1.87% — Delhi’s lost phone recovery rate lowest of all states/UTs

Data collated from states and UTs on the Sanchar Saathi website shows that 822,694 phones were blocked in the Capital.

Delhi has recorded the worst recovery rate in the country for lost or stolen mobile phones — a meagre 1.87%, far below the national average of 24.5%.

1.87% — Delhi’s lost phone recovery rate lowest of all states/UTs

Data collated from states and UTs on the Sanchar Saathi website shows that 822,694 phones were blocked in the Capital. Of these, 527,426 were traced using the portal, but only 9,871 were actually recovered.

While the department of telecommunications (DoT) traces blocked devices through Sanchar Saathi, the responsibility for recovery lies with the police in each state or UT. After Delhi, Punjab (10.98%), Bihar (12.45%), Chandigarh (12.49%) and Nagaland (12.81%) reported the lowest recovery rates — still several times higher than that in Delhi.

In contrast, Lakshadweep reported a 100% recovery rate, though the scale was miniscule: 13 phones were blocked, five traced, and all five recovered. Andaman & Nicobar and Ladakh followed with recovery rates of 56.09% and 51.46%, respectively. In absolute numbers, Telangana was at the top, recovering 91,306 devices — 42.8% of the 2,12,622 traced.

A senior communications ministry official attributed Delhi’s poor showing to “a lax approach” by the police. “The excuse that mobiles can’t be traced doesn’t hold. Sanchar Saathi can, as the data shows, trace phones. Police in other states are acting on this, but Delhi’s less than 2% recovery rate is a bad look,” the official said.

A DoT post on X dated July 18, 2025, noted that over 500,000 mobile phones had been recovered nationally. In the three weeks since, more than 39,000 devices were recovered — roughly one every minute. “Only five to six states are doing good work; the rest need to catch up,” the official said.

To be sure, Delhi also tops the list for blocked and traced phones, accounting for 22% of all such devices nationwide.

For residents, the low recovery rate has meant little hope of getting stolen devices back. Vani (name changed), 36, lost her iPhone 16 Pro Max at Rajiv Chowk metro station. “I immediately reported it to the police, but it’s been months. They say it’s impossible to find. I’ve already bought a new phone. It’s a helpless situation,” she said.

The Delhi Police did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.