The government has announced plans to establish a separate ‘Cyber Police Unit’ to tackle the growing trend of digital crimes in the country following a proposal submitted by Bangladesh Police.
Highlighting the changing nature of crime in the digital era on Monday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the specialised unit would be formed to combat cybercrime, online rumours and the spread of misinformation on social media platforms.
Bangladesh Police formally placed the proposal before Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during the inauguration ceremony of Police Week on Sunday.
According to Police Headquarters, teenage girls and young women are becoming major victims of cybercrimes alongside financial fraud linked to banking and digital transactions.
Studies show that three out of every five teenage girls and young women in the country have experienced cyberbullying. However, nearly 89 percent of victims refrain from filing complaints due to social stigma, while around 72 percent of reported cases remain unresolved or are dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
Data from the past five years show that a total of 4,794 cases were filed under the Pornography Control Act-2012, Information and Communication Technology Act-2006, and Digital Security Act-2018.
Officials at Police Headquarters said the absence of a dedicated cybercrime unit has made proper investigation and disposal of such cases a major challenge.
They said the rapid expansion of internet banking and mobile financial services has created opportunities for embezzlement and digital fraud using information and communication technology.
Authorities also identified online bullying, dissemination of pornographic content involving underage girls, website hacking, data theft, threats, and the spread of defamatory or false information as major forms of cybercrime.
One police official said misuse of religious sentiments through online propaganda and campaigns against national interests had become a serious concern in recent years. Such crimes are often linked to character assassination, blackmail, extortion and various forms of digital fraud, he added.
The official stressed that the growing cyber threat landscape in Bangladesh has made it urgently necessary to establish a specialised Cyber Police Unit with stronger operational capabilities.
Independent cybersecurity expert Mohammad Shariat Ullah said cybercrime is highly complex in nature and requires a dedicated unit staffed with trained personnel.
Currently, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is primarily responsible for handling cybercrime-related cases in the country.
bd-pratidin/GR
