MeitY, DoT and Sanchar Saathi: Who Controls What
Sanchar Saathi belongs to DoT, the IT Rules belong to MeitY, and 1930 belongs to MHA. Which ministry controls what, and which portal to use for each problem.
In short
- Sanchar Saathi is a Department of Telecommunications portal; it deals with numbers, SIMs and handsets, not with money.
- MeitY administers the IT Act, the IT Rules 2021 and section 69A blocking; it does not take individual complaints.
- A fraud where money moved goes to 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in, which sit with the Ministry of Home Affairs and I4C.
- Chakshu reports go to the telecom operator for re-verification or disconnection; they do not start a police case.
- Use all three channels for one incident; each ministry acts on a different part of the scam.
Who this is for: Anyone who has been told to "report it on Sanchar Saathi" and wants to know what that will and will not do, plus people confused about which ministry handles which complaint.
A scam call touches three ministries before it is over. The SIM that made the call sits with the Department of Telecommunications. The WhatsApp account or website it sent you to sits with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The money it took sits with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the banks. Sanchar Saathi is the first ministry's citizen portal, and knowing where it ends is the key to using it well.
This explainer sets out who controls what, with the practical consequence for a victim: which portal to open for which problem, and what each one cannot do. If you only remember one line, make it this: Sanchar Saathi deals with numbers, SIMs and handsets; cybercrime.gov.in and 1930 deal with the crime and the money.
What Sanchar Saathi is, and what DoT controls
The Department of Telecommunications licenses every telecom operator in India and sets the rules for issuing SIM cards, verifying subscribers and routing calls. Sanchar Saathi is its citizen-facing portal, and it bundles several services that each act on one piece of the telecom chain.
| Service | What it acts on | What happens after you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Chakshu | A fraud call, SMS or WhatsApp message you received | The number is sent for re-verification; failed re-verification leads to disconnection. Report within 30 days of receiving the message. |
| TAFCOP | Mobile connections issued against your identity | You see every SIM registered on your documents and can flag ones that are not yours for disconnection. |
| CEIR | A lost or stolen handset, identified by IMEI | The IMEI is blocked across all networks; it can be unblocked when the phone is recovered. |
| Know Your Mobile (KYM) | A handset you are about to buy | Tells you whether the IMEI is valid, blocked or already reported. |
| RICWIN | An international call that displayed an Indian number | The report helps operators trace spoofed routes; nothing is done to the number you saw, because it was faked. |
Behind the portal sits the Digital Intelligence Platform, through which DoT shares fraud-linked numbers and identities with operators, banks and I4C. Your Chakshu report contributes to that pool. The step-by-step guides for each service are in our posts on Chakshu, TAFCOP and CEIR.
What MeitY controls: the IT Act, the IT Rules and blocking
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology administers the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it. For a victim, three of its powers matter.
Platform duties under the IT Rules 2021
The IT Rules 2021 require every intermediary, from WhatsApp to a small marketplace, to publish a grievance officer, acknowledge complaints and act within set timelines, with shorter clocks for content that shows a person in a sexual act or impersonates them. A complaint that a platform ignores can be appealed to a Grievance Appellate Committee set up under the same Rules. MeitY writes and enforces the Rules; it does not take your individual complaint. Our guide to the content takedown process explains the clocks.
Blocking under section 69A
Websites, apps and accounts are blocked through orders under section 69A of the IT Act, which sit with MeitY and its designated officer. That is why a fake trading app disappears from the stores after a MeitY order, not after a police FIR. State police and I4C send blocking requests; MeitY issues them.
CERT-In
The national incident-response team, CERT-In, sits under MeitY. It handles phishing-site takedowns, advisories and the six-hour incident reporting rule for organisations. It does not handle a person's financial-fraud complaint.
What MHA and I4C control: the complaint and the money
The Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, runs the 1930 helpline, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the bank-freeze system known as CFCFRMS. Police, however, are a state subject. I4C routes your complaint; a state cyber cell investigates it; a magistrate orders any release of frozen money.
Scale. Between 2021 and 2025, more than 65.89 lakh financial-fraud complaints were registered on the national portal, reporting losses above ₹55,050 crore. (Source: MHA, Lok Sabha reply, 21 July 2026.) Those complaints flow through MHA's systems, not through Sanchar Saathi or MeitY.
