A non-functional distribution box for Safe City cameras near Sea Rock Apartments in Karachi’s Clifton area was recovered on Thursday after being reported stolen earlier this month, police confirmed. The theft was initially reported to local authorities on November 6 from a non-energised, non-operational pole site, according to South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza. The box was later found at a nearby plot.
DIG Raza noted that the distribution box had been installed at a considerable height, making it unlikely for a single person to remove it. He added that the cameras connected to the box were not operational at the time of the theft. Witnesses, including a staff member from a nearby hotel, reported seeing a vehicle with a crane at the site hours before the box was stolen. Some switches and the battery were missing when the box was recovered.
The officer described the area around Sea Rock Apartments as largely unlit and without private CCTV coverage, limiting visibility and complicating identification of suspects. DIG Raza highlighted that only one camera at Sea Rock Apartments provided partial coverage of the parking area. Despite requests to the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) for streetlight installation, no action had been taken. He also mentioned that no alarm system was installed at the non-operational pole, which made it difficult to determine when the box was removed. Police continue to investigate the incident in coordination with the Sindh Safe City Authority and are developing strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The theft underscores security challenges even as the Karachi Safe City Project, launched on May 31, 2024, aims to enhance public safety. In its first phase, 891 surveillance cameras were deployed across Karachi. Last month, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved an expansion of the project to cover additional high-risk commercial and residential areas, including DHA and the South, East, and Malir districts.
