DoT Disconnects 5 Crore Fraudulent Mobile Connections and Recovers 12 Lakh Stolen Phones

HYDERABAD — The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on Monday, July 13, 2026, that it has disconnected more than five crore fraudulent mobile connections and prevented over ₹1,800 crore in cyber frauds over the past two years. The announcement was made during a security conference organized by the DoT’s Andhra Pradesh Licensed Service Area (AP LSA) unit in Hyderabad, where officials also revealed the recovery of over 12 lakh lost and stolen mobile phones.

The security conference in Hyderabad brought together senior officials from multiple key departments, including the Hyderabad Police, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau, the CID, the Reserve Bank of India, the State Bank of India, and various telecom service providers.

During the event, Director General (Telecom) Anand Khare highlighted that the milestones achieved reflect the department’s dedicated efforts to curb the misuse of telecom networks and prevent cyber-enabled financial fraud. Khare emphasized the necessity of continued, close coordination between government agencies, financial institutions, and telecom operators to sustain these security measures.

In addition to national statistics, the AP LSA unit reported significant local success, having busted 11 illegal telecom and cybercrime setups during 2025-26. The local unit also successfully recovered approximately 2.04 lakh lost and stolen mobile phones, marking the highest recovery rate by any licensed service area in the country.

To further bolster anti-fraud operations, Anand Khare inaugurated a new Network Security Laboratory at the DoT AP LSA office in Hyderabad on the sidelines of the conference. According to the department, this is the first such facility established within the DoT.

The prevention of over ₹1,800 crore in financial fraud was achieved through the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) framework over the past two years.