How safe are our data with the public institutions? Some of the most important public offices have reported cases of theft and burglary recently. Concerns are growing among the public following burglary incidences at the Thimphu District Court and the Department of Civil Registration and Census office in Thimphu. The census office was robbed of office equipment and documents.
It was last Thursday when an unidentified man sneaked into the Department of Census and Civil Registration’s office and reportedly stole a laptop bag along with the laptop, a few documents, and USB drives.
After the news broke out in the public domain, people started questioning the security of important national data. Some who did not want to come on camera say that tomorrow it could be a bigger crime that could put national security at risk if proper security measures are not put in place on time.
“It is very concerning to hear about burglaries occurring in offices. Moreover, it is even more alarming to learn that important offices are being burglarized. With burglary cases on the rise, the police and relevant stakeholders must conduct thorough investigations,” said Karma Dorji.
A resident in Thimphu said, “I recently heard that a laptop and USB drives were stolen from a government office. After hearing about such cases, I am worried about the safety and security of our personal information. I am also concerned that burglaries at government offices may result in our personal information being hacked and stolen.”
The office that caters to processing citizenship identity cards and collecting biometrics for the National Digital Identity maintains national census records, family trees, and birth and death records. The office has records which date back to the early 1990s.
The Department of Civil Registration and Census has proposed security guards for the office premises. However, the Royal Civil Service Commission has yet to approve the request.
Meanwhile, the Thimphu police have apprehended the suspect who broke into the census office yesterday evening. Police tracked down the suspect using CCTV footage and tip-off from informers.
The man reportedly confessed to involvement in four burglary cases and a larceny case.
According to the police, they have recovered almost all the stolen items including the laptop, documents, and USB drives stolen from the census office. The stolen items also include a few thousand of cash, sunglasses, and mobile phones.
The police are still investigating the case.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Phub Gyem
