Business Desk
Every online fraud, hacked account and every threat sent from behind a screen leaves a digital trail. In Chattogram, Bangladesh Police now have a purpose-built place where those trails can be followed, examined, and turned into evidence.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh Police officially inaugurated the Cyber Police Center (CPC) today at Dampara Police Lines in Chattogram.
The Center was built under the project “Safer Cyberspace for Digital Bangladesh: Developing National and Regional Cyber Investigation and Digital Forensics Facilities for Bangladesh Police,” supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The Minister of Home Affairs, Salahuddin Ahmad, MP, attended as Chief Guest, while Kim Ji-joon, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, attended as Guest of Honour.
Jihoon Kim, Country Director of the KOICA Bangladesh Office, Monjur Morshed Chowdhury, and Md. Ali Hossain Fakir, BPM, Inspector General of Police, Sayeed Al Noman MP, Chattogram 10, joined as Special Guests.
Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, Additional IGP and Chief of CID, chaired the programme.
Spanning approximately 1,640 square meters, the new four-storey building is specifically engineered to handle regional cyber investigation and digital forensic operations. The center complements CID’s central capabilities in Dhaka while providing critical operational support to investigators across Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.
Inaugurating the Center as Chief Guest, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad, MP, said, KOICA is one of the largest development partners for Bangladesh. I would request to extend KOICA’s support and cooperation to establish similar Cyber Police Center in all other divisions.
In his address as Guest of Honour, Ambassador Kim Ji-joon emphasized that digital transformation must be anchored by robust cyber security, noting that this new Cyber Police Center stands as a pivotal milestone in Korea–Bangladesh development cooperation by directly empowering local law enforcement with advanced digital forensics capabilities to combat emerging cyber threats.
“Investment depends on confidence, and confidence depends on security,” said Ambassador Kim Ji-joon. “The Cyber Police Center is a concrete response to that need, and I am pleased that it now stands here in Chattogram, close to the businesses, workers and communities of this region.”
Jihoon Kim, KOICA Country Director, said the project's true measure would be how well the Center is used. “The value of this Center will be measured by the cases it helps to solve, the victims it helps to protect, and the officers it helps to develop,” he said, adding that KOICA will continue to support the project through its completion later this year.
The project was launched through a Record of Discussion signed in January 2021, with KOICA committing grant aid of up to USD 4.8 million. It aims to strengthen CID’s capability in digital investigation and to promote evidence-based policing through digital forensics and competency-based human resource management.
Alongside the Chattogram building, KOICA has provided forensic workstations, computer and mobile forensic kits, write blockers, malware analysis tools, and related systems to CID offices in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Cox’s Bazar
Human capacity development remains a core pillar of the initiative. Korean experts worked with CID officers on investigation consultation, human resource strategy, training curriculum, and workshops in Bangladesh.
In addition, 78 Bangladesh Police officers have completed eight specialized courses in Korea, covering cyber strategic leadership, digital investigation management, training of trainers, hacking and network forensics, malware analysis, open-source intelligence, and advanced computer and mobile forensics.