Lucknow: The Lucknow police commissionerate is trailing behind several districts in Uttar Pradesh in recovering lost or stolen mobile phones, according to data from the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) accessed exclusively by TOI.The analysis, covering the period from Sept 13, 2019, to Apr 4, 2026, shows that districts such as Sitapur, Barabanki and Hardoi have recorded significantly higher recovery rates compared to multiple zones within Lucknow.According to CEIR data, in terms of recovery efficiency, Hathras tops the list with an impressive recovery rate of 74.98%, followed by Kaushambi at 70.60%. Bulandshahr also reported strong performance with a 64.70% recovery rate, closely followed by Bareilly at 64.40% and Rae Bareli at 63.50%, indicating that these districts have been the most efficient in tracing and recovering lost or stolen mobile phones in the state.In contrast, the performance across Lucknow’s policing remains comparatively weak. Data shows that Lucknow West recorded a recovery rate of 19%, while Lucknow North stood at 17.5%. Lucknow Central reported 20.3%, Lucknow East performed slightly better at 27.2%, and Lucknow South recorded 24.9%.In absolute numbers, Lucknow Central reported 4,205 total traceable cases, of which 854 mobiles were recovered, leaving 3,351 unrecovered.Lucknow East recorded 3,553 traceable cases, with 968 recoveries and 2,585 unrecovered devices. In Lucknow West, out of 3,922 cases, 747 mobiles were recovered, while 3,175 remained unrecovered. Lucknow South saw 3,034 cases, with 754 recoveries and 2,280 unrecovered phones.Meanwhile, Lucknow North reported the lowest recovery volume, with 1,997 traceable cases, 349 recoveries, and 1,648 unrecovered mobiles, highlighting relatively weak recovery performance across zones in absolute terms.Even districts adjoining Lucknow, like Sitapur, have a recovery rate of 46.40%. Of 4,018 traceable cases, 1,865 mobiles were recovered. Similarly, Barabanki has a recovery rate of 51.90%, with 1,339 recoveries out of 2,579 traceable cases.As per the data, each zone in the police commissionerate has been considered a separate district. On this basis, the East Zone Commissionerate of Agra performs the best with a recovery rate of 41.50%.The CEIR system, which helps track and block stolen or lost mobile devices using IMEI numbers, is a key tool used by police across India to combat mobile theft and assist citizens in recovering their devices.Former IPS officer and cyber expert Triveni Singh said that the disparity in recovery rates could be due to differences in enforcement efficiency, follow-up mechanisms, and public awareness regarding reporting lost devices on the CEIR portal.TOP FIVE DISTRICTS IN RECOVERY OF MOBILES:Hathras———–861—–645—-74.98percentKaushambhi—-1131——798—-70.60percentBulandshahr—-2800—-1812—-64.70 percentBareilly——–6526——–4201—-64.40 percentRae Bareli—–3346———2124—-63.50 percent
