The Sanchar Saathi portal, developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has surpassed 30 crore visits since its launch in May 2023, reflecting a sharp rise in public participation in the fight against telecom-enabled fraud and cybercrime, the Ministry of Communications announced on Monday, 5 October 2026. The milestone underscores the platform's rapid evolution from a niche government tool into one of India's most-used citizen-facing cybersecurity resources.

What Sanchar Saathi Does

The portal offers a suite of services that allow citizens to report suspected fraud calls, SMS messages, and WhatsApp communications, check mobile connections registered in their name, block lost or stolen handsets, and verify the authenticity of a mobile phone before purchase. According to the ministry, every report filed by a citizen generates actionable intelligence shared with telecom authorities, banks, and law enforcement agencies.

Chakshu: The Fraud Reporting Engine

A key feature of the portal is Chakshu, a dedicated module that allows users to flag suspicious communications — including fake KYC requests, fraudulent investment schemes, impersonation of government officials, and bogus job or loan offers. The ministry said Chakshu has received 12.80 lakh reports of suspected fraudulent communications, triggering action in nearly 59.82 lakh cases. This includes the disconnection of more than 50 lakh mobile connections linked to suspected fraud.

Stolen Handset Recovery and SIM Misuse

In the area of handset security, Sanchar Saathi has enabled users to block 60.96 lakh lost or stolen mobile phones across telecom networks. Of these, 37.85 lakh handsets have been traced and more than 14 lakh recovered through coordinated action between DoT, telecom service providers, and state police authorities. Separately, more than four crore citizen requests related to checking and reporting mobile connections have been resolved, helping curb the misuse of SIM cards obtained using stolen or fraudulent identities.

Financial Fraud Risk Intelligence

Data generated through citizen reports feeds into the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), a system that assesses the fraud risk associated with specific mobile numbers. This intelligence is shared via the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) with banks, payment service providers, telecom operators, and law enforcement agencies to strengthen fraud detection and flag suspicious transactions before they escalate. The ministry described participating citizens as 'Cyber Warriors', noting that their reports help identify fraudulent numbers, devices, and emerging scam patterns, allowing authorities to intervene proactively.

Why This Matters

Telecom-linked fraud — ranging from SIM swap scams to impersonation of government officials — has surged across India in recent years, with millions of citizens losing money to organised cybercrime networks. Sanchar Saathi represents one of the Centre's most concrete responses: a platform that converts citizen vigilance directly into law enforcement intelligence. This comes amid a broader government push to harden India's digital financial infrastructure, with the DoT, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increasingly coordinating on telecom fraud prevention. With over 30 crore visits logged in roughly 29 months, the platform's reach now rivals mainstream consumer apps — and the recovery of 14 lakh handsets demonstrates that the data being collected is translating into measurable outcomes. How this intelligence infrastructure scales as fraud tactics evolve will be the next critical test.