KARACHI: Police on Thursday recovered a missing distribution box belonging to Karachi’s Safe City Project that had reportedly been stolen from Clifton’s Seaview area earlier this month.
According to South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza, the non-functional distribution box was taken from a pole site near Sea Rock Apartments on November 6 and later found abandoned at a nearby plot.
“This was a non-energised, non-operational pole site. The distribution box has now been recovered,” the DIG confirmed, adding that police are developing a coordinated strategy with the Sindh Safe City Authority to prevent similar incidents.
Citing witness accounts, DIG Raza said a vehicle equipped with a crane was seen working on the pole hours before the theft.
“Some switches and a battery were found missing. The box had been installed at a considerable height, making it difficult for one person to remove,” he said, noting that the cameras attached to the site were not operational.
The officer described the locality as a “completely blacked-out area” lacking both street lights and private CCTV coverage. He said letters had been sent to the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to address the issue but without response.
Earlier, Director General Safe City Project Karachi Asif Ijaz Sheikh had confirmed the theft, saying it caused connected surveillance and e-challan cameras to stop functioning.
He said the stolen box contained equipment worth millions of rupees and termed the incident “deeply concerning,” emphasizing the need for stronger safeguards around Karachi’s surveillance infrastructure.
The first phase of the Karachi Safe City Project, launched on May 31, 2024, deployed 891 surveillance cameras across the city. Last month, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah approved its expansion to high-risk areas, including Defence, South, East, and Malir districts.
