Police uncover ‘watchtowers, CCTV used by criminals’ to monitor law enforcers in Jungle Salimpur

A sophisticated surveillance network, including observation towers and CCTV cameras, has been uncovered by police in Jungle Salimpur, long considered an “impenetrable empire” by law enforcement, allegedly used by criminals to track police movements.

Deputy Inspector General of Chattogram Range Ahsan Habib Palash revealed the discovery on Tuesday, a day after a large-scale joint forces operation in the remote hilly terrain of Sitakunda.

Addressing the media at his office, the DIG said the operation involved 3,183 personnel from the Army, police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and APBn.

The drive resulted in the arrest of 22 individuals, including one woman, and the recovery of a significant cache of arms.

Authorities have now established permanent camps in the area to prevent the resurgence of criminal activity and maintain vigilance over the previously uncontested stronghold.

DIG Ahsan Habib noted that criminals in Alinagar used 19 CCTV cameras, three DVRs, and observation towers to maintain a constant vigil against security forces.

Authorities also recovered two pairs of binoculars and subsequently demolished the towers used by the criminals.

The joint drive also recovered one foreign and one locally-made pistol, one LG and 27 pipe guns, 30 empty pistol magazines, 61 cartridges, 1,164 rounds of ammunition, 11 cocktails, and a lathe machine used to manufacture pipe guns from the hideouts.

The crackdown used significant technological resources to navigate the difficult landscape, including three helicopters, 12 drones, 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), and three dog squads from RAB and the Chattogram Metropolitan Police.

Two permanent camps for RAB and police have been established in the Chhinnomul and Alinagar areas.

"We have established communication there. We hope criminals will no longer be able to use these hills as a sanctuary," said Ahsan Habib.

The drive follows the Jan 19 killing of RAB-7 member Nayek Subedar Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan during a previous raid.

Following his death, RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman had vowed to dismantle the criminal networks in the region.

Jungle Salimpur is split into two controlled zones: Chhinnomul, led by Rokon Uddin, and Alinagar, controlled by Mohammad Yasir.

While both leaders remain at large, the 22 arrested individuals have been charged in connection with the RAB member’s murder and the new arms recovery cases.

For over 20 years, these hills have been governed by local "cooperatives" that charge fees for membership and land possession, according to police.

The area has long been a "no-go zone" where outsiders, officials, and journalists have frequently faced violent attacks.

In Oct 2025, a gunfight between the Yasir and Rokon-Gafur factions left one person dead and two journalists injured.