The shadow market in digital safety equipment has shifted from basic hardware cloning to systemic security deception.

Below are documented cases of counterfeit safety systems:

1. CCTV & Surveillance Systems

• Decoy/Dummy Firmware Hacks: Low-end cameras flash genuine brand logos (e.g., Hikvision, Dahua) on initial setup screens via tampered EEPROM chips. Internally, the high-resolution sensors are swapped for sub-standard $0.50 VGA sensors, and IR night-vision LEDs are replaced with standard non-infrared red LEDs.

• Cloned MAC Addresses: Mass-produced counterfeit IP cameras reuse single, stolen MAC addresses and serial numbers, causing network collisions and creating backdoors for unauthorized remote access.

2. Access Control Systems

• Forged Biometric Readers: Fake fingerprint and RFID access controllers utilize unencrypted internal relays. Fraudulent units can be bypassed by placing a magnet near the casing or shorting the exposed external wiring.

• Cloned RFID Cards & Software: Counterfeit access cards and key fobs are distributed with cracked software licenses, bypassing genuine access logging and administrative tracking.

3. Fire Alarm & Protection Systems

• Inert Fire Sprinklers & Detectors: Fake smoke detectors contain plastic shells with an LED light powered by a coin battery, completely lacking the ionization or photoelectric smoke-sensing chambers.

• Fake Fire Extinguishers & Expellant Charges: Cylinder bodies are repainted and filled with inert stone dust or chalk powder instead of Monoammonium Phosphate (ABC dry chemical powder), rendering them useless during an actual fire.

4. Counterfeit Fire Protection Materials

• Scrap-Copper & Acid-Treated Cables: Stripped copper salvaged from shipbreaking yards (e.g., Sitakunda/Shyampur) is re-sheathed in non-fire-retardant, cheap PVC plastics. Acid water and aluminum are used to polish the degraded wire to look new. These lack the fire-resistant insulation caps required by standard electrical codes.

• Fake Intumescent Paint & Fire-Stop Sealants: Cheap industrial paint is relabeled with counterfeit certifications (UL, CE) and sold as fire-rated intumescent coatings for structural steel.

5. Licensing, Certifications, & Authorization Fraud

• Forged Authorization Certificates: Traders present fabricated "Authorized Sole Distributor" certificates bearing stolen corporate seals and signatures of global security brands.

• QR Code & BSTI Sticker Scams: Counterfeiters generate fake QR codes on product packaging that redirect users to fraudulent verification websites mimicking official testing bodies like the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) or international UL/FM approval databases.

Allegation Report: Old Dhaka, Nawabpur, &Keraniganj Hubs

An investigation into the supply chain reveals that Nawabpur, Bangshal, Siddikbazar, and Keraniganj serve as ground zero for the assembly, relabeling, and distribution of counterfeit safety gear across Bangladesh.

The Mechanism of Deception

In small 20x30 ft unregistered manufacturing dens in Keraniganj and Wari, ship-scrap copper wires are drawn into sub-standard cables and wrapped in flammable PVC. Concurrently, unbranded import-grade CCTV shells and fire alarms imported as "plastic spare parts" to evade custom duties are stamped with forged brand labels in Nawabpur printing shops.

[Imported Blank Hardware / Scrap Copper]

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[Keraniganj / Wari Dens] ──► (Assembly & Substandard Rewiring)

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[Nawabpur Printing Hubs] ──► (Fake UL, BSTI, & Brand Logos Applied)

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[Distribution to Commercial Complexes, Factories, & Residential Buildings]

These products are sold at 30% to 50% below market price, undercutting genuine importers and enticing contractors looking to cut costs during building construction.

Legal Framework & Statutory Violations

Selling fake digital safety and fire equipment violates several statutory laws in Bangladesh:

Mobile court drives led by RAB and BSTI Executive Magistrates routinely seize tons of these counterfeit goods under the Mobile Court Act, 2009, yet lenient bail conditions often allow repeat offenders to restart operations within weeks.

Investigation result

Illusion of Safety: The Lethal Trade of Fake Security

When a fire broke out in a commercial high-rise in Dhaka, the automated fire alarms remained silent. The sprinklers never deployed. Later, investigators discovered that the "fire-resistant" wiring feeding the alarm system had melted within seconds, short-circuiting the entire safeguard network.

The origin of these cables? A cramped, dimly lit workshop in Keraniganj, retailed through a reputable-looking shop front in Nawabpur.

While Bangladesh's rapid infrastructure growth has spiked demand for safety gear—CCTV cameras, biometric access control, fire alarms, and fire-rated cables—it has simultaneously birthed a dangerous shadow industry. Unscrupulous traders in Nawabpur, Bangshal, and Keraniganj are converting scrap materials and uncertified electronics into ticking time bombs disguised as life-saving security devices.

From Scrap Ships to Fire Hazards

The process is as deceptive as it is dangerous. Old copper wiring stripped from scrapped ships in Shyampur is re-processed, melted, and coated in cheap, flammable PVC plastic. Unlike genuine cables certified by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI)—which feature built-in flame arrestors—these counterfeit cables act as fuses during an electrical surge. Fire Service and Civil Defence data reveals that over a third of all fire incidents in the country stem from electrical short circuits, heavily driven by sub-standard wiring.

In the digital domain, security is equally compromised. Counterfeit CCTV cameras featuring fake Hikvision or Dahua logos are equipped with low-grade sensors and recycled processors. They lack basic encryption, leaving corporate networks exposed to cyber intrusions. Access control systems are fitted with unencrypted internal relays that can be opened with a simple magnet.

A Systemic Failure of Compliance

To convince unsuspecting buyers, counterfeiters print forged UL, FM, and BSTI seals alongside fake "Authorized Importer" licenses. Unwary property managers and cost-cutting contractors buy these items at a fraction of market cost, completely oblivious to—or willfully ignorant of—the legal and physical consequences.

Under Section 483 of the Penal Code 1860 and Section 73 of the Trademarks Act 2009, counterfeiting brand trademarks and distributing fake products are serious criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment. Yet, enforcement remains largely reactive, restricted to occasional mobile court raids.

Purchasing counterfeit safety gear isn't just a financial scam—it is manslaughter by negligence. Until regulatory authorities enforce strict supply chain traceability from import ports to Old Dhaka wholesale markets, property owners must understand one stark truth: cheap security equipment will cost lives.

Saadi Shohid

Managing Director

Growth Technology Limited