1.52 Crore Mobile Numbers Blocked: Sanchar Saathi Powers India's Cyber Fraud Crackdown

The Modi Government’s Sanchar Saathi initiative has emerged as a key pillar in India’s expanding cyber security architecture, reflecting the scale of digital adoption and as a deterrent to the growing threat landscape. Even though a government order recommending pre-installation of the app sparked outrage during the last Parliament session, the app has since seen wide public adoption, recording over 20 crore portal hits and more than 2 crore downloads, positioning it as one of the government’s most widely used citizen-facing cyber safety tools.

“Sanchar Saathi has led to the blocking of 1.52 crore mobile connections linked to unauthorised or suspicious activity. A further 2 crore mobile numbers have been disconnected following verification processes.

The crackdown has extended to digital communication platforms as well, with 27 lakh WhatsApp accounts linked to fraudulent SIMs disconnected,” said Jyotiraditya Scindia, union minister for communications and development of north-eastern region, adding that Sanchar Saathi has been working as the strong and resilient firewall against cyber-frauds .

The minister was speaking at an event, organised by RSS linked magazine – Panchajanya. He further stated that the portal has recorded nearly 20 crore hits, while its mobile application has crossed 2 crore downloads, pointing to widespread public engagement with the platform designed to detect and block telecom-related fraud.

Cyber fraud detection has increasingly relied on backend intelligence systems such as another platform called ICORE, launched by the ministry, which integrates data from multiple agencies. “Around 1.35 crore spoofed calls used to be recorded from foreign callers and in which fraudsters disguise their caller identity. These called have been identified and neutralised. Through the app and along with the inputs from digital forensics and intelligence platforms have played a central role in mapping organised fraud networks operating across states and borders, and the numbers of spoofed calls has come down by almost 95 per cent,” he added.

A key feature of the evolving telecom framework is the use of Financial Fraud Risk Indicators (FFRIs), a platform initiated by the ministry. It helps banks and financial institutions flag high-risk transactions in real time. “Nearly 800–900 banks and financial entities along with investigating agencies of all the states are currently integrated into this ecosystem. The platform enables early alerts and coordinates action, reducing response time in cases of phishing, SIM swap fraud and identity theft,” he added.

Talking about the ministry’s order of Sanchar Saathi app being pre-installed and the debate around it, the minister said that the phones come with several pre-installed apps, and people are free to choose what to keep and what to get rid of. “However, following the debate, we let this idea of pre-installation go. There is a very thin line between privacy and public convenience. But if people do not want it pre-installed, it is fine with us. They can download and install as and when they require,” he said.

Together, these numbers illustrate the expanding interface between technology, security, and service delivery in an increasingly digital India.