Refurbished electronics platform Grest has partnered with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), under the ministry of Communications, to integrate with the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) verification system (IVS) as part of the government’s Sanchar Saathi initiative.
With this integration, Grest has become the first private-sector company to go live on the platform, enabling real-time verification of device authenticity against the government’s central IMEI database. C-DOT has also issued a formal certificate of recognition to Grest, dated June 3, 2026, acknowledging the integration.
The development comes amid growing concerns over device theft and fraud in India. According to government estimates, around 50,000 mobile phones are stolen every month in the country. The Press Information Bureau has reported that the Sanchar Saathi portal has blocked more than 4.2 million devices since its launch, while authorities have separately blocked over 620,000 IMEIs linked to cyber fraud.
The ministry of Communications has highlighted that stolen and blacklisted devices are frequently resold in the secondary market, exposing buyers to legal and financial risks. The IVS integration is intended to address this challenge by enabling verification of device authenticity before transactions are completed.
India’s refurbished electronics market has expanded rapidly in recent years, but issues related to standardisation and consumer trust continue to pose challenges. Device authenticity, in particular, has remained difficult to verify due to the absence of a centralised source of information.
Through the IVS integration, Grest will now be able to verify devices against a government-maintained IMEI database, providing an additional layer of assurance for buyers and sellers on its platform.
