Rohit found ₹1.2 lakh he didn't know existed. You could too.

You could be sitting on lost mutual fund wealth and not even know it. SEBI’s new tool is helping investors uncover surprise windfalls.

Rohit, 42, had invested in a tax-saving mutual fund back in 2007 but switched jobs and lost track. Over the years, he moved cities, changed email IDs and forgot about the fund altogether. In early 2025, he stumbled upon SEBI's new MITRA platform and decided to give it a shot. To his surprise, the portal helped him recover Rs 1.2 lakh, money he didn’t even remember he had.

His story isn’t unique.

Thanks to SEBI’s new tool called MITRA, it’s now easier than ever to trace and recover forgotten or unclaimed mutual fund investments. And for a lot of investors like Rohit, it’s unlocking a surprising pool of wealth.

Why investors lose track of mutual funds

Many mutual fund folios become inactive due to:

• KYC issues: missing PAN, outdated address or email
• Absence of transactions for 10+ years
• Changes in contact details over time
• Even the death of the investor, leaving folios unclaimed by heirs

SEBI estimates that lakhs of such folios remain inactive across fund houses, each potentially containing thousands of rupees. Until now, tracking these meant contacting individual fund houses, a tedious and sometimes impossible task.

Enter MITRA: Your one-stop recovery portal

Earlier this year, SEBI launched MITRA (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing & Retrieval Assistant), a single-search system.

Why can MITRA be your friend in need?

• It consolidates data from multiple fund houses in one place.
• It lets us search for lost and forgotten funds, starting with your PAN, name, mobile number, email and folio number.
• The platform encourages nominees and legal heirs to reclaim funds from deceased investors

How MITRA works

1. Log into MITRA via MF Central.
2. Search for the lost fund investment by entering at least one of the following details:
   • PAN
   • Email (linked to the investment)
   • Mobile number (linked to the investment)
   • Folio number

Even if you don’t remember the folio number, PAN and the name is a good starting point.

1. If you find an inactive folio, follow the instructions:
   • Update or complete your KYC
   • Submit missing docs (ID proofs, cancelled cheque, etc.)
   • If you’re a nominee, provide a death certificate and succession proof
2. The RTA (Registrar and Transfer Agents provide administrative support) or the fund house processes your claim and credits the amount within days or a few weeks.

What you should do right now

You should ensure your current mutual fund investments remain easily traceable. To do so, here are a few steps you can take:

1. Search for your folios
Visit MF Central or your AMC site and run a MITRA search using your PAN.

2. Keep your KYC updated
Ensure your email, phone and PAN are current. MITRA flags outdated information. So, get it sorted to avoid missing out.

3. Help your heirs
Talk with family: nominate successors, store documents together and teach your loved ones how to use MITRA.

4. Consolidate your portfolio
If MITRA reveals scattered folios, consider consolidating them into fewer funds for easier tracking.

5. Use Consolidated Account Statements (CAS)
Your CAS (sent monthly) lists all your holdings across fund houses under one PAN. Audit it regularly.

A wake‑up call for smart investors

MITRA shows us two things:

1. Lost money isn’t lost forever. It just needs the right tech to find it.
2. Managing personal finances isn’t just SIP discipline. It’s also about streamlining and monitoring holdings.

Our take

At Value Research, we’ve always emphasised simplicity and visibility in investing. MITRA reinforces that good investing isn’t just about picking the right fund, it’s also about staying on top of your folios, keeping your records clean and ensuring your loved ones can access what’s theirs.

Want to simplify and strengthen your portfolio? Head to Value Research Fund Advisor — get expert-recommended funds and a deep analysis of your current investments, all in one place.

Also read: How to find your unclaimed and forgotten mutual funds

This article was originally published on July 07, 2025.