Theft of a News Channel’s Satellite Van Security Companies Have Become a Security Risk

On Friday morning, October 23, I heard some startling news that a private television channel’s DSNG (Digital Satellite News Gathering) van had been stolen from outside its office, and the security guard assigned to protect the premises had disappeared. When an attempt was made to trace the vehicle through its tracking device, it was discovered that the thieves had rendered the tracker useless.

News teams are accustomed to having the windows of their DSNG vans smashed and their equipment damaged during protests, demonstrations, clashes and rallies organised by political and religious parties. In such situations, these very teams often risk their lives to protect their DSNG vans and broadcasting equipment. However, the theft of an intact DSNG van was not only astonishing but also alarming.

A DSNG van is a moving advertisement for a television channel. It can often reach even the most sensitive locations without undergoing the kind of security checks that ordinary vehicles might face. Its theft was therefore a matter of grave concern. There were fears that the stolen vehicle could be used in a terrorist attack, particularly given the worrying security situation in the country.

The theft

The theft of the DSNG van, allegedly involving the very security guards entrusted with its protection, set the police, Rangers and intelligence agencies scrambling. Security agencies in Karachi had already been on high alert for some time amid fears of an untoward incident.

Rangers intercept the suspects

By Friday afternoon, however, news emerged that Pakistan Rangers personnel had intercepted the DSNG van at the bridge near Native Jetty in the Keamari area. They arrested Abdul Razzaq, the security guard accused of stealing the vehicle, while his alleged accomplice, Bahadur Chandio, managed to escape.

Before their interception, the two suspects had reportedly driven the DSNG van to the National Highway and subsequently brought it back towards DHA. Yet, despite receiving information about the incident, the police—who are notorious for issuing one traffic challan after another and generating substantial revenue—apparently failed to spot a DSNG van belonging to a prominent news channel, with the channel’s name prominently displayed in large letters on its side.

Credit is due to Pakistan Rangers Sindh, whose physical blockade helped thwart what could potentially have developed into a terrorist incident. The Rangers undoubtedly deserve appreciation for their prompt response and swift action.

However, before the suspects were caught, they had reportedly sold the van’s air-conditioning unit, generator and other important components in the Defence and Keamari areas. A small cylinder and an oxygen cylinder were recovered from the vehicle. According to reports, one of its doors had also been sealed. Karachi’s much-vaunted police force is now investigating the case.

The security company

The most important aspect of this serious incident concerns the private security company involved. For now, one of the suspects, Abdul Razzaq, has been identified as an employee of a private security company. The company had deployed him outside a news channel’s office, entrusting him with the responsibility of protecting the premises. The very man hired as a protector allegedly turned out to be a robber.

Investigators reportedly discovered that Abdul Razzaq was not a local resident and belonged to Tando Adam. He was identified as a member of the Bhatti Saraiki community. At the time of his employment, he allegedly had no guarantor on record with the company. The telephone number he had provided also turned out to be false. He identified Bahadur Chandio as his friend and the alleged mastermind behind their criminal activities.

Without proper verification, background checks or police clearance, the security company had put Abdul Razzaq in uniform, handed him a weapon and stationed him outside a news channel’s office to provide protection.

The security company arguably bears even greater responsibility than Abdul Razzaq himself. It allegedly hired a complete stranger, someone with no local roots, obtained his signature on a purported undertaking containing basic particulars on the company’s letterhead, and armed him before assigning him to protect a news organisation. If the allegations regarding his criminal background and intentions are established, the company’s negligence would be all the more serious. The moment an opportunity presented itself, the guard allegedly carried out his real mission.

A pattern of incidents

Incidents involving private security guards accused of robbery, street crime, theft and even murder are nothing new. But stealing a news channel’s DSNG van—a vehicle that many people would think twice before approaching—is hardly an ordinary criminal undertaking. It suggests the involvement of someone prepared to take extraordinary risks and disregard the potentially grave consequences.

Whenever criminal incidents involving private security guards come to light, the authorities introduce reforms to the standard operating procedures governing security companies and announce stricter scrutiny. For a while, there is a flurry of activity. Then, as the familiar saying goes, “all sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

A few months or a year later, the provincial Home Department publishes advertisements in newspapers to complete the paperwork, and the matter is quietly put to rest. Companies that recruit unemployed labourers, mechanics, painters, drivers, conductors—and, allegedly, even individuals with criminal backgrounds—put them in uniform, hand them weapons and turn them into security guards are effectively given the green light to continue operating. This cycle has persisted for years.

Private security companies fall under the direct supervision of provincial Home Departments. Yet, another troubling practice reportedly persists: larger, financially stronger security companies supply guards and rent out cheap, substandard weapons to smaller, financially weaker security firms.

All this is happening in the name of security in Pakistan’s largest city, its economic hub and one of its most sensitive urban centres in terms of law and order.

A wake-up call

The theft of a news channel’s DSNG van should serve as a wake-up call. When the people hired to protect sensitive premises become a potential threat themselves, the problem extends far beyond one stolen vehicle. It raises serious questions about the licensing, recruitment, background verification, weapons procurement and regulatory oversight of Pakistan’s private security industry.

A security company that cannot verify the credentials of the people it arms and deploys is not merely failing in its duty. It risks becoming a security threat in its own right.