We have already discussed, in our earlier articles, what an IMEI number is?, how to check IMEI validity and find valid IMEI number for iPhone and other cellphones. In case you missed them, head over to this link. In this article we are going to deal with the procedure (only for Indian cellphone users) for finding/recovering lost or stolen mobile phone using IMEI number.
It doesn’t matter whether a mobile phone is expensive or not, it always hurts to lose one because in addition to losing the mobile phone you also loose the important contacts and data present in it. So if your lost or stolen mobile phone really matters for you then here’s how you can find/recover lost or stolen Mobile phone using IMEI number.
How To Find/Recover Lost, Stolen Mobile Phone Using IMEI number?
If you have lost your mobile or it has been stolen then here is a very simple and effective way to get it back. Simply send an e-mail to cop@vsnl.net with the following info.
Your name:
Address:
Phone model:
Make:
Last used No.:
E-mail for communication:
Missed date:
IMEI No.:
We can’t guarantee you that it will surely work for you but many Indian mobile users got back their device by mailing the required details to cop@vsnl.net.
So, we hope this will work for you. Please don’t forget to let us know in comments if you get your lost or stolen mobile back by following the above procedure.
Update: This method seems to be not working anymore, probably the service is discontinued, as many of our readers haven’t got any response from cop@vsnl.net.
[Ref]
Shahab khan is a Tech blogger from India & a founder of VirginTech. He blogs about Technology, internet, Social media, computer tips & tricks and Web 2.0. 
{ 118 comments… read them below or add one }
my phone got stolen few days back in my uni. It was nokia 5233 plzz help me if you can !
I have already mentioned the procedure above, please follow that!
i already emailed that but till now i didn’t got any response.
.
Sorry to say avez but I couldn’t do anything in this. I think they have discontinued their mobile recovering service now.
I have lost my mobile nokia 2600 . please help me to find it. Please tell a full proof method to search it.
Hey I have already sent You a mail. Please help me.
Hi Tushar,
The email has to be sent to the email address provided in the post above, not to me.
this is the correct IMEI NO.
Your name: Amarjeet Singh
Address: V.P.O bir pind, Nokoder , Dist. Jallandher , Punjab , India.
Phone model: 3500 classic
Make: Nokia
Last used No.: 9815416662
E-mail for communication: shonki.amar@gmail.com
Missed date: 26-07-2010
IMEI No.:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Amarjeet!
You’re supposed to send your details to this email address: cop@vsnl.net
Please don’t pass any information to me as i have nothing to do with all this information.
Hi
In case a mobile is lost and is switched off, is it still possible for service provider to locate it.
Hello Piyush,
No its not possible. Phone must be in a switched ON condition if its location has to be tracked.
Sir please help me it’s a request for you please.
No dear… it will show the last location where it its switched off.
so show me last location where it its switched off. plzz
Please contact your service provider to know where it was switched off last time.
My phone got stolen few day. it was nokia E-63 please help me..
I am send my all details on cop@vsnl.net
so plz sir help me..
Dear Sir ,
I have lost my cell phone,however I know the IMEI number and also the SIM it is being used on right now as mobile tracker was activated on the mobile and I received and auto message .
Can I expect to recover the lost phone .
Regards
Allya
Hello Allya!
Thanks for dropping by! Its good that you had a mobile tracker activated on your mobile phone, it will let you know the location of your mobile which will certainly help you in its tracking. Btw the better way to find out your mobile would be to file a police complaint.
Go for it .I hope it will help you.
Dear Sir ,
Thanks for your revert , auto message I have received simply states “Keep this message : IMEI Number : XXXXXX” from +91XXXXXXXXXX.
It doesnt give the location , i have contacted the service provider of the pilferer but they have refused divulging address of the pilferer,saying it is against their policy .
Police compliant has been already lodged with adequate details,but to no solution .
Regarding blocking of phone with IMEI number the manufacturer of the phone simply refused that saying it cannot be done .
