Thefts in Islamabad’s ‘secure’ zones raise questions over police vigilance

ISLAMABAD: A series of thefts in some of Islamabad’s most guarded areas, including the Diplomatic Enclave and G sector, has raised serious concerns over the city’s security measures and police vigilance.

In one incident, mobile phones and cash belonging to at least nine police officials were stolen from the barracks of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) inside the heavily guarded Diplomatic Enclave, located in the Red Zone. The area is considered one of the most secure parts of the capital, housing embassies and foreign missions.

According to a police report, the thieves entered the SPU barracks and stole multiple mobile phones, including a Tecno Spark 10-C worth Rs15,000, a Samsung A-14 worth Rs20,000, a Vivo Y-55 worth Rs25,000, a Vivo V-2043 worth Rs20,000, and two other Vivo phones valued at Rs30,000 and Rs20,000 each. Cash amounting to Rs26,000 was also taken.

The stolen belongings were owned by police officials identified as Mohammad Hayat, Mohammad Husnain, Azmat Khan, Naseer Ullah, Rozi Khan, Shafi Ullah, Imdad Ullah, Nasir and Mohammad Usman.

According to Dawn, a case has been registered at the Secretariat Police Station under Section 380 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) following a complaint lodged by Mohammad Usman.

In a separate incident, equipment belonging to the Islamabad Safe City Authority was stolen from the G-9/2 area, about one and a half kilometres from the Karachi Company Police Station. The theft came to light when a Safe City technician visited Street No. 11 and found the lock of a surveillance pole broken. Upon inspection, he discovered that a battery worth Rs35,000 had been stolen.

Adding to the string of incidents, burglars also targeted a police block in G-6, where household items and even a police uniform were stolen. The complaint, filed by Syed Hamza Ali, a resident of the CDA Flats in G-6/1-6, stated that he found the locks of his flat broken upon returning home.

Ali reported the matter through the police helpline, after which a team, including female officers, reached the scene. When they entered the flat, they found an unidentified woman inside, but she managed to flee. Later, Ali discovered that a laptop, washing machine, water dispenser, fan, gas cylinder, and his late father’s police uniform were missing.

The recent incidents have sparked questions about security lapses in the capital, particularly in areas that are meant to be under strict surveillance. Police have launched investigations into all three cases, but no arrests have been reported so far.