NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, DEC 21
The Centre today sounded a terror alert for Mumbai and Ahmedabad following specific intelligence inputs that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba teams may have entered the two western cities to carry out strikes.
Security forces launched “house-to-house” searches in some specific areas in Mumbai while additional forces were deployed in all sensitive and crowded places, including markets, religious places, bus and railway stations in the two cities.
The police forces of the two cities have been put on high alert and specific instructions issued for taking all possible steps to foil any attempt by LeT terrorists to disturb peace, official sources said in New Delhi.
The intelligence inputs suggested that LeT teams have already entered Mumbai and Ahmedabad and may strike any time, the sources said.
In Mumbai, Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal said “extensive” security measures have been put in place and an alert has been sounded in the city in the wake of inputs of terror threat ahead of Christmas and New Year festivities.
“There are conscious efforts by terror organisations to target foreigners during these two festivals here,” he said.
Security agencies have also mounted strict vigil especially in view of the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the country’s financial capital tomorrow.
Security has also been stepped up in the view of visit by Medvedev and President Pratibha Patil tomorrow, Dayal said.
“We have been continuously receiving inputs from intelligence agencies about possible terror strikes. We are analysing these inputs and taking things very seriously,” the city police chief added.
Meanwhile, security has been strengthened at vital installations, railway stations, crowded areas, religious places and embassies, police said.
The bomb squad will conduct regular checks at the parking lots and quick response Team commandos and a strike mobile van have been deployed, they said.
In September, police revealed that two suspected foreign terrorists had sneaked into the financial capital to carry out disruption at crowded places and religious congregations.
Photographs of the duo — Kalimuddin Khan alias Rameshwar Pandit (28) from Pakistan and Hafij Khijir Ulla Sarif (25), a Bangladeshi — were then released by the police. However, the two have not been traced so far.
