The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of police will begin deploying robots to collect information about suspected militants, their hideouts and explosives before starting any potentially hazardous operation.
CTTC’s bomb disposal team officials said the decision had been taken following the deaths of several officers in anti-militant raids conducted at hideouts across the country in the wake of the July 2016 Holey Artisan attack.
“We have been using people instead of bomb disposal robots, which was very risky,” CTTC Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sanowar Hossain said.
Sources said that the robots will have the capacity to detect explosives and will also be fitted with high-resolution cameras which can also scan pictures.
The robots will be imported from the United States at an estimated cost of Tk1 crore, and will lead from the front of the CTTC team during anti-militant operations.
“The robot team will soon be added in the bomb disposal team,” a CTTC official said, requesting anonymity. “The procedure of procurement has already begun.”
Sources said the robots will be controllable at a safe distance from the operation sites. They can move swiftly on land and waterways, and can blast open the entrances of locked or barricaded militant hideouts.
The robots can send instant pictures of 360-degree views of the hideout. After getting all the information from the robots, the main CTTC team will begin the operation.
This article was first published on Bangla Tribune.