Palnadu tops AP; NTR, Eluru follow in mobile recovery

VIJAYAWADA: Palnadu district has emerged as the top performer in Andhra Pradesh in tracing and recovering lost mobile phones through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system, earning the state’s “Best Recovery Award” from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).The awards were presented by Andhra Pradesh DGP Harish Kumar Gupta at a function held at the AP Police Headquarters in Mangalagiri on Friday. Palnadu, NTR, and Eluru districts secured the top three positions respectively for their performance in recovering lost and stolen mobile phones during 2025-26.Palnadu district secured first place with the highest score of 69.75. Police officials recovered 4,303 mobile phones and returned them to their owners after acting swiftly on complaints received through the CEIR system, a central government platform used to block, track, and recover lost or stolen devices.NTR district stood second with a score of 64 after recovering 2,929 mobile phones, while Eluru district ranked third with a score of 62.18 by tracing and returning 2,796 mobiles to victims. The awards were received by Palnadu SP B Krishna Rao, Vijayawada police commissioner S V Rajasekhara Babu, and Eluru SP K Prathapa Shiva Kishore.Speaking on the occasion, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta congratulated the police teams for effectively using technology to improve public services. He urged officials to further speed up mobile tracking and recovery efforts across the state to help citizens retrieve lost devices quickly. Senior police officers and telecom department officials also attended the programme.