Security Breach at Gazipur Model Mosque Following Double Burglaries

A series of burglaries at the newly built Kaliganj Upazila Model Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in Gazipur has sparked severe security concerns, prompting local authorities to address evident vulnerabilities at the state-funded complex. Intruders breached the premises twice within a fortnight, dismantling plumbing fixtures, damaging administrative property, and prying away exterior tiles before escaping unnoticed.

The most recent break-in occurred on the night of 25 July, when trespassers removed decorative tiles from a dining room sunshade to gain access to the main structure. Once inside, the culprits made off with two water taps and two large pipe fittings from the washrooms. They then forced open the lock on the southern gate, ransacking office spaces from the first floor all the way up to the third-floor roof level. Five washrooms were damaged in the process, with fourteen more taps removed from the private facilities designated for the mosque’s imam and muezzin.

This break-in follows a similar breach on 14 July. Staff returning to the facility the next morning found that intruders had slipped through the iron grilles of the ablution area near the generator room, stealing nineteen taps and a showerhead.

Deeply concerned by these consecutive intrusions, caretaker Md Alamgir Hossain submitted a formal report to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) on Monday afternoon. The petition urged an immediate investigation, swift administrative measures, and a thorough review of security protocols to safeguard the multi-storey complex.

In response, Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer ATM Kamrul Islam noted that a preliminary assessment indicated operational oversight by an official affiliated with the Islamic Foundation. He assured that a full inquiry is underway and that disciplinary action will follow. Meanwhile, the Officer-in-Charge of Kaliganj Police Station, Md Zakir Hossain, mentioned that while a formal police complaint is pending, law enforcement will act promptly as soon as official paperwork is filed.

The thefts have attracted considerable public attention due to the high profile of the complex. The facility is part of the state’s national initiative to establish 564 Model Mosques and Islamic Cultural Centres across the country. Designed to modernize religious infrastructure, these hubs host daily prayers, Islamic research, libraries, primary education, and community outreach programmes. Managed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in partnership with the Islamic Foundation, the multi-billion-taka effort stands as one of Bangladesh’s largest public investments in religious and civic infrastructure.

The recurring breaches have raised urgent questions regarding night-time security and surveillance at public institutions. Local residents and worshippers have voiced frustration over the vandalism, calling on authorities to station permanent security personnel and install modern closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to protect the site.