The Capital Development Authority (RAJUK) has fallen victim to a serious cyber intrusion, where hackers gained access to its Electronic Construction Permitting System (ECPS) server and illegally approved designs for multiple high-rise buildings—bypassing official regulations and oversight.
The breach, which occurred on May 19, brought RAJUK’s entire building approval process to a halt for a period. During this window, the hackers managed to approve the design of a 15-story, 185-unit building located on restricted wetland in just 17 minutes—ignoring legal limitations related to land use and height restrictions.
RAJUK Assistant Director (Public Relations and Protocol) Abdullah Al Maruf confirmed the incident, stating that upon discovery, officials immediately shut down the ECPS server. An initial internal investigation revealed that the approval process for three other buildings was also nearing completion through similar unauthorized means.
RAJUK filed a General Diary (GD) with Motijheel Police Station on the same day. Further inquiry led to the identification of engineer Rabeya Bari, whose signature was found on the approved documents. Upon questioning, investigators traced the source of the intrusion to a local computer shop named “Nil Naksha” in Motijheel.
A mobile court, led by RAJUK Executive Magistrate Monir Hossain Howlader, raided the shop and uncovered evidence of illegal design approvals. The court found that RAJUK’s fees had been paid using the shop owner Enamul’s credit card, and unauthorized building plans were stored on the shop’s computers. Both Enamul and a staff member named Swapan were identified as key suspects, though they were not present during the raid. Other employees were taken into custody for further questioning.
RAJUK is preparing to submit a formal police report. Meanwhile, the design approval for the illegal building has been revoked, and a five-member investigative committee has been formed to probe the incident in depth.
RAJUK Chairman Engineer Md. Riazul Islam called the incident “extremely unfortunate” and pledged a thorough investigation and legal action against all individuals involved. He also assured the public that additional safeguards will be introduced to prevent future breaches of this kind.
