Three days ahead of Sivaratri festival, the police in the State capital went on a massive security drive frisking commuters, inspecting vehicles and blaring cautionary messages at traffic junctions across the city.
The entire staff of law and order and traffic police stations fanned out onto to the roads increasing visible presence of the police. Regular patrolling vehicles, Blue Colt teams, Rakshak vehicles and constables on patrol duty were instructed to keep moving in their areas alerting the public and keeping tab on suspicious characters.
For the first time, even the traffic policemen were also roped in to organise checking of vehicles in addition to regulation of traffic flow. “We have been instructed to frisk even bicycle users. This could be because the terror operatives used bicycles to carry Improvised Explosive Devices at Dilsukhnagar,” a policeman said.
While these manual checks were on, the bomb disposal teams using latest gadgets and assisted by sniffer dogs conducted anti-sabotage checks at many places like shopping malls, busy intersections, religious places, prayer halls, theatres, railway and bus stations and parking lots.
The Commissioner’s Task Force teams continued to send decoy teams carrying explosive substances and firearms inside malls and theatres to assess preparedness of the security personnel there.
“Though some understand the importance of installing security systems, many are yet to realise it and take minimum precautions,” a Task Force officer said.
Sources in the Intelligence Bureau said a general alert was issued to keep places witnessing congregations of people in view the Sivaratri festival. “However, there are no specific inputs about possible terror attacks,” an IB officer maintained.
The Hyderabad Police Commissioner said the security checks would continue on Thursday as well.
Replying to a question, he said all the evidence gathered by the city police in the Dilsukhnagar terror strike was handed over to the National Investigation Agency officials.
