City on high alert

Check posts, searches all over Police deployed in big numbers Authorities take no chance in view of A Shivratri on Sunday Police Chief says no fresh alert from Centre City has been turned into an impregnable fortress in view of Maha Shivratri festival on March 10. Security has been beefed up like never before in the wake of the recent terror attacks