NEW DELHI, October 18 — The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, rolled out the upgraded 'Sanchar Saathi 2.0' citizen portal on Sunday, integrating an artificial intelligence-driven instant kill-switch to combat mobile device theft and syndicate-driven cyber fraud.
Interlinked with the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), the upgraded framework enables citizens to report misplaced or snatched smart devices instantly, causing the automated blocking of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) across all licensed Telecom Service Provider (TSP) networks in India. Any unauthorized attempt to activate the blacklisted handset with a fresh SIM card immediately alerts cyber police units through real-time geo-triangulation telemetry.
DoT analytics revealed that Sanchar Saathi initiatives have successfully blocked over 1.8 million stolen mobile handsets and disconnected more than 8.5 million fraudulent mobile connections acquired through forged or cloned identity documents, significantly curbing mobile financial scams.
The statutory framework of the Telecommunications Act 2023 (repealing the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933), the technical structure of IMEI numbers, consumer grievance platforms (Chakshu portal for reporting suspected fraud), and telecom governance represent high-frequency themes across UPSC GS-II and GS-III.