Please help ,if the phone cannot be retrieved at least I should have the liberty to block it
Should I send an email to cop@vsnl.net
Regards
Allya
I think you should inform the police about this auto message that you’ve got. Tell them that, with the help of your mobile tracker, you’ve got the IMEI and the phone number currently in use with your mobile. I hope when they will inquire about this, they will reach out to the pilferer’s address.
If you are from india then you can send the email to cop@vsnl.net too.
i have lost my i-phone. I know my IMEI no. My phone has GPS installed. Will that help to locate who is using it with another sim card?I cant use mobileme as i didnt install it on my phone previously.
Dear Sir,
I’m C.Srinivasan from Chennai. I am doing Business. My office mobile was stolen by some body. My phone’s Model no is – GT-B3210, Even i give a police compliant but there is no response. I request you to please track the mobile. Please take the necessary actions to prevent the misuse.
Please help me sir.
sir mynokia two phone s one model N79 with sim no 9848564564 idea company second phone with sim number 9849313170 airtel company were stolen by home lady servent this happend on 21-10-2010 @ 4 pm so for no complent submitted by me to the police station some are tell me to see on internet with imei number at present which company sims used in phones stolen from my home so i may guide@help me to recover the same from the persons nowuseing i have taken new sims from company @the sims in phones are locked please help me how to recover the stolen phones thanks for you
Hello Kaleemullah ,
Sorry i can’t help you with this.You have to do what i have explained in the post above. Also make sure you contact your service provider and tell them about your lost phones. If you’re india its very unlikely that they will help you with this but you may give it a try.
sir,
i lost my cell phone with a reliance gsm pepaid card with no..+919595296377 today around 16 hours….the cel is still on and ringing bt no one is answering…its model no is samsung GT5620..
Please help me to gt back the phone…or suggest me some ways to get it…i called the customer care executive bt they could not hlp me…ur my last hope..please help me.
Hello aakash,
Since the ring is going to your cell when you call it I would suggest you to call your customer care and ask them about the location of your phone. Since you are the owner of this phone they will definitely let you know about it. I hope atleast they can tell you where this phone is being used currently. So this might help you a bit.
hey please ,can anyone help me in finding my phone..? ..i need dat cel ..please help me..i lost my nokia 5233
Dear Sir ,
My mobile will be lost on 3/11/2010 plz will you help me how i mail to copy@vsnl.net when i will open this site he cannot be opened how i opened plz help me
I have lost my Motorola Milestone A853. I have the IMEI no. So can you tell me how to trace it?
My mobile nokia c5 is stolen ,it have gps active, can i recover my mobile, my email address is brakeshvishwakarma@gmail.com which is in my mobile please reply
lost my samsung mobile
Your name: Santosh Manglekar
Address: 15/690, Kalanagar, ICHALKARANJI 416115
Phone model:W259 (M-Duo)
Make:2010
Last used No.:04.11.2010
E-mail for communication: msan7781@gmail.com
Missed date:04.11.2010
battery No: saa1z722s/4-b
can u help those of us in nigeria to block our lost phones if we know our imei number, pls reply, its urgent.
I have message you the details as per the requirement on cop@vsnl.net.I have many important things in my cell so i need it urgently i hope you reply to me asap.
I have lost my samsung c3010s. I have the IMEI no. So can you tell me how to trace it?
my mobile was stolen in thailand 2 days ago….
can someone help
Hi! I Am vishal i lost my sony ericsson mobile ,i just wanted to know that if the mobile is switched off is it possibly to trace the phone using IMEI.
Hi Vishal,
Once the phone is switched off then cellphone tracing through IMEI is not possible.
cop@vsnl.net is not working , Massage delivery failed ……….
Why is it when i google/yahoo “lodt/stolen” phone all websites are ONLY INDIAN??????????????????? My phone was stolen in thailand and i cant block it. All websites are only for Indians and are full of bad links to advertising…….. WHY????
my 2 mobile nokia N73 and nokia E63 got stolen on 7-11-2010 so plz help me to find it and tell me which no.is currently use on both mobile
Hi Sayed!
I am sorry to say that i couldn’t help you in this regard. But please always keep one thing in mind that don’t ever post your phone’s IMEI number publcily anywhere.
