Security gadgets: sales surge ten times in Karachi

[Naveed Yaseen]

AAMIR MAJEED
KARACHI (November 02 2009): The sale of security instruments, which are primarily used to detect explosive material and for vigilance purposes, has surged many fold in the last one month in the wake of terrorist activities in the country. These instruments include metal detectors, bomb and mines detectors, road blockers, moving cameras, walk-through gates, car search mirrors, and explosive detectors.

The users of these security instruments are educational institutions, mostly private schools, colleges and universities, mosques, imambargahs, private banks and private security agencies.

Although the provincial home department has issued limited arms licenses of non-prohibited bore to the citizens, a nominal increase in the sale of TT pistol and shotgun has also been recorded after terrorist incidents in the country.

Talking to Business Recorder, the country's largest security instrument dealers Tayabally Abdoolally & Sons' owner Muhammad Hussain Bandukwala said ten times increase had been recorded in the sale of security instruments after terror threats at different educational and religious places.

Rising demand of private security men for guarding purposes was one of the reasons for this surge in the sale of security instruments, he added. "The sale of Chinese security instruments is rising with each passing day due to their affordable prices and high quality, while the sale of other instruments, which are imported from Italy, USA, Germany and Taiwan is falling due to high prices," the dealer said, adding that the institutions like private banks, Pak Army, Pak Navy and different private security companies were also buying expensive instruments.

The dealer said a large number of buyers from educational institutions and religious places were purchasing scanners and metal detectors to improve self defence system.

A scanner imported from Italy cost a buyer at Rs 16,000, Taiwan Rs 8,000, China Rs 6,000, USA Rs 18,000 and locally manufactured scanner is available in the market at Rs 3,500.

He said the demand of bomb blankets (an instrument used to defuse explosive material) was also rising in the banking sector. Many people were demanding explosive detector of Italy, which cost the buyer at Rs 800,000 to 10 million, but no one was ready to buy the expensive security instrument, the dealer added.

He said many private companies were contacting dealers to install surveillance cameras to establish a monitoring system. "All the companies, which have submitted quotations for the installation of cameras have asked dealers to install the monitoring system as early as possible," he added.

Iqbal Hussain of Hussain and Brothers Trading Corporation said the demand of non-prohibited arms and their sale had jumped to 35 percent in the market in the last two months, but it was lower than that of last year, when the home department had issued arms licenses to many citizens. "Now, the sale of TT pistol and shotgun has increased once again due to deteriorating law and order situation," he added.

The demand of Chinese weapons was on the rise, which were of high quality and were available at much cheaper rates as compared to other imported weapons. The TT pistol of China was available in the market at Rs 15,000 to 30,000, and that of Turkey was available from Rs 30,000 to 50,000 and locally manufactured at Rs 7,000 to Rs 16,000, he added.

The dealer said the shotgun of China was available in the market at Rs 15,000 to 30,000, while the locally manufactured weapon at Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000. He urged the provincial government to issue licenses to the general public for strengthening security system.

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