A first information report (FIR) has been registered after an obscene video clip was intermittently displayed on an SMD screen of a private advertising company on Khayaban-e-Ittehad in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area, which hurt public sentiments.
According to police, the company’s legal adviser lodged the FIR on suspicion that one or more employees of the same company may have gained unauthorised access to the system and displayed the obscene content with the intention of defaming the company.
The incident caused concern among passers-by, prompting the company to shut down the screen. Police said further investigation is under way to identify those responsible. An FIR No 56/26 under the Section 292 of the Pakistan Penal Code has been registered at the Gizri police station in connection with the broadcast of obscene content on the digital advertising screen.
The case was registered on the complaint of Shakir Rasheed, a lawyer by profession and resident of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase IV, and legal adviser to a DO advertising company.
According to the FIR, on February 4, the company’s operations director, Asif Khan, informed the complainant via phone that an SMD screen installed on a pole near the Ayesha Masjid signal on Khayaban-e-Ittehad was intermittently displaying an obscene video clip, hurting the sentiments of people passing through the area.
The complainant stated that he immediately reached the site and personally observed the obscene video being played intermittently on the SMD screen. Upon confirmation, he instructed the operations director to shut down the screen immediately.
The FIR stated that the company strongly suspected that one or more of its employees may have unlawfully gained access to the system and displayed the obscene content with the intention of defaming the company.
After consultation with the company’s owners and directors, the complainant approached police for legal action. The FIR read that an obscene video was broadcast on digital advertising SMD screens installed along a busy road in the upscale Defence area, triggering strong public backlash.
According to reports, unidentified individuals hacked the digital advertising screens installed on Khayaban-e-Ittehad in the Defence Housing Authority area and aired immoral content for a brief period, causing alarm among residents.
The incident occurred on Abdul Sattar Avenue, where motorists and pedestrians recorded videos of the controversial content being displayed on large screens and shared them on social media. The clips went viral within minutes.
Upon receiving information, the relevant authorities promptly swung into action and shut down the affected screens to prevent further transmission of any content. Officials said that as a precautionary measure, several other digital screens installed on major DHA roads, as well as on Sharea Faisal and Karsaz Road, had also been temporarily switched off, while a security audit of the systems had been initiated.
A joint investigation has been launched by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency and the Cyber Crime Unit to probe the incident. Authorities said technical evidence was being collected to identify those involved in hacking the screens, and data logs and other digital records were being reviewed to bring the responsible elements to justice. Further investigations are under way.