It is supposed to be kept secret!
hi, jus asking y imei numbr cant be published publicly? wats d prblm in revealin it/ writing it down on a website? infact i have done it too. pls reply me d adverse effects of doin so.
my phone nokia 2690 lost on date 02-12-10 plz check by imei
my iphone was stolen.s there a way to track/trace it?tnx
hi,
can you find the stolen phones in countries other than India?
Thanks
Hi chris,
Let me clarify a bit. Sorry to say but we have not said anywhere that we use to find the lost/stolen phones in india or in any other countries. All we have written about is the means by which you may recover your lost/stolen phone.
Thanks
Hi Shahab,
I understood from the start this. My question was: should I send this info if I haven’t lost my phone in India? or what are the countries for which this method might work? (are the european countries included?)
Thanks
Hi chris,
You should not send this info if your phone is misplaced in a country other than India. Sorry to say chris, this method works for Indian customers only.
Please how can i setup this type of service in my country Nigeria. I really need to do this because phones and laptops are the number one stolen items in nigeria right now
I am sorry marshall. I can’t help you with that.
i have lost my phone ,and i also mailed u details of my phone plz kindly help me sir
hello sir,
i lost my cell phone on 23th DEC,2010 ,and i need your help to find out my cell phone … please help me out to find out my cell phone
thank you
sujit pandhare
hhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
plz any1 can help me to find my phone as i have my photographs in it n need it back
lost mine , it had my everything in it, emailed at the email id mentioned , but is it really possible in India , looks like a dream to me , has anyone got the cellphone back? by mailing to cops @ vsnl
Hi,
I lost my Nokia 5800 mobile on sept 25th 2010. I logged a complaint immediately.
I had also sent the details required to cop@vsnl.net .
But till today i have not got any response from anyone. I keep checking with police they too don’t have any information on my lost mobile.
Please suggest me is there anything i can do to get back my moble.
Thanks.
Not a single report that their phone is recovered?
My sister lost her phone… pointless mailing the details to cops?
My mobile has stolen its model is Nokia E63 Please help me to find out.
please help me to find .
Please tell us mobile name and nubers which are have mobile tracker
thanks
I lost my Nokia mobile and I have sent an e-mail to cops@vsnl.net.. if they are not able to help then is there any way to get it back or track…
hi sir,, i already send e mail to this address cop@vsnl.net .. is it possible to recover my cellphone that i lost 3 mos ago.. i cant contact my service provider can you help me contact it,, how many days should i wait for the confrmation,,thank you
Dear sir,
My mobile was stolen, how to locate it, it had important details.
So, can u plz help me to get it back, whenever i call its swittched off
Mobile: 09441583779
Thanking you
pleas Recover Lost, Stolen Mobile Phone Using IMEI number. or send me the present person using phone number in that imei number. Pleas do this help to me sir as early as possible.
When the phone is in the switched off then cellphone tracing through IMEI is not possible.
my iphone was stolen.s there a way to track/trace it?tnx using the imei number
how do i block my sony ericsson xperia x10 mini using imei number …..plz reply shahab!!!!
is there anyone who got his mobile back through it?
i hv send E-mail on cop@vsnl.net. but i got failure msg
I lost my Nokia 5130c mobile on april 01, 2011.
Please help me to find out.
And i need your help to block my cellphone.
Thanks..
I Lost My mobile
I forward follwing details
Your name:
Address:
Phone model:
Make:
Last used No.:
E-mail for communication:
Missed date:
IMEI No.:
to cop@vsnl.net
but mail delivery failed
kindly sugeest
This report relates to a message you sent with the following header fields: Message-id: Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:10:26 +0530From: Sandesh Wagh To: cop@vsnl.netSubject: Application for Stolen Mobile Your message cannot be delivered to the following recipients: Recipient address: @store1.internal.vsnl.net.lmtp:cop@lmtpcs-daemonOriginal address: cop@vsnl.netReason: LMTP transmission failure has occurredDiagnostic code: lmtp;550 5.2.2 Delivery failed: Over quotaRemote system: dns;store1.internal.vsnl.net (mail1.internal.vsnl.net — Server LMTP [Sun ONE Messaging Server 6.2-6.01 [built Apr 3 2006]])
Hi,
My nokia c3 was stolen yesterday, so if i e- mail it to your web, will it work in bangladesh?
