Team Herald
VASCO: Following an alert of ISIS having Goa on its radar and a day ahead of the Defence Expo, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Goa Police started random checks of passengers arriving or departing from Dabolim airport and Vasco railway station on Sunday.
A 15-member team comprising ATS officials, commandos and railway police arrived at Vasco railway station at 6 am on Sunday, and soon after the arrival of the Goa Express train from Delhi, the team started randomly checking the baggage and identity of the passengers.
“We, along with other security agencies, have been conducting checks on the backdrop of the Defence Expo that will be held in Betul-Naqueri and also because there are inputs that ISIS has Goa on its radar. We started these checks today and will conduct a similar exercise at other major railway stations, bus terminus, and most importantly, Dabolim airport,” said an ATS officer who was part of the team.
After checking the luggage of over 50 people, the ATS team left the railway station and started a similar drive at other vital places in Vasco.
“It was just a routine security exercise and we did not find anything suspicious from any passenger at Vasco railway station. Also, there is a lot of rush to the State due to the long holiday weekend. We have been put on alert as this weekend is culminating in the Defence Expo,” the ATS official said.
In the afternoon, the ATS officials and other security agencies conducted a random check at Dabolim airport. The officers formed two teams and started checking the luggage of passengers at the departure and arrival gates of the integrated terminal building of the airport.
