What I did when I lost my phone

It is a bad experience to lose a mobile phone. It doesn't matter whether the phone was costly or cheap. Losing a mobile phone is, in my opinion, a lesser form of "losing your Laptop"

To make my point clearer, usually the data on the Laptop is far more important than the Laptop itself, especially if you are an office goer. Many times you would wish that you should have backup up the data. The case is even worse the Laptop contains confidential / sensitive information.

The same logic applies to a lost mobile phone, your contacts, calendar entries, notes, messages, songs, pictures, videos and emails (I used to do that from my phone.) become more important than the phone itself. To add salt to the injury you also lose your memory card with it.

Another part of the bad experience in my case was that since I lost it during my cousin's wedding, everybody in the family got to know about me and almost everybody had a thing or two to say to me about "taking care of your phone".

However coming back to the point, I did the following as soon as I realized that my mobile phone is lost.

1) Called the Customer Care number of the Service Provider (Vodafone in my case.) and temporarily suspended all the SIM.

You would need the following information to suspend the SIM, if the SIM is not registered under your name:

a) Name and Address of the person under whose name the SIM is registered.
b) Date of Birth of that person.
c) Last bill amount and the date on which the amount was paid.

The above list is not exhaustive and varies from Service provider to Service Provider. For Example an Idea mobile subscriber would require only a) and b) while a Vodafone Subscriber requires all three.

2) Noted down the following details:

a) Phone make and model.
b) The SIM that was being used.
c) Date and time on which, I thought the phone might have been lost.
d) The place where, I thought it might have been lost.
e) The occasion, i.e why I was there in the first place.
f) The IMEI number of the phone. (Should be present on the bill or in the box which shipped with the mobile).

The following documents too would be required:
a) Bill of purchase of the mobile.

3) I went to the nearest police station and asked the police what documents would be required.

---------------------------
NOTE TO THE READER:
YOU SHOULD REGISTER THE COMPLAINT WITH THE NEAREST POLICE STATION, I.E IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PHONE IN DADAR, LODGE AN F.I.R AT THE DADAR POLICE STATION, AS THE AREA IN WHICH YOU HAVE LOST LOST YOUR PHONE WOULD COME UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION.
----------------------------

I was told that they would require a document testifying of all the facts I have noted above in a legal form (i.e on a 100 RS stamp paper).

A thing to remember is that the above task is not daunting, usually the person/office who/which would help to prepare such documents are found near the police station itself.

So I went to the nearest office (stationary shop with a computer and printer --- for you know what) and told the situation to the guy there. He already had a preformatted document for a lost mobile phone. So he simply replaced the details in the document with mine, and printed the entire testimony on the stamp paper, he even took care of the stamps to be attached.

The orignal document is in Marathi so it basically reads as follows:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Addressed to "KARYAKARI DANDADHIKARI, XXXX TEHSIL"
(where XXXX is the name of the place).

I Vivek Ram Mhatre, XX yrs of age living at : (YOUR ADDRESS), currently had come here to attend the wedding of my cousin residing at: (HIS ADDRESS).

My mobile was (MAKE, MODEL and COLOUR). it had the postpaid/prepaid number 9XXXXXXXXXX, contained the SIM of (Cellular service provider's name). I lost the mobile on (DATE, TIME and PLACE) during my brother's wedding. I believe it to have fallen from my pocket, near my brothers house when I was busy in making arrangement's for the guest's. I tried a lot to find it but I couldn't get it. That's the reason I want to register an F.I.R. with the police and so I am submitting a testimony of the fact's.

I testify that all the things written above are true and if found untrue, I am eligible to be prosecuted under XXXXXXXX act.

Place: (PLACE)

DTD: (DATE)

SIGNATURE


SIGNATURE OF THE WITNESS.
----------------------------------------------------------------

4) Then I got this signed and notarized by the Executive Magistrate, whose office happened to be nearby (At least in Mumbai, I believe that everything you need is usually nearby).

NOTE: EVEN THE ABOVE TASK AS NOT SO HARD, YOU WOULD BE POLITELY DIRECTED TO THE REQUIRED PLACE.

5) Then I made three photocopies of the testimony and submitted the original to the Police Inspector. He in turn registered the F.I.R and handed to me a letter confirming the same with all the relevant details along with his seal and stamp.

6) Contacted Nokia customer care and heard the bad news, which is as follows.

Unless you have some sort of tracking software installed on the phone, a phone cannot be tracked, even by Nokia itself.

So I reached a dead end, with mounting exam pressure and due to some of my own personal problems I had to stop there.

7) READ Avi's post and followed the instructions given in his post. You can read it at:


http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/57699-Different-ways-find-lost-stolen-mobile.aspx

PS: See the attachments for photo's of some of my documents


Attachments

Comments

Author: Vivek Ram Mhatre11 Jun 2009 Member Level: Gold   Points : 0

Here is the first page of the Stamp Paper

Author: Vivek Ram Mhatre11 Jun 2009 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

Here is the Second page of the Stamp Paper.

Remember the photos, only show a part of the document. I had to deliberately do this since I had a mobile camera.