i lost my samsung galaxy ace on 23rd april 2011 and so please help me to get it back.
i lost my LG SET MODEL GX 300 TWO DAY BACK. HOW CAN RECOVER IT
Dear sir,
My Samsung Wave s5333 was stolen on 06/05/2011. I have already submitted the required details to the above mentioned id. What should I do further? Pls help me to find my mobile its really urgent.
i have lost my mobile nokia E-63 so plz help me to find it, n tell me the procedure of finding a mobile
sir i sent the mail on cop@vsnl.net…. i lost my mob and it is very expensive i also lost my all contacts. i also make the complaint in police.. plz sir help me in finding it
i sent an email to cop@vsnl.net wid all the information you told to write..but the delivery failed. I even tried it using my other email id’s but it didn’t worked, please check out what is the problem and let me know on my email id-crumy.faisal@gmail.com. I badly want my mobile back.
Thank u in advance
I have lost my Sony Ericsson Setio phone, i know the IMEI #, it has wi-fi and GPS, I am in Delhi…how do i start procedure to trace/track it or to get it back
my phone snatched tomorrow at paschim vihar ,cops said to submit an application only i have mailed the details is there method to find the imei no. the mobile tracker is on but the idea did not provide me the location as phone no. is not on my name. what if i got the new using number did the cop help me
or there is some other way around
I lost my Nokia 5233 mobile on april 01, 2011.
Please help me to find out.
And i need your help to block my cellphone.
Thanks..
email is shantidas35@yahoo.in
thanks for the information.Let my try If I Can?
plz plz help me 2 find ot my mobile its an samsung corby pro i hav sent an al details 2 cop@vsnl.net nd waited for 3 days i didn’t receive any mail yet
What a funny sugestion. Do you expect some govt / psu officer to respond to your mails in INDIA ??
Next to impossible.
Dear sir,
I have lost my mobile within 5 days. can u plz help me. i already marked mail to cop@vsnl.net.
And have been filed police complaint.
i lost my sony ericsson phone W350 , please help me retreive it back . I already sent you an e-mail .
Hello sir,
My samsung monte s5620 got stolen yesterday. I am requesting you to make a trace on it and i have already sent you an email regarding this. Hope you will do something about it.
Hey I have already sent You a mail. my lost mobil nokia 5800 Please help me
Should i pay for cop@vsnl for the mobile recovery…. And is it safe to give my mobile number to them…. Please help me….
@vichu No ..no need to pay cop@vsnl at all. After reading many comments above I think they don’t recover cellphones nowadays which they did some years back (as reported by Indian national newspaper ‘The hindu’).
friends,
Can u help me to find out my cell….it stolen yesterday..but i dont want to complaint in police station..is it possible to get back my mobile through IMEI number without giving complaint to police.
I have lost my mobile in chowk.Sasung wave 575 .
hye everybody… you all get back your missing phone..?? if get it, i want try,, i also missing my phone..sony x10.. everybody can help me to find it..?? i need the phone…
Sir,
I have lost mobile and as per above procedure I have sent my details with my lost mobile’s IMEI no.
Many complaints with their request to find out and handover their mobile. But the stealers dont know the difficult times faced by the mobile owners. Very valuable photographs addresses and other contacts.A request: Take the mobilesif you want atleast return the sim and memory cards-they are really valuable more than the instrumlent.
does this work in pakistan?
is this a trustworthy method???
because only complaints are in the comments and no one has written that they got back their phones
Hi Shubhranshu,
The method at present seems to be not working, and this has been mentioned in the end of the article in the form of an update. However, this method was indeed a trustworthy one as it was mentioned in one of the Indian national newspaper’s article.
I’ve mailed the details to the above mentioned email but till now i haven’t got any response.
