Russian police have developed a special scanning device to track down stolen mobile phones. The instrument can pinpoint phone thieves among crowds or as they drive by on a busy road.

Police in Samara were the first to put the scanner to the test. They set up the device on a roadside, and directed it towards passing traffic. The serial and model numbers of passing phones were wirelessly captured and recorded, and compared to a database of phones reported stolen. Eight stolen phones were recovered in the operation.

The Samara police force judged the experiment such a success that they now plan on setting up the equipment in crowded urban areas to target phone thieves as they walk by.

The device works by capturing the unique IMEI (International mobile equipment identifier) number of phones in its range. It then consults police databases to establish if the number matches that of any phones reported missing or stolen.

According to police statistics, one in every five thefts in Russia is of a mobile phone. Easily resold and valuable – especially in Russia where jewel-studded handsets are a popular fashion accessory – mobile phones are targeted by petty thieves.

Police are optimistic that their new crime-fighting tool will help make phone theft a thing of the past.