Govt has no plan for 'Operation Clean Heart': Salahuddin

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said that the government plans to establish digital forensic laboratories at the headquarters of all eight administrative divisions to strengthen the investigation of cybercrime.

Speaking to journalists after inaugurating the Cyber Police Centre and Digital Forensic Lab of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Dampara Police Lines in Chattogram he said, “We have no plan for Operation Clean Heart. We have responsibilities in all these matters, but we face no challenges.”
 
The newly inaugurated digital forensic laboratory will operate under the leadership of the CID, with coordination among different police units for the analysis and examination of digital evidence, he said.

He said that the government had no plan to launch an operation like Operation Clean Heart, but police would continue efforts to control crime and take legal action against anyone who obstructs the arrest of criminals.

Asked whether the government faced any challenges over rumours of possible sabotage in December, ongoing opposition movements and the upcoming local government elections, the minister said there were no such challenges. 

Regarding reports of attacks on police in Khulna and allegations that influential people were preventing arrests in Chattogram, Salahuddin said police officers sometimes came under attack while trying to control crime. He said this was not a new phenomenon.

He said the government was making every effort to bring criminals to justice. If anyone helped an accused person evade arrest or obstructed police operations, legal action would be taken if evidence was provided, he added.

The minister also highlighted the need to strengthen police capacity to tackle cybercrime, saying criminal activities had changed with advances in technology.

 “Various crimes and scams are being committed through cyberspace. Even stock market manipulation is taking place through digital platforms. There is no alternative to digital forensic laboratories to prevent and investigate such crimes,” he said.

He also said the government planned to expand digital crime analysis facilities at the central, divisional, district and upazila levels under the leadership of the Police Cyber Unit.

The unit formally began its operations on October 1 under the leadership of an additional inspector general of police, he added.

The minister said the new cyber office and digital forensic laboratory had been established with financial and technical support from the South Korean government and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

He thanked the South Korean government, its ambassador, KOICA representatives and the visiting delegation for their assistance.

Salahuddin said modern forensic facilities and scientific analysis of evidence were essential to ensure faster justice. 

The police were being equipped with modern laboratories, technological tools and other necessary resources to deal with changing patterns of crime, he added.

Republic of Korea Ambassador to Bangladesh Kim Ji-jun, Chattogram-10 MP Saeed Al Noman and Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir attended the inauguration as special guests.

Additional Inspector General of Police Sardar Nurul Amin and KOICA Bangladesh Office Director Ji-hoon Kim were also present. The event was chaired by CID Additional Inspector General Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain.

Operation Clean Heart was a joint security drive launched on October 16, 2002, to combat crime. It continued until January 9, 2003, involving members of the army, navy, Bangladesh Rifles, police and Ansar. More than 50,000 security personnel took part in the operation, and the joint forces arrested 11,245 suspects.