New Delhi, Sept. 6 -- Losing a smartphone can mean losing access to personal data, banking apps and important contacts, making it crucial to report the loss quickly. Users report millions of missing or stolen devices every year, but government data shows that only a fraction of them are eventually recovered.

According to Central Equipment Identity Register's (CEIR) dashboard, 59 lakh missing mobile phones have been blocked, while 36.7 lakh devices were traced and just 13.39 lakh were recovered as of September 6, 2026.

The data suggests that less than 37% of the traced mobile phones were given back to their owners, leaving the majority still missing. This highlights the scale of the problem and the challenges involved in recovering lost ...