A non-functional distribution box of Safe City cameras installed near a residential apartment in Karachi’s posh Clifton area was found on Thursday after reportedly being stolen, police said.

“This was a non-energised/non-operational pole site near Sea Rock Apartments at Seaview, where the theft of a distribution box was reported to local police on November 6,” South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.

Later, the DIG confirmed, “The distribution box has been recovered from a nearby plot.”

He asserted that the police were “developing a strategy in coordination with Sindh Safe City Authority to prevent such incidents in future”.

Quoting a staff member from a nearby hotel earlier today, the South police chief said, “A vehicle with a crane was witnessed working on the pole hours before the theft was reported.

“Since then, a few switches and the battery are missing,” the DIG added.

The officer said the distribution box was installed at an “extreme height”, adding that it would not have been possible for one person to steal it. He noted that the cameras were also not functional.

DIG Raza observed that the locality was a “completely blacked out area” and there were neither street lights nor any CCTVs installed by private restaurants.

“Only a single camera installed at Sea Rock Apartments is available, which offers a limited coverage of the parking area,” he said, adding that the police had written letters to the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to install street lights in the area to no avail.

According to DIG Raza, there was no alarm system installed at the “non-operational” pole, which made it difficult to ascertain when the distribution box was removed. Further investigation of the matter was under way, he said.

The first phase of the Karachi Safe City Project, aimed at enhancing public safety and security, was launched on May 31, 2024. Under that phase, 891 surveillance cameras had been deployed across Karachi.

Last month, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved the expansion of the project to more high-risk commercial and residential areas of Karachi, including the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and the districts of South, East, and Malir.