Ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit, intelligence agencies have warned against possible attempts by “Pakistan-sponsored jihadi elements” to cause large-scale violence before January 28. The disruptions could be in the form of protests turning violent.
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Among the suspected outfits are the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Hizbul Mujahideen. According to the intelligence report shared with several States, four groups have been despatched to India for causing large-scale violence.
While one of the groups is said to be located in Maharashtra, the second is suspected to have been directed to Uttar Pradesh and the third and fourth groups have supposedly set up base in Rajasthan and Odisha.
Some of the suspected terrorists have also been named as part of the input shared with the police. The group in Maharashtra may target Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai and hence, security around it has been stepped up.
Likewise, the other three States have also been told to remain on high alert. Security along the borders and coast has also been stepped up.
According to Home Ministry sources, another group of 10 trained militants presently staying in Sialkot (Pakistan) is planning to sneak into India at the instance of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. Intelligence inputs suggest that an ISI Major has been given the task of facilitating the infiltration, said an MHA official on Thursday.
Antecedents of all the personnel who would be a part of the security ring on Republic Day and during Mr. Obama’s visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan and other places in Delhi are being re-examined.
As a precautionary measure, all employees of ITC Maurya, where Mr. Obama and his team would stay, would not be allowed to carry mobile phones. Mobile jammers would be activated.
A highly trained canine squad, consisting of seven Belgian Shepherds, has already been brought to Delhi to assist the bomb-detection squads.
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