Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said the government has decided to set up two Army camps in the hilly areas near the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar to curb abductions and other crimes.

The camps will be established at Noakhalipara and Rangikhali under the 10 Infantry Division based in Ramu, he said while talking to reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat.

The meeting discussed coordination and management of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and national law and order committee meeting, as well as the overall law-and-order situation in Jungle Salimpur in Chattogram.

The minister said abductions frequently occur in the hilly areas of Rangikhali and Noakhalipara, where people are taken to the hills and ransom is demanded.

“After taking opinions from all concerned, a decision has been made to establish Army camps in the two areas to stop such crimes,” he said.

The two camps will operate under the 10 Infantry Division, and the government hopes their establishment will help stop such crimes in the areas, Salahuddin said.

The government has also decided to reconstruct damaged sections of the barbed-wire fencing outside the Rohingya camps, he added.

Solar-powered lights will be installed, while CCTV cameras, control towers and watchtowers will be set up at intervals, said the minister.

He said law enforcement agencies are conducting joint operations inside and outside the camps to combat drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking and other crimes.

A deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) leads the operations, with personnel from other law enforcement agencies also taking part, Salahuddin said.

Major crimes linked to the Rohingya camps include drug trafficking, online gambling, human trafficking and the activities of various armed groups, he said, adding that various other crimes under the Penal Code are also reported.

Apart from regular police activities, camp-related operations are being conducted under the leadership of the APBn, the minister said.

He said the government recently empowered the APBn under the law to conduct investigations.

Regarding Jungle Salimpur, Salahuddin said various decisions have been taken to bring government land there under proper management.

A police academy modelled on the Sardah Police Academy will be established there, he said, adding that land for the academy is being identified.