KARACHI: Karachi police arrested a teenage employee of a private outdoor advertising company on Thursday for his role in obscene videos appearing on digital advertising screens in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA), police said.
South Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza confirmed the arrest and said investigators had moved swiftly after the incident drew public attention. Initially, police examined whether the digital screens had been hacked through Wi-Fi or whether an insider was responsible.
However, authorities later ruled out external interference. The matter surfaced on Wednesday evening when social media users shared videos and images claiming that explicit visuals briefly appeared on digital advertising boards in the upscale locality. Consequently, police launched an inquiry and traced the source of the content to a screen operated by a private company.
FIR details and legal action taken
According to the first information report registered at the Gizri police station, obscene videos intermittently played on February 4 on an SMD screen installed near Ayesha Mosque on Khayaban-e-Ittehad Road. A private outdoor advertising firm manages the screen.
Subsequently, on the complaint of the company’s legal adviser, the police registered a case under Section 292 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which addresses the sale, distribution, or public exhibition of obscene material. As part of the investigation, police questioned technical staff and seized relevant equipment.
Police said the arrested suspect is a 17-year-old employee of the company. During interrogation, investigators found the hacking claim to be false. Instead, the accused stated that while uploading approved advertising content from his mobile phone through a password-protected Wi-Fi connection, he accidentally selected an obscene video stored in his phone’s gallery.
He told police the video was removed shortly afterward and insisted there was no malicious intent. He further said the company operates 10 advertising poles and 20 SMD screens, and that approved videos are routinely stored on his phone for uploading.
