ISLAMABAD: Thieves stole communication cables of police offices in the Diplomatic Enclave.

A senior police officer told Dawn that frequent thefts in the heavily guarded area had exposed the security arrangements of the police.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Security), Senior Superintendent of Police (Security) and Superintendent of Police Diplomatic Enclave are responsible for the security measures in the Red Zone, he added.

The theft of the National Telecom Corporation (NTC)‘s copper cables came to light after the SSP security’s three office telephone lines turned dead, the police said.

Later, the landlines of all the senior security officers, including the SSP security, DSP VVIP route, DSP headquarters, administration block, tiger blocks, security branch and the entry sections of the Diplomatic Enclave, were also found dead.

An operator to the SSP security complained to the assistant divisional engineer Prime Minister House about the issue, the officer said.

In response, an engineer along with a technician visited the field area to inquire about the fault and found 50 pairs of telephone underground copper cable stolen near the tiger block police offices inside the Diplomatic Enclave.

Shortly, the matter was brought in the knowledge of the high-ups of the NTC and senior police officers, he said.

Another police officer said that the concerned officers took the theft seriously as it exposed the loophole in the security.

A case was registered at the Secretariat police station against unidentified persons in response to a complaint lodged by the engineer.

The FIR stated: “The theft activity here took place many times which have been already intimated to PS Secretariat in written form, but problem still exists.”

No police spokesman could be contacted for comments on the theft inside the heavily guarded Diplomatic Enclave.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2023