LUCKNOW, Dec. 12 -- Madiaon police returned 72 long-lost mobile phones, some missing for years, to their owners on Thursday. "Using the CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) portal, the cyber team traced IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) signals across districts and even outside the state, stitching together a digital trail that eventually led each device back to its owner," said ADCP North Gopi Nath Soni. At the Mahanagar station, where the phones were handed over, one woman, who had lost her phone at a neighbourhood nursery, Rachna Singh, said, "I never thought something lost in minutes would come back after a month." Another recipient Aman Verma whose device was taken after someone asked him for a "quick call" at a traffic crossing, said, "It vanished 2 years ago. When police called this week, I genuinely thought it was a prank. Getting it back feels unbelievable." A college student who lost his phone near the IIM campus added, "I filed the complaint just to complete the formality. I didn't expect anything. This recovery changed my whole idea of what digital tracking can do." "If a device is active anywhere, even outside the district, we chase it down," the ADCP added....