From politicians and celebrities to status-symbol-hungry youth, this industry has spread quite a bit over the years and is now gaining momentum.
The business of vehicle bulletproofing or vehicle armoring has been around for decades now.
The obvious clients range from film stars, businessmen, and politicians to builders, property giants, liquor magnates, hoteliers, and more. With the ever-increasing levels of threat across the country, business seems to be gaining momentum in this industry.
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“From the demand that was there about five years back, we have seen an increase of about 30%, and as a result we are rolling out about ten cars a month now,” says the director (name withheld as requested) of Laggar Industries of Sobti Group, who we spoke to understand the nuances of this industry.
How did this business start?
Laggar Industries ventured into this business back in 1989, when Punjab was burning in its time of extremism. The Sobti Group, which has always been a steel manufacturing company, is also into various defense and government supplies, such as water-fencing, furniture, etc. Needless to say, the group has always been well-connected in the government, political and high-profile socialites’ circles.
“KPS Gill, who was called in to handle the separatist revolt and terrorism in the state, suggested us to do something to save the lives of the policemen,” reminisces the director of Laggar, “With his mind and our company’s technologies and manufacturing capabilities, we started developing bulletproof steel.” Over the years, this company is said to have become one of the biggest private sector vehicle armoring players in the country.
It is the nature of the industry that the Sobtis are in, that allows them to have a one-stop shop for vehicle armoring. “For instance, while one company manufactures only bulletproof steel, there is another who produces bulletproof glass, and yet another specializes in fabrication (bulletproofing vehicles),” says the director of Laggar, “We, on the other hand, have our own steel plant, fabrication plant, physical and chemical labs, and finishing plant—in an area that spreads 75,000 square meters in Jalandhar, Punjab.”
What goes behind bulletproofing a vehicle?
When an interested client calls in, Laggar consults them as to what level of protection they require; this also impacts cost. Typically, a new vehicle is stripped down to a level where only the engine remains untouched. Then the whole fencing-wielding process is done, which is to widen the frame, sandwich the bulletproof steel, fit bulletproof glasses, adjust the suspension to maintain the new weight-ratio, etc.
All of this is done in a manner such that the exterior look is retained. All in all, the body of the vehicle, its glasses, and even the flooring (polycarbonate sheets for protection from sharpeners of blasts like from a small mine or a small grenade) is done up in the armoring process. Optionally, one could also go for run-flat tyres, which is an advanced type of tubeless tyres, which can buy some time in case the tyres get damaged in an event.
Finally, electronics is placed back where it belongs, a complete upholstery process, and repainting the entire vehicle is done.
So will this ensure a bullet won’t be able to penetrate inside? What is the guarantee that it won’t? These are the obvious questions one might ask, or rather one should ask—after all, the entire objective here is to protect the customer’s life. “We test our material at the Ministry of Defense Laboratories, Chandigarh. It is this material that goes inside the vehicle,” says the director of Laggar. Bulletproofing at the Laggar's is done strictly following the ballastic standards such as that of US National Institute of Justice Standard, besides others.
A typical timeline for doing up a vehicle would be around a month to three months. A vehicle like a Pajero, Montero, or a BMW takes around 2-3 months. For a car like Ambassador, it takes around 1-1.5 months. Justifying the time taken, he says “What we do is pretty much what an automobile company does; after all we are giving birth to a new vehicle inside the same vehicle.”
Any legal issues or paperwork involved?
There is no law governing this industry—as to who can or cannot make, who can or cannot retain. After all, it is not an offensive but a defensive thing to do. “However, to safeguard our and our customers’ interests, we have a declaration form. This form has complete details, ie, his/her personal information, as well the vehicle’s information,” says the director of Laggar.
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