An initiative has been launched in Chattogram to reduce dependency on Dhaka for investigating cybercrimes, including online fraud, social media account hacking, digital blackmail, and financial embezzlement.
As part of the effort, Cyber Police Centre of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was officially inaugurated at Dampara in the port city.
The specialised facility provides infrastructure to collect and analyse digital evidence locally, which is expected to bolster police investigation capabilities for technology-based crimes across the Chattogram region.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed inaugurated the centre on Wednesday morning at Dampara Police Lines of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP).
Speaking at the ceremony, he noted that the nature of crime has evolved with the expanding use of cyberspace, emphasizing that digital forensic laboratories are essential to prevent offences such as online fraud and stock market manipulation.
Salahuddin announced that digital forensic labs will soon be established at all eight divisional headquarters across the country, with plans to extend these capabilities to district and upazila levels.
He added that efforts are underway to enhance CID’s laboratory facilities and technological capacity to ensure speedy trial within the judicial system.
Highlighting the operational impact of the facility, Chattogram Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner (Public Relations) Aminur Rashid told TIMES that previously only three personnel in Chattogram were tasked with gathering digital evidence and sending it to Dhaka.
“Testing could not be conducted in Chattogram, which caused delays in certain cases,” Rashid said. “From now on, examinations can be carried out directly in Chattogram, which we expect will reduce our reliance on Dhaka”.
The centre was established under a project titled “Safer Cyberspace for Digital Bangladesh: Enhancing National and Regional Digital Investigation Capability of Bangladesh Police”. Implemented with cooperation from the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), the project has a total cost of Tk59 crore 8 lakh 68 thousand.
Approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 18 April 2023, the project’s administrative order was issued on 15 May 2023, with an implementation timeline running from February 2023 to December 2026.
Under the project, a four-storey building was constructed on a 10-storey foundation at Dampara. Alongside physical infrastructure, measures are being taken to upgrade investigation capabilities at both Cyber Police Centre and Digital Forensic Lab at CID Headquarters.
To build skilled personnel for cybercrime investigation, three local and eight foreign training programmes have been completed under the project.
According to the CID, effective investigation requires not only identifying complaints but also gathering and analysing digital evidence from mobile phones, computers, online communications, and financial transaction records.
Such analysis enables investigators to identify fraudsters, trace money transfer paths, and detect technological media used in crimes. CID noted that criminals frequently use fake identities, multiple bank accounts, and mobile financial service (MFS) accounts to steal funds via phishing links, fake websites, identity theft, and scam messages.
Cyber offences also include digital blackmail, online harassment, threats to leak personal photos and information on social media, unauthorized entry into organizational IT systems, trading stolen data, dark web misuse, and illegal online commerce.
Investigating these crimes presents complex challenges, as money often passes through multiple digital accounts before reaching its final destination.
Moreover, cases often involve suspects, victims, and technological infrastructure located across different countries, while crucial information stored on foreign servers requires time to retrieve and analyse.
CID stressed that addressing these challenges requires close coordination with financial institutions, online platforms, and domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies, as well as international cooperation to access data on foreign servers.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Kim Ji-joon, KOICA Country Director Jihoon Kim, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir, CID Additional DIG Barrister Mohammad Mosharaf Hossain, and other senior police officials.
