Christian web TV fire may have been inside job: police
Investigators have discovered that two hard discs were stolen prior to the blaze
The fire that erupted in Gawahi TV office transformed some 15,000 newly published booklets into ashes. PHOTO: GAWAHI TV
KARACHI:
Police officials, investigating the mysterious case in which an office of a Christian web television channel was destroyed in a fire, suspect that the fire did not occur accidentally but it was a pre-planned act as the hard discs of the computers were stolen before the office was set ablaze.
The investigators also suspect that it was an 'inside job' and believe a former employee or employees of the office could have been behind the incident.
Christian TV channel office burnt to ashes in Karachi
A fire broke out at a two-room office of a Christian web television channel located in a residential building in Akhtar Colony late Monday night, destroying equipment, religious books and other valuables. Though, after the passage of almost four days, the police have registered an FIR under Section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code, blasphemy, they now suspect that it was an inside job.
"About two months ago, nearly 15 employees of the office were fired by the owner after they were found to be involved in stealing two cameras," explained Mehmoodabad SHO inspector Muhammad Sarwar, also known as Commando, while talking to The Express Tribune. "We are now obtaining the fingerprints of the employees, particularly of the former employees who were fired from the job, as we suspect their involvement."
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The owner of the web television channel, Sarfaraz William, also believes that it was not an accidental fire because it did not erupt due to short-circuit. He also suspects that it could be an inside job. "After firing nearly 15 of the 20 employees, we hired three more employees. With this, we had manpower of total eight employees when the fire occurred," William told The Express Tribune. "It could be possible that one of them could have been behind the incident, as before the fire, two hard discs disappeared, which contained information on our new projects for making our web channel a satellite one," he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2015.
Police officials, investigating the mysterious case in which an office of a Christian web television channel was destroyed in a fire, suspect that the fire did not occur accidentally but it was a pre-planned act as the hard discs of the computers were stolen before the office was set ablaze.
The investigators also suspect that it was an 'inside job' and believe a former employee or employees of the office could have been behind the incident.
Christian TV channel office burnt to ashes in Karachi
A fire broke out at a two-room office of a Christian web television channel located in a residential building in Akhtar Colony late Monday night, destroying equipment, religious books and other valuables. Though, after the passage of almost four days, the police have registered an FIR under Section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code, blasphemy, they now suspect that it was an inside job.
"About two months ago, nearly 15 employees of the office were fired by the owner after they were found to be involved in stealing two cameras," explained Mehmoodabad SHO inspector Muhammad Sarwar, also known as Commando, while talking to The Express Tribune. "We are now obtaining the fingerprints of the employees, particularly of the former employees who were fired from the job, as we suspect their involvement."
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The owner of the web television channel, Sarfaraz William, also believes that it was not an accidental fire because it did not erupt due to short-circuit. He also suspects that it could be an inside job. "After firing nearly 15 of the 20 employees, we hired three more employees. With this, we had manpower of total eight employees when the fire occurred," William told The Express Tribune. "It could be possible that one of them could have been behind the incident, as before the fire, two hard discs disappeared, which contained information on our new projects for making our web channel a satellite one," he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2015.