Author: Sourav Jana14 Jun 2009 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

Hi Vivek,
Great and very well written article.
Your case study should prove useful for many people who lose their mobile and are confused about what to do.
Nice work. Keep it up.

Regards,
Sourav.

Author: RK16 Jun 2009 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

Hi Vivek Ram Mhatre,

Very useful and resourceful article. Thank you for sharing this information with all of us. Well done and keep on posting.

Regards,
RK

Author: any18 Jun 2009 Member Level: Silver   Points : 2

Yes my friend had a similar experience, he just come to united kingdom and he had no experience what we can do, I guided the similar proceedure. I given my phone to call to the service provider first to lock the SIM, then the customer service advice to inform police if he need a replacement phone. The telephone service provider need written complainet from police that he had lost his phone, so he gone to the police station and given a written complainet with that he approched telephone service provider and given another handset.

I feel most of the telephone companies follow the same rule if they want reissue another phone.

So keep your property safe and secure, once loose its difficult to get the same one, or another one.

With Best Regards
Any -always with IRC

Author: Vivek Ram Mhatre19 Jun 2009 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

Hey Any, your friend got his handset back! That's good!

I request you to write a resource about this in detail just as I did.

It would be a great read for everybody.

Author: any23 Jun 2009 Member Level: Silver   Points : 2

HI Vivek,

Thanks for the comment, unfortunately my friend haven't got the phone which he lost, but luckley he took insurance for the phone, and the insurance people paid money to the network to get another phone and sim card. But he lost that phone.

The insurance company need documents that you really lost the phone, because some of them intentionally do this, and try to get another phone. So to stop that insurance company will ask proof of claim from Police authority.

But the other things he lost all his contacts numbers which was stored in the phone, and message, picture, songs, and other applications.

I hope this will help others.

With regards,

Author: Aira25 Jun 2009 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

Well, I understand this experience would be a bad one but you know, one I lost my mobile phone too..I didn't get it..except that I had to buy a new one.

Author: any28 Jun 2009 Member Level: Silver   Points : 1

Hi Aira,

you had a bad luck that you lost your phone, and you haven't got it back. I think who got your mobile phone, they like it, that is why you didn't get it. or they stolen your phone. so careful when you buy next time.

All the best

With regards,
Any -always with IRC

Author: c.b.nithin prasath14 Aug 2009 Member Level: Silver   Points : 1

hi
it was a bad time for you.who take your phone is like that phone very much.take care on your mobile.

Author: sundaramahalingam12 Oct 2009 Member Level: Bronze   Points : 2

Thanks this is very helpful sharing about finding the missed cell phone. Now only i come to know about

a) Phone make and model.
b) The SIM that was being used.
c) Date and time on which, I thought the phone might have been lost.
d) The place where, I thought it might have been lost.
e) The occasion, i.e why I was there in the first place.
f) The IMEI number of the phone. (Should be present on the bill or in the box which shipped with the mobile).

Author: Yashodharman Dungarwal05 Jan 2010 Member Level: Bronze   Points : 1

Hi Vivek,

Very useful article. Thank you for sharing this information with all of us.

Regards,
yash

Author: Arvind Kuril30 Mar 2010 Member Level: Silver   Points : 1

I like this article and personal sharing.
Even I did the same thing when I lost my cell in Bandra.
It never came back but still I have satisfaction that I completed all the legal procedure to make aware many people.
Thanks Vivek!
Keep posting.
Arvind

Author: ashak21 Aug 2010 Member Level: Silver   Points : 2

Hi Vivek,
Now a days mobile phone missing it becomes very common .It may be in work tension or other reason what ever may be it happens .Because i had also similar experience previous i dont know how to find my phone for that time am confused i asked my friends what can i do some friends said give complaint other said no use to give complaint its time waste after nothing doing.I feel very bad .But now am very happy to see your article.It is very useful with all of us.Phone missing not only a simple think it missed lot of valuable information.You give clear procedure how to get mobile phone and Precautions.
Thanks for your experience sharing with all of us.

Regards,
ashak

Author: shaik firoz basha02 Oct 2010 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

My friends if we lost our mobile it is a bitter experience
We have a chances to recover our mobile phone if we purchase a mobile phone we have to write down its IMEI number safely in some place. Generally it is 16 digits, next minute from phone lost we have to call to customer care and tell the IMEI number to them they block your handset and can easily find the location of the theft mobile phone.If the robber try with another SIM it is no way if a phone blocked no Sim cannot work.
We have to press *#06# then after a serial number displayed on screen if not displayed it is not a original instrument.

Author: RAJESH.R03 Jun 2011 Member Level: Gold   Points : 1

Dear Sir,

Please compliant your operator to cancell your sim and give duplicate sim. Also give a compliant letter to cyber cell to attach your phone's IMEI number.


Regards

Rajesh.R



  • Do not include your name, "with regards" etc in the comment. Write detailed comment, relevant to the topic.
  • No HTML formatting and links to other web sites are allowed.
  • This is a strictly moderated site. Absolutely no spam allowed.
  • Name:
    Email: