Another theft of electrical cables at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram has raised fresh concerns over security at the sensitive aviation facility, just hours before the prime minister's scheduled arrival today (20 October).
Around 500 feet of newly installed underground electrical cable supplying streetlights was stolen on the night of 19 October from a road connecting the airport's residential area to the Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) navigation facility, according to airport sources.
The cable, buried about three feet underground, was estimated to be worth Tk2 lakh. It had been installed to supply electricity to streetlights along the road from the residential area's main entrance, known as the Japanese Gate, towards the VOR facility.
The theft occurred despite 635 security personnel being deployed across four units at the airport. It also followed nine other reported theft incidents involving transformers, cables and runway lighting equipment over the preceding one and a half months.
Airport sources said the authorities had completed installing electrical cables for 61 lampposts on Monday, only for the cables to be stolen later that night.
The VOR facility is part of the airport's navigation infrastructure, transmitting signals that help aircraft determine their direction and navigate during approach and departure. The latest theft involved cables supplying electricity to nearby streetlights, not the navigation equipment itself.
The affected road is also close to facilities housing helicopter hangars operated by the Bangladesh Navy and other security forces, adding to concerns over security in the area.
When contacted, Airport Director Group Captain Nur Hossain neither confirmed nor denied the latest incident.
"The incident is not like that. I will give you details about the incident after a while," he told The Business Standard before disconnecting the call.
Airport security officer Tarek Ziauddin could not be reached for comment despite repeated calls from TBS.
Repeated thefts despite security measures
The latest incident comes amid a series of thefts involving transformers, electrical cables and runway lighting equipment since August.
Airport sources said thieves had repeatedly dug up underground cables, some buried about four feet deep, and removed equipment connected to the runway's approach lighting system.
On 21 August, thieves cut and removed a transformer, along with primary and secondary cable kits, from the runway's 05 end. Underground cables, runway lights, light bases and looping cables were also stolen, sources said.
On 2 September, around half a kilometre of security-lighting cable was cut and stolen from the western boundary of the cargo warehouse towards the 05 end, leaving nearly a kilometre of the area in darkness.
Electrical equipment was also stolen from the VOR navigation area that night, leaving the area without lighting, according to airport sources.
Further thefts were reported on 8 September, when two transformers and primary and secondary cable kits for approach lights were taken from the runway's 23 area.
On 10 September, thieves allegedly removed three transformers and associated cables from the same area.
On 13 September, six transformers and various primary and secondary cable kits for approach lights were stolen near the Boat Club at the 23 end.
Five transformers and cables were reportedly stolen from the 23 area on 28 September, followed by another five transformers and associated cables on 6 October.
Three more transformers and cables were reportedly stolen from the 23 area on the night of 10 October.
A letter from Mir Akhter-CAMCE Joint Venture, the contractor working on the runway overlay project, also documented the theft of electrical equipment from the Simple Approach Lighting System (SALS).
In a letter dated 5 October to the project director, the contractor said it had been informed at around 10:30pm on 4 October that Simple Approach Circuit-2 was not functioning.
An inspection found that five series transformers, a 25-metre secondary cable with its kit, three metres of bare copper wire and 30 metres of body-earthing material were missing from the SALS-07 section.
The contractor said it had notified the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and subsequently completed the necessary maintenance work.
Security assurances questioned
On Friday (16 October), Air Commodore Asif Iqbal, member (security) of CAAB, told TBS that he had visited the airport to assess the overall security situation.
He said the identified security lapses had been addressed and there would be no gaps in security.
He also claimed that nine of the theft incidents had occurred outside the airport boundary. Following tighter security measures, officials prevented another theft on Thursday, 15 October, he added.
However, the latest incident, on the eve of the prime minister's visit, has raised fresh questions about the effectiveness of those measures.
The prime minister was scheduled to arrive at Shah Amanat International Airport at around 5:30pm on Tuesday.
The repeated thefts have raised concerns about the airport's ability to protect its electrical infrastructure despite the deployment of hundreds of security personnel and assurances that security lapses have been addressed.
Although the latest theft involved streetlight cables rather than the VOR navigation equipment itself, the repeated incidents involving airport electrical infrastructure highlight concerns over surveillance, access control and coordination among the agencies responsible for safeguarding the facility.