New Delhi: Mobile phone users in the National Capital Region may find it easier to track their stolen or lost devices.Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a web portal on Monday that helps to trace and block stolen or lost mobile phones for residents of the region. The initiative will help as many as 50 million mobile subscribers in Delhi and its satellite cities.Prasad told reporters safety and security of phones are crucial, given the country’s technological strides and digital prowess.“While we make optimum use of technology for development, there are equally smart criminals who abuse technology for their own ends,” Prasad said.Department of Telecommunications secretary Anshu Prakash said the Delhi circle has a mobile connection density of 242%. He said with the new initiative, developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), a system would be in place to block missing phones.Citizens can register their request on https://ceir.gov.in/ along with a copy of the FIR and address proof to block the IMEI number of their lost/stolen device. The request ID can be used to track the status of the request and unblock the IMEI number later.The department has been working on the Central Equipment Identity Register for more than two years and with the new initiative, a database of IMEIs (International Mobile Equipment Identity), the 15-digit number that uniquely identifies mobile devices, would be maintained. IMEI number is written on a mobile device’s box or the bill/invoice. It can also be found on the Know Your Mobile app.The programme, according to the official, would be launched nationwide over time.“Tampering of IMEI was become a punishable offence in 2015. The initiative will enable blocking of stolen numbers on all networks,” Delhi’s Lieutenant Government Anil Baijal said.