TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Goa has been known to be a soft target for a long time. Right from 2006 when Israel had issued an advisory warning its citizens travelling to Goa, after reports that al Qaeda was planning a major Bali-type bombing in the state till now; when again Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahri in a video message warning that the outfit was in the process of spreading out into the sub-continent. This has led to a general alert for Goa, along with other states, following the communication from the Union Home ministry.
In February 2007 too the Home Ministry had sounded an alert after reports that some Karnataka-based terrorists had planned to attack Goa after an arrested terror suspect had allegedly confessed about plans to strike Karnataka and Goa.
Goa was fortunate that the terror plan failed to get a consignment of 50 kg of RDX explosive. In fact intelligence inputs had found that the explosives were supposed to have been kept on a bike on the Tito lane.
After the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, Goa was once again on the radar and on the alert.
However, the state of policing in the state remains totally unprepared to take on anybody given its state of preparedness.
The police had given a wish list of communication equipment, jeeps, arms and ammunition to the government along with a fully functional ATS.
Till date not even 50% of the equipment has been procured though so many years have passed since 26/11.
In fact the general police force itself is understaffed – a fact admitted by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar,who is also the home minister — d are not in a position to even take care of normal crimes like burglaries.
Yashin Bhatkal was in Goa; so was David Headley. They had conducted recognisance of the state, police officials admit.
Places like Chimbel, Moti Dhongor and even Zuarinagar has seen a rise in people who have rent out places. There is no
