Amid widespread allegations of irregularities during prisoners' transportation, the prison authorities yesterday introduced a web-based surveillance system in two prison vans, first of its kind in the country, which will monitor prisoners' activities from outside.

The vans having four CCTV cameras each will telecast live everything happening inside, giving the authorities an opportunity to take any immediate step, if needed.

Inaugurating the prison vans yesterday at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said they are expecting the vans will ensure security during transportation of prisoners.

“If the two vans found effective, we will introduce more such vans to ensure surveillance of moving prisoners,” he told reporters.

The minister said they introduced the prison vans so that militants and terrorists do not get any illegal facilities during transportation. 

Moreover, the audio and video recording facilities will also monitor conversation among prisoners. The GPS tracking system in the vehicles will give real-time location of the vehicle, said jail officials. 

The ten-seated small prison van with air-conditioning facilities will carry only VIP prisoners, while the other one that has a capacity of 40 people will be used to carry militants and terrorists between Kashimpur jails and Dhaka Central Jail.

A CCTV camera installed inside a van. Photo: Star

Besides, the system will end the alleged exchange of money between criminals and cops over illegal facilities like food, use of mobile phones, carrying drugs and so on. 

A prison official, preferring anonymity, said it was impossible in the past to monitor prisoners' activities as police personnel, not the prison guards, were responsible for carrying them. 

“Many irregularities take place during transportation. It has been reported in the media that some prisoners even visit their families during transportation. The system will put an end to the irregularities,” he said.

The two vans were manufactured by Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Ltd (BMTF), an enterprise of Bangladesh Army.  

The two vans along with the web-based surveillance system cost Tk 1.75 crore, Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin told reporters yesterday. 

Prisons officials said the decision of such vehicles was made taking a lesson from a prison van ambush in February 2014 in Mymensingh, where three top Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants were snatched away, killing a guard in the van. 

Replying to a query, Brig Gen Abu Wahab Md Hafizul Huq, director (marketing) of BMTF, said there is still an opportunity to install cameras to monitor scenario outside the van.

Additional Secretary Smriti Rani Gharami and Deputy Secretary Shireen Ruby of home ministry, Col Mostafa Kamal of BMTF, among others, were present.