At a meeting with Home Minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury, they demanded extra police steps similar to the ones taken during Ramadan such as deployment of strike forces and formation of mobile courts.

The home ministry suggested the shop owners bolster their own security arrangements in the markets and parking lots, as well.

The home minister however assured them of having the shopping complexes fitted with more modern gadgets within six months.

The meeting also discussed installation of close-circuit TV (CCTV) in the shopping complexes in the capital and elsewhere in the country.

The shop owners also demanded eviction of hawkers illegally occupying city footpaths and hampering their business.

Altaf said the hawkers would be rehabilitated rather than evicted from the footpath.

"We are working to find out ways to gradually rehabilitate hawkers," Altaf said.

The shop owners complained that many shopping complexes do not have parking lots, but Rajuk Chairman Iqbal Uddin Chowdhury said it happened as the developers deviated from the approved plan.

Inspector General (IG) of Police Shahudul Haque asked the shop owners to install CCTV before the Eid-ul-Azha.

The additional IG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police Mashudul Haque said many shopping complexes are not clean and asked them to take measures to keep them clean.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ashraful Huda said all shopping complexes should fully implement the city corporation rules for shopping centres.

The shop owners thanked police for the anti-crime drive in shopping centres in the capital during Ramadan and the Eid-ul-Azha.

President of Dhaka Mahanagar Shop Owners' Association Helaluddin Helal and other leaders from the capital as well as from Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Comilla and Narail were present.

The director general of Ansar and VDP, members of Rajuk, senior officials from the home ministry and police were present in the meeting.