I have lost my mobile nokia 5233 in 3 days. Can u please help me retreive it back.
hey sir, i will be grateful on your help for recovering my stolen mobile phone.
i have already sent you the required details on the above mentioned email id
i have lost my mobile. if i send message to vsnl cops, within how many days they will find the mobile or its location
Hello sir can u help me i lost my mobile nokia 5800 x press music on 3/9/2011 i have send my details to cop@vsnl.net. i have complaint in police station.
sir i already sent my cell details to your email address .you didnot give any response for my mail.please sir find my cell location.
hello sir
i’ve lost my mobile 2days back.i’ve followed the method explained above to track the mobile.
but when i sent details to the i.d “cop@vsnl.net” , it failed showing a message :delivery to the recipient has been failed permanently.
is their any other email i.d to contact.??
please help………………
Hi I have lost my mobile LG-GX200 (Dual Sim) on 23rd August 2011. I have sen a mail to “cop@vsnl.net” with the required information. Though the cost of mobile is less, many important contacts are there in the mobile. So,Please help me in finding the mobile. I am very very thankful if you find it…
Brothers/Sisters !
What you are doing is stupid – its useless to request or send mails to recover stolen mobiles this way. At least as far as India is concerned, there is no complete solution to recover a stolen phone, but we have some work around procedures.
1. Always have your handset IMEI ready stored (Just dial *#06#).
2. Report the stolen mobile with local police and get an FIR done.
3. Take the acknowledgement from Police (FIR copy or whatever) to the Mobile Operator’s customer service center and request them to get your SIM card barred. This is just to prevent any probable misuse of your SIM card.
4.Pray that police tracks down the ‘bloody fool’ who stole your mobile and you receive back your mobile
Now let’s be more serious. Being an insider of Telecom Switches, let me add the following as well.
From the Opertor point of view, we can blacklist or track any reported IMEI. This is possible even if the SIM is replaced with another one from the same operator. But what happens if the handset was having an Airtel SIM while being stolen and the ‘Stupid idiot’ replaced it with a Vodafone??? We cannot track the mobile in such a case at Airtel side; but would have to run to the Vodafone Zoozoos for tracking our mobile. Hence this becomes practically impossible for the poor subscriber.
Best Idea : Keep your mobile safe, as there is a very low probability to get it back once stolen
All the best !!!
Please anyone help me.. i have also lost my Samsung Galaxy S cell phone yesterday.. it was very expensive u know. So, if anyone knows how to track our mobile using imei number then please let me know! Thanks
Hi sir,
I wanna ask u that is it possible to trace a mobile (knowing its IMEI no.)
even without any sim card installed in it.
PLZ reply A.S.A.P
Mr.Shahab..
My dad lost his mob phone today.. he saved many important business contacts it that..plz help me to find out..i send an mail to copy@vsnl.net..Please help soon
I have already send mail regarding my missing N95 can you please give solution for the same as soon as possible.
is this still working? pls help me..
Lost my mobile. Sent a mail with details to cop@vsnl.net but no help.
R u sure by sending mail to above mentioned address will help.
hello sir i send mail to cop@vsnl.net but i didnt got any reply pls help me pls
Are you fake? Because I read that no one is getting a reply, I havent seen a satisfied costumer, so I’m thinking that you’re doing something with this information other than helping us..
Not true? Prove me wrong.
Hi jennifer,
This thing worked for some people in the past. Even the national newspaper “the Hindu” mentioned about it (Check the reference link at the end of the article). However for now its not working and I have updated the article regarding that as well. Also i must mention I asked people to send the their phone details to cop@vsnl.net, not to my email address. So there is no point of any sort of data misuse.
I hope this makes sense to you.
Hi
i sent all that information that we have to send but not last used no.
what else i should to do?
thank you!!
you have told that “Once the phone is switched off then cellphone tracing through IMEI is not possible.”
is it possible to trace lost phone if the phone is on but with someother sim
hey can you track my handphone lost in malaysia?
I just came to know that cop@vsnl.net was once a functional email id owned by the chennai police it may be still functional but it is not effective on all over india basis.
This vsnl@cop is fully waste formula it’s not working .
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