One scam, three ministries: a worked example
A man in Jaipur gets a call from a number starting +91 that claims to be a courier company. He is passed to a "Mumbai cyber police officer" on WhatsApp video and transfers ₹3 lakh to a "verification account". Here is how the pieces split up.
- The money (MHA). He calls 1930. The complaint is pushed to his bank and the receiving bank through CFCFRMS. Whatever is still in the chain can be lien-marked. The Rajasthan cyber cell receives the case.
- The number and the SIM (DoT). He reports the calling number on Chakshu. If the call was international with a spoofed Indian number, RICWIN is the right tile. He checks TAFCOP in case his own documents were used for other SIMs.
- The WhatsApp account and the fake "arrest warrant" PDF (MeitY). He reports the account inside WhatsApp, and the cyber cell can ask for blocking through MeitY. If the scammers posted his photo anywhere, the platform's grievance officer under the IT Rules 2021 is the route.
None of these steps replaces another. The Department of Telecommunications cannot touch his bank; I4C cannot disconnect the SIM; MeitY cannot register an FIR. Doing all three in the right order is what a complete report looks like.
Where each ministry's power stops
| You want | Who can do it | Who cannot |
|---|---|---|
| Money frozen | Banks, triggered by 1930 / CFCFRMS (MHA) | DoT, MeitY, TRAI |
| A number disconnected | Telecom operator, via Chakshu (DoT) | I4C, police on their own |
| An app or site blocked | MeitY under section 69A | DoT, state police directly |
| A post or profile removed | Platform grievance officer; Grievance Appellate Committee | MeitY as a complaint desk |
| An FIR and investigation | State police under BNSS | Any ministry portal |
| Spam and telemarketing stopped | TRAI's DND and operator complaint channels | Chakshu (it is for fraud, not marketing) |
Three common mistakes
Reporting the number and stopping there. Chakshu protects others, not you. If your money moved, call 1930 first.
Writing to MeitY about a post. MeitY does not have a complaint window for individual content. The grievance officer of the platform is the legally required first stop, and the clock for the Grievance Appellate Committee starts from your complaint to them.
Assuming a disconnected number ends the case. Scam operations use SIMs in bulk and discard them. The disconnection is useful; it is not an investigation. Keep your portal acknowledgement and push the cyber cell for an FIR when the facts need one. If you want help drafting that FIR request and the follow-ups to the bank and platform, our FIR and complaints support does exactly that for a fixed fee.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sanchar Saathi the same as cybercrime.gov.in?
No. Sanchar Saathi is run by the Department of Telecommunications and acts on phone numbers, SIM cards and handsets. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal is run by I4C under the Ministry of Home Affairs and registers the crime itself. A scam that cost you money needs both, in that order, 1930 first.
Will a Chakshu report get my money back?
No. Chakshu leads to re-verification or disconnection of the number used to contact you. It protects the next target. Recovery depends on how quickly the 1930 complaint reaches the banks through CFCFRMS, and later on a court order. File both, and do not expect one to substitute for the other.
Who do I complain to if a platform will not remove content?
Start with the platform''s grievance officer, who is required under the IT Rules 2021 administered by MeitY. If there is no action within the timelines in the Rules, you can appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee. MeitY itself does not take individual complaints about posts or accounts.
Can DoT block a website or an app?
Not on its own. Blocking of websites and apps under section 69A of the IT Act is ordered through MeitY. DoT acts on the telecom side: SIMs, numbers, international calls that spoof Indian numbers, and handsets through CEIR. The two ministries coordinate, but the legal power sits in different places.
What is the Digital Intelligence Platform?
It is a DoT system that shares information between telecom operators, banks, I4C and other agencies about numbers and identities linked to fraud. A citizen does not use it directly. Reports from Chakshu, TAFCOP and bank complaints feed it, which is one reason reporting a scam call matters even when you lost nothing.
If you want help with this
- Legal support for FIRs and cyber complaints · The complaint is drafted, the sections are right and the police have no reason to send you away. FIR drafting, cyber cell complaints, escalation when nothing moves, and referral to a lawyer when it is time.
- Citizens' cyber safety session · training · A 90-minute session, in Hindi or English, that teaches any group to recognise the four moves of a scam and to hang up at move two.
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