Ctg counter terrorism unit to get cyber lab
With an aim to identify virtual troublemakers who spread rumours through instigating posts and videos on social media platforms, and speed up investigation, the Cyber Crime Monitoring Cell of Counter Terrorism (CT) unit of Chattogram Metropolitan Police is going to launch a Cyber Lab.
According to CT sources, the United States under its Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) programme will set up the lab in the port city with their own funds. Representatives of the US embassy visited the CT office in November last year in this regard.
Though monitoring and investigation of cyber cases are highly sensitive and device-based, members of the cell are now handling such cases using old and manual methods, which delays the investigation, said CMP sources.
CMP in November last year sent a letter to the home ministry via Police Headquarters to consider the US proposal, and the ministry has given a green signal in this regard, said police officials.
The Cyber Crime Monitoring Cell was formed on August 20, 2018.
The letter stated that under the ATA programme, members of the CT unit have participated in various trainings while some are ongoing.
It also said the methods of crime are changing every day, and cybercrime is also increasing. A Cyber Lab will play a crucial role in investigating and detecting crime in the virtual world, it added.
It will help retrieve and assess data collected from mobile phones, computers and laptops as well as hardware, CCTVs, USB drives and other devices. The lab will be able to help spot cyber scams and defend cyber attacks.
Wishing anonymity, a CT official told The Daily Star that investigating cybercrime cannot be done without using modern technology. “The pattern of crime is changing… if we have proper team and equipment, it will help our investigation,” said the CT official.
Contacted, Polash Kanti Nath, additional deputy commissioner (operation) of CT unit, said, “A proposal for Cyber Lab has been sent to the ministry and the US embassy representatives informed us that the ministry has given a green signal.”
The next course of action will be taken as per the project plan, he added.
According to police, there are two cyber labs -- one in Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other in Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTU) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
CID has a Digital Forensic Lab, which was installed in 2012 and officially inaugurated in 2017 while CTTU’s lab was set up on October 15, 2019.
Korean International Cooperation Agency funded the CID’s lab under Enhancing Cybercrime Investigation Capability of Bangladesh Police (2013-2016) while ATA funded the CTTU’s lab under Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) system.