Coimbatore, Vellore Put on High Alert After 6 Lashkar Terrorists 'Enter' TN

New Delhi: After an intelligence input indicated that six suspected terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had entered Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai stepped up their security precautions, according to a report in the

Newsminute.

The intelligence alert indicated that one Pakistani national and five Sri Lankan Tamil Muslims had entered Tamil Nadu via sea from the island nation. According to the intelligence alert, the suspected terrorists were reportedly last seen in Coimbatore and have allegedly been assisted by a native of Kerala, employed in Bahrain, who had been aiding them with logistics and creating a base.

The Pakistani national has been identified as Illyas Anwar.

According to a report in the Hindu

, coastal areas came under heightened surveillance as well and police officials asked fishermen to tip them off about suspicious activities. Intelligence input had flagged five possible targets for attacks: Velankanni shrine in Nagapattinam; Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington, Udhagamandalam; Air Force Station in Sulur, Coimbatore; Sabarimala shrine in Kerala; and “any other communally sensitive” target.

The police also conducted search operations in Coimbatore in public places and deployed close to 1,500 personnel due to the high alert. A team of 34 commando officers were also dispatched to Coimbatore as a part of the search operations.

The security precautions for all places of religious significance was heightened and leaders of pro-Hindu outfits were briefed about the situation, according to the Hindu.

Also read: Terror Funding: What Can Be Done to Cut the Pipelines That Flame Militancy?

In Vellore, security checks were conducted at all entry points along with places of worship, railway stations and bus terminuses by police officials and a special team was deployed for providing security to the Vellore Fort and Jalagandeswarar Temple. Inter-State borders were secured with armed police force.

Security at the Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai was also boosted as bomb detection and disposal squad men were deployed to the temple’s premises. With the entire district on high alert, armed police officials, equipped with automatic weapons, guarded the temple which has been provided with 3-tier security.