Operation Vishwas', officials said.
The phones were returned during a program held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of Delhi University's North Campus in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha.
According to the police, more than 19,000 mobile phones have been recovered in the last 45 days with the help of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, pushing the recovery rate of stolen and lost phones to 74 per cent in 2026, compared to 12 per cent in 2025 and five per cent in 2024. "Dedicated police teams across all districts worked for the last few months to trace and recover the devices, travelling to several states during the operation," a senior police officer said.
Addressing the gathering, the L-G praised Delhi Police for launching the initiative and said the recovery drive reflected a more citizen-centric and technology-enabled policing system.
"The smile on a citizen's face and the confidence in the system is the real success of this initiative," he said, adding that the operation also sent a message to offenders that police systems were becoming smarter, faster and more connected.
Delhi Police Chief Satish Golcha said the primary aim of Delhi Police was not limited to registering complaints but ensuring action that leads to recovery and restoration of stolen property.
"Behind every recovered phone lies countless hours of effort, coordination and dedication of police teams," he said.
During the programme, the L-G also inaugurated a traffic exhibition van aimed at spreading awareness about road safety and launched a traffic safety guide booklet.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.