How to check if a phone is stolen in India

Step 1 — find the IMEI, and match it three ways

• Dial *#06# on the phone. The IMEI appears on the screen.
• Read the IMEI printed on the box, and the one on the bill or invoice, if the seller has them.
• All three should be the same number. On a dual-SIM phone there are two IMEIs; note both.

A phone whose screen IMEI does not match its box or bill needs an explanation before you go any further.

Step 2 — check the IMEI with the government's service

There are three official ways to run the check, all from the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi programme:

1. 1SMS: type KYM, a space, and the 15-digit IMEI, and send it to 14422.
2. 2The KYM ("Know Your Mobile") app on Android or iPhone.
3. 3The Know Your Mobile option on the Sanchar Saathi / CEIR website (ceir.sancharsaathi.gov.in).

Step 3 — read the result correctly

The official portal advises that if a phone shows as black-listed, duplicate or already in use, you should avoid buying it.

• Black-listed: the IMEI has been blocked, usually after a loss or theft report.
• Duplicate: the same IMEI is reported on more than one device, which can point to a cloned or tampered IMEI.
• A clean-looking result is not a guarantee. It means only that the IMEI is not flagged in that database today. It does not prove who owns the phone.

If you run a mobile shop, one check is not enough

When you buy a phone across the counter, the law asks whether you had reason to believe it was stolen. Under Section 317 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, dishonestly receiving or keeping stolen property, knowing or having reason to believe it is stolen, can bring up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. Under Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, tampering with an IMEI, or knowingly keeping a phone with a tampered one, can bring up to three years, a fine of up to ₹50 lakh, or both.

What protects a shop is a record made before the money moved:

• the IMEI check and its result, with the date and time;
• the seller's identity (an Aadhaar-based check where you can);
• a signed declaration from the seller about where the phone came from;
• photos of the phone, its box and its bill.

In Mobile Praman, the IMEI check, the seller's details and the signed declaration are saved on one purchase record, so the proof is there if a question comes later.

If your own phone is lost or stolen

1. 1File a police complaint (FIR or lost report) and keep a copy.
2. 2Get a duplicate SIM for your number from your telecom operator. The OTP for the blocking request comes to this number.
3. 3Block the phone on the CEIR / Sanchar Saathi portal with the IMEI, your number, the complaint details and an ID proof. Save the request ID.
4. 4A blocked phone stops working on every Indian network. If someone puts in a new SIM, the system can trace it for the police.
5. 5When you get the phone back, unblock it on the same portal with the request ID.

What nobody can do for you

You cannot track the live location of a phone yourself from its IMEI. Apps and websites that claim to do this are not genuine; tracing is done by the authorities through CEIR.