Karnataka on high alert following Centre's warning of LeT

Bangalore/Chennai, Jun 5 (PTI) India's southern state
of Karnataka put its police force on high alert, while
neighbouring state Tamil Nadu said a proper security mechanism
is in place to deal with any terror threat as Central
Intelligence agencies have warned of possible attacks by
banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in cities of south India.

Officials in state capital Bangalore said Karnataka
has put its intelligence wing and special agencies including
Anti-Terrorist Cell on high alert following inputs received
from the Centre on possible terror strikes by the LeT.

"We received an alert last night that there is
possibility of a three-member LeT gang striking at Andhra
Pradesh and the Centre wants Karnataka to be also on alert,"
state Home Minister V S Acharya told reporters Friday.

"We have sounded our intelligence department and also
special wings to step up vigilance," he said, adding, "there
is no need for panic."

In Chennai, state ADGP (Law and Order) K
Radhakrishnan, told PTI, "There is a general alert and we have
put in proper prevention mechanism in place."

Chennai Police Commissioner T Rajendran said, "There
is no specific threat... we have been receiving inputs on and
off over the past two years. But, whether or not there is a
terror alert, we have certain security system in place and a
police force with 15,000 personnel in the city is part of it
which is implementing various measures," he told reporters
here.

Rajendran, who recently took over as Chennai City
Police Commissioner, said as part of the security steps, some
areas in the city were under constant surveillance, while
random vehicle checks and patrolling were also in place. "We
are also keeping a close watch on foreigners," he said.

Earlier in the day, Intelligence officials said
Thursday's alert was not specific to Chennai but the
metropolis was considered a "vulnerable target" for terror
attacks.

The alert was issued fearing "possible retaliation" by
LeT terrorists for India's objection to the release of the
outfit's leader Hafiz Saeed, prime suspect in the Mumbai
terror strikes, they said.

An alert was sounded in Hyderabad Thursday based on
intelligence inputs that three LeT terrorists, in the age
group of 30, had entered the country and were planning to
strike in south Indian cities.

Last year, intelligence alerts were issued to Tamil
Nadu, saying LeT could attack five major places of Hindu
worship, but police played it down, saying it was a "regular"
alert.

A local terror module, including its mastermind Ali
Abdullah and a key operative Abdul Gaffoor, was busted in the
city last year. The group had allegedly planned to bomb key
installations in Chennai and Tirunelveli. PTI SA
PMR