Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government has no plans at present to launch an operation similar to "Operation Clean Heart".
He made the statement while speaking to journalists after inaugurating the Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) Cyber Police Centre at Dampara Police Lines in Chittagong on Wednesday afternoon.
The minister said crime patterns had changed over time, with digital platforms and cyberspace increasingly being used to commit various offences, including fraud and stock market manipulation.
“There is no alternative to modern digital forensic laboratories to prevent and investigate these crimes,” he said, adding that the government had taken an initiative to establish digital forensic laboratories at all eight divisional headquarters as soon as possible.
Salahuddin Ahmed said the South Korean government and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) had provided assistance in establishing the CID’s cyber office and digital forensic laboratory in Chittagong.
He thanked the South Korean government, the country’s ambassador to Bangladesh, KOICA representatives and members of the visiting Korean team for their support.
The minister said the government had been planning to establish a police cyber unit from the outset. The unit formally began operations on October 1 under the leadership of an additional inspector general of police.
The newly inaugurated digital forensic laboratory will operate under the CID’s leadership. However, interdepartmental cooperation among the relevant units will continue in conducting digital forensic analysis and examinations, he added.
He further said the government planned to expand digital analysis capabilities at the central, divisional, district and upazila levels. To this end, initiatives would be taken to establish laboratory facilities at divisional and district levels.
The government had sought international cooperation for the initiative, including assistance from South Korea, the minister said.
Referring to the CID’s existing facilities, Salahuddin Ahmed said the department had operated chemical laboratories since its establishment. These laboratories play an important role in various examinations, including the preparation of viscera reports.
He said expanding the laboratories had become necessary to meet current needs. Proper analysis, evidence and certification are essential to speeding up judicial proceedings and ensuring that people receive justice, he added.
The minister also stressed the need to modernize law enforcement agencies in response to changing crime patterns. The government was taking steps to equip them with the necessary laboratory facilities, logistical support and modern equipment to prevent and investigate crimes committed in the digital sphere.
Responding to a question about the overall law and order situation, Salahuddin Ahmed said the government had a responsibility to address it but did not consider the situation a challenge.
“The government has responsibilities in all areas, and the necessary measures will be taken to fulfil them,” he said.
Asked about attacks on police during operations to arrest suspects, the minister said police officers were sometimes attacked by criminals, but such incidents were not new.
He said police were making every effort to combat crime and added that appropriate legal action would be taken against anyone found to have obstructed police from arresting a suspect or assisted a suspect, provided specific information supported such allegations.
Chittagong-10 MP Saeed Al Noman, South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Kim Ji-jun, Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir, CID Additional Inspector General Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain and other police officials were present at the event.