ISLAMABAD: An unidentified vehicle hit and damaged a pole of the Safe City Islamabad Authority and escaped without leaving any trace, Dawn has learnt.

The incident caused damage worth Rs1.5 million to the authority, as the five cameras installed on the pole were completely destroyed.

A case has been registered at the Sangjani Police Station under sections 427 and 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Coordinator Safe City Islamabad Ahmed Hassan.

The pole with the cameras had been installed at the Sangjani Toll Plaza.

The incident came to light when officials at the authority’s building noticed that the cameras were offline.

Upon further checking, it was revealed that the cameras had been offline for the last three days, from November 29 at around 6:03am to December 2.

A technical team of the authority was sent to the site to inquire into the matter.

The team found the pole completely damaged along with the cameras, a box camera, and a speed radar.

Upon inquiry at the site, it was revealed that a dumper had hit the pole and fled. As a result, the monitoring equipment of the Safe City system was completely destroyed.

The Safe City Authority checked its monitoring system and reviewed footage from cameras installed near the site, as well as the footage from the damaged cameras, but found no trace of the accident or the dumper.

Later, the authority approached the Sangjani police and got a case registered with a request to trace the dumper along with its owner and driver.

It also sought legal proceedings to recover the losses so the damaged equipment can be repaired.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2025