‘Beloved brother bandit’
In his clips, Baloch protests his innocence while portraying himself as a vigilante in a lawless land, claiming that he chose to fight only after family members were killed in tribal clashes.
“We couldn’t get justice from the court, so I decided to take up arms and started fighting with my enemies,” Baloch told AFP. “They killed our people, we killed theirs.”
But he also plays into the cycle of state neglect, which encourages banditry and in turn further relegates needy farming communities to the margins of society.
“The villagers here are not seen as people, but as animals,” Baloch told AFP. “If they gave us schools, electricity, government hospitals and justice, why would anyone even think of taking up arms?”
In the comments sections, his viewers call him “beloved bandit brother” and a “true hero.” “You won my heart,” claims another.
“He is popular in the mainstream because he makes things difficult for the police authorities,” said former MP Dhillon.
“People like him saying the things they can’t say out loud, to people they can’t speak out to.”
Deprived of followers
Police have proposed to counter bandits by downgrading mobile phone towers in Katcha lands to 2G, which prevents social media apps from loading.
That has not yet happened and would risk further cutting off communities.
But more low-tech solutions have had some success.
An anti-honey trap police cell warns citizens against the gangs using billboards and loudspeakers at checkpoints to enter the area, preventing 531 people from falling prey since August 2023, according to police data.
Baloch mocks police. But one problem plaguing his bid for online stardom has his attention.
Copycat social media accounts pretend to be him and share duplicates of his videos, earning thousands more followers and views than his legitimate accounts.
He feels deprived. “I don’t know what they’re trying to achieve,” he complains.
But for police, his status as an internet hero is at odds with the toll of his crimes.
“People will idealize Shahid Lund Baloch, but when they are eventually kidnapped by him, they will realize who Shahid Lund Baloch really is,” said Senior Officer Wahla. AFP