National News 2025-06-23

OPERATION TRACK BACK–II: A MAJOR INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO INNOCENT INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY THE LOSS OR THEFT OF THEIR MOBILE PHONES

Mahesh Dhoundiyal - Delhi

? In a recent operation against smugglers and thieves of stolen mobile phone handsets, the Crime Branch recovered 265 high-end intercepted mobile phones.

? These mobile phones were returned to their rightful owners after thorough verification.

DELHI POLICE CRIME BRANCH’S ‘OPERATION TRACK BACK–II’: A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN RECOVERING STOLEN MOBILE PHONES

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police organized the ‘Operation Track Back–I’ event on 19 Feb 2025 and 216recovered mobile phones were handed over to their rightful owners. Now in continuation to that, Crime Branch has organized ‘Operation Track Back -II’ event on 23rd June 2025 at Aadarsh Auditorium, PHQ, New Delhi. The event was presided over by Sh. Devesh Chandra Srivastva, Special Commissioner of Police, Crime. Other dignitaries in attendance included Sh. Surender Singh, Joint CP/Crime; Sh. Sanjay Kumar Sain and Sh Mangesh Kashyap, Addl. CP/Crime, as well as all DCsP, ACsP, and Inspectors of the Crime Branch, Delhi.

Sh. Devesh Chandra Srivastva, Special Commissioner of Police, Crime, appreciated the initiative and emphasized that, in addition to solving heinous crimes, such efforts bring joy to common citizens. He stated that small steps like these restore faith in law enforcement and stressed the importance of community-police cooperation in bringing about positive change in society. He also motivated Crime Branch teams to continue such efforts with dedication and sincerity.

INTRODUCTION

Recognizing the growing number of mobile phone thefts in Delhi-NCR and the associated risks to citizens’ personal data and security, the Crime Branch, Delhi Police, launched ‘Operation Track Back–II’—a dedicated initiative aimed at recovering stolen mobile phones and ensuring their return to rightful owners.

As part of this effort to bring relief to innocent victims of mobile phone theft, the Crime Branch has achieved a major breakthrough by tracking and recovering a large number of stolen and lost mobile devices.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OPERATION

In today’s digital age, mobile phones are indispensable—serving as tools for communication, finance, social interaction, work, and emergency response. The loss of a mobile phone causes not only financial hardship, but also raises concerns about data security, identity theft, and privacy breaches.

Recognizing these serious concerns, Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, through ‘Operation Track Back’, has taken proactive steps to recover and return stolen mobile phones to their rightful owners.

SUCCESSFUL INTERCEPTION OF STOLEN MOBILE PHONES

In a significant breakthrough, dedicated teams from Cyber Cell, ER-I, CR, NR-I, ARSC, and SR sections of the Crime Branch made crucial arrests, dealing a major blow to international mobile theft and smuggling networks. A total of 265 stolen mobile phones were recovered and 29 accused persons were arrested, leading to the resolution of 72 cases.

Important raids:

? A team led by Insp. Gurmeet Singh conducted multiple raids over the past four months, resulting in the recovery of 117 mobile phones from various accused persons.Upon verification, it was found that some of the recovered phones had online e-FIRs registered, while others were listed as Lost Reports on the official Delhi Police website. Specifically, 25 of the recovered mobile phones were linked to registered e-FIRs, and 34 were associated with NCR/Lost Reports filed in Delhi and other states.

? Team of SR, Crime Branch arrested two accused persons namely Bharat @Rawat and Rahul @Kunal and 40 snatched/stolen mobile phones have been recovered.

Given the volume of recovered phones, the team faced challenges such as locked or drained devices. Mapping these phones to FIRs and lost reports required extensive and meticulous efforts. However, taking it as a challenge, the Crime Branch team performed remarkably well, and many of the recovered and verified mobile phones have already been returned to their rightful owners.

The verification of remaining phones is ongoing, and those found to be genuine will also be returned once ownership is confirmed.

OBJECTIVES OF ‘OPERATION TRACK BACK’

‘Operation Track Back’ reflects the Delhi Police’s commitment to protecting citizens from digital and financial crimes. It is not only about recovery, but also about verification and rightful return. The initiative encourages citizens to promptly report lost or stolen devices using the e-FIR system and to maintain records of IMEI numbers, which significantly aids in the recovery process.

PUBLIC APPEAL

Delhi Police urges all citizens to remain vigilant, safeguard their mobile devices, and immediately report any theft or loss. The Crime Branch remains committed to alleviating the distress of victims and will continue to take proactive measures against mobile theft and illegal smuggling.

Delhi Police is dedicated to restoring happiness to victims of mobile phone theft and appeals to the public to cooperate by reporting lost devices without delay.

Mahesh Dhoundiyal - Delhi

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Date: 24-06-2025