Thieves Disrupt Lucknow's High-Tech Safe City Surveillance Network
Thieves blind ‘Safe City’ network on Shaheed Path; FIR filed after 10 days
Hindustan Times
Image: Hindustan Times
In a significant security breach, thieves stole power equipment from the AI-based Safe City surveillance network on Shaheed Path in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, on April 25, 2026. The theft caused multiple cameras to go offline, raising concerns about traffic and crime monitoring in a crucial area, with an FIR filed only ten days later.
- 01Thieves stole power equipment from the Safe City surveillance network on Shaheed Path.
- 02The incident occurred on April 25, 2026, disrupting multiple cameras.
- 03The outage affected traffic monitoring during critical events like IPL matches.
- 04Safe City teams restored operations within hours after replacing the stolen equipment.
- 05An FIR was filed on May 5, 2026, ten days after the theft.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
On April 25, 2026, thieves targeted the AI-based Safe City surveillance network on Shaheed Path in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, stealing UPS systems and batteries from camera control boxes. This brazen act resulted in at least four cameras going offline, disrupting traffic and crime monitoring in a vital area, particularly during high-traffic events like IPL matches at Ekana Stadium. The Safe City teams responded quickly, replacing the stolen equipment by April 26 and restoring operations within hours. However, some recorded footage was lost due to the abrupt shutdown. Despite the severity of the breach, an FIR was only registered on May 5, 2026, at the Gomti Nagar Extension police station, ten days after the incident. The station house officer, Sudheer Awasthi, confirmed that an investigation is underway based on the complaint from Safe City officials.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
The theft has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the city's surveillance system, particularly in monitoring traffic and crime in high-security areas.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Reader Poll
Do you think the city should invest more in securing surveillance systems?
Connecting to poll...
Read the original article
Visit the source for the complete story.




