PANJIM: Decoy terrorists were able to plant a ‘bomb’ at Panjim Municipal market, while two other decoy teams were apprehended before they were able to reach their targets in the Sagar Kawach exercise that commenced on Thursday.
Early Thursday morning coastal police intercepted a boat at Aguada bay which was carrying four ‘terrorists’ with two ‘bombs’. They were apprehended and brought to the Malim Jetty and the bombs defused.
The second decoy team with two ‘bombs’ was intercepted by local police and hotel security guards at Gaurawaddo, Calangute while they were entering a starred hotel. State agencies defused both bombs within the time limit.
Except in Panjim Municipal market, the decoy terrorists were not able to plant bombs anywhere else. All the agencies were placed on task at Panjim. The entire market was evacuated and the bomb finally traced below a staircase.
North Goa Superintendent of Police, Umesh Gaonkar said that once they receive a call the bomb is traced and defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad in two hours.
Though Panjim and other towns were hit by traffic jams at peak hours, the preparedness of the State’s security agencies were checked by this exercise.
