Kathua, May 22: District Police Kathua, under SSP Mohita Sharma, recovered 100 lost or stolen mobile phones — including three Apple iPhones — with an estimated total value of Rs. 17,01,000, officials said. Complaints were lodged at various police stations across the district, and the IT Section traced and recovered the devices over the past two months using technical assistance.
Recovered handsets were located in multiple states and union territories, including J&K, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Following verification and legal formalities, the phones are being returned to their rightful owners.
The district police said they have recovered around 600 lost or stolen phones in the past two years, valued at approximately Rs. 1,06,30,000.
In a separate development, Cyber Police Station Kathua recovered Rs. 33,84,692 in defrauded amounts from January to April 2026 across multiple cyber complaints. Since its inception, the cyber unit has recovered Rs. 1,77,81,922 through actions such as freezing fraudulent transactions and coordinating with banks, payment gateways and service providers.
The public has lauded the IT Section and Cyber PS for their technical proficiency and service, authorities added. The district police urged residents to report lost or stolen phones immediately via http://www.ceir.gov.in and to report cyber financial frauds within the “golden hour” by calling 1930 or using the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at http://www.cybercrime.gov.in.
