Madikeri: Kodagu district cyberpolice returned 104 cellphones, that were reported stolen or lost, to their owners on Tuesday.Kodagu SP RN Bindu Mani, who returned the phones, said the devices were lost/ stolen during 2024 and 2025. The cyberpolice traced them using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, based on complaints submitted by the public. In the last one month alone, 104 phones worth about Rs 11 lakh were traced and seized.
The phones were tracked not only within the Kodagu district, but also from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, indicating co-ordinated follow-up beyond the district’s boundaries. Police clarified that after the recovery, no criminal case was registered, and the phones were seized and returned to the rightful owners. The SP advised people that if a phone is stolen or lost, they should file a complaint at the nearest police station, and submit the required details on the CEIR portal to improve the chances of recovery. Nagaraj from Shanivarasanthe said his phone was missing since 2023 and he had little hope of getting it back. “But its recovery is a commendable effort,” he said. Swathi said she was pleasantly surprised when police informed her that her lost phone was found. Sadika Banu of Madikeri, who lost her phone in Kushalnagar in 2025, became emotional because the traced phone contained valuable photos of her late father. DSP Suraj, cybercrime division DSP Lakshmikanth Talwar, circle inspectors PK Raju and IP Medappa, and police inspector Chandrashekhar were present.
