Cybercrime is causing mounting financial and psychological losses to individuals and families while undermining social stability and information security, prompting law enforcement agencies to strengthen their capacity to investigate and combat the growing threat.
Online fraud, hacking, identity theft, data breaches, cyberbullying and digital extortion are among the crimes increasingly affecting people.
Fraudsters are stealing money through online banking, mobile financial services and fake links while stolen personal information, photographs and videos are being used for scams, harassment and blackmail.
According to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a total of 191 cybercrime cases, including 32 general register (GR) cases and 159 complaint register (CR) cases, were filed between September 1, 2025 and September 23, 2026.
During the period, 101 people were arrested over cybercrime allegations. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) recorded 305 cybercrime cases and 406 arrests across its eight divisions in the capital from January 1 this year, according to its data.
Talking to BSS, Dhaka University Criminology Department Chairman Md Rezaul Karim Sohag said cybercrime was increasing rapidly alongside technological advancement, with ordinary and lower-middle-income people particularly vulnerable.
"Thousands of people are losing their lifelong savings through OTP sharing, fake calls, deepfake video scams, cryptocurrency fraud and online gambling traps," he said, adding that many victims were suffering psychological distress, with some facing devastating consequences.
Experts said fraudsters were increasingly targeting homemakers, students and unemployed youths with promises of easy earnings through part-time work from home or by liking YouTube videos.
The schemes often begin with messages on social media or WhatsApp offering bonuses of Taka 1,000 or Taka 2,000 to gain victims' trust. The victims are then persuaded to invest large sums of money to complete various online "tasks", after which their accounts are locked and their money becomes inaccessible.
A survey cited in the report found that ordinary people had lost Taka hundreds of crores to such financial scams over the past year.
Experts attributed the spread of cybercrime partly to inadequate digital awareness, weak passwords, clicking on unfamiliar links, visiting fake websites and sharing excessive personal information on social media.
They advised people never to disclose their PINs or one-time passwords (OTPs) to strangers and to exercise caution when sharing personal photographs and information online.
Law enforcement agencies said they were intensifying investigations, surveillance and training to tackle cybercrime.
Special Superintendent of Police (Media) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Md Sufi Ullah told BSS that cases involving cyber fraud, hacking and online harassment were being investigated professionally and diligently, with necessary legal action taken against those involved.
He said training modules for officers were being updated at the Cyber Training Centre, Forensic Training Institute (FTI) and Detective Training School (DTS). Police Headquarters had also recently launched a nationwide Cyber Training of Trainers (ToT) course, with CID officers participating in the programme.
DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Md Akhtar Hossain said police were working to bring cybercriminals to justice and strengthen their investigative capabilities.
The DMP's Detective Branch (DB) has a cyber lab, while approval has been granted to establish a forensic lab at the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit.
Relevant personnel would also receive training to improve their capacity to investigate digital cases, he said.
DMP data showed that the Ramna division recorded 88 cybercrime cases and 163 arrests from January 1 this year, followed by Gulshan with 38 cases and 37 arrests, Motijheel with 33 cases and 49 arrests, Mirpur with 33 cases and 27 arrests, Uttara with 26 cases and 34 arrests, Lalbagh with 22 cases and 23 arrests, Wari with 12 cases and 24 arrests, and Tejgaon with 53 cases and 49 arrests.
DMP's Detective Branch chief and Additional Police Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam told BSS that police were active in combating crime and ensuring the safety of people's lives and property.
Police Headquarters said the government had taken initiatives to expand digital forensic and cyber laboratories to improve police expertise and technological capacity. Digital forensic and cyber laboratories were inaugurated in Dhaka and Chattogram this month.
A separate Cyber Police Unit was formed in Dhaka on October 1, with 4,592 police personnel and other staff under the central leadership of an additional inspector general of police (Additional IGP), it said.
Separate activities or desks have also been established at divisional, district and police station levels to investigate cybercrime.
Recently, a 10-day specialised ToT course on cybercrime case investigation was held at the Police Staff College in Mirpur, training 332 police officers who will subsequently train investigators working at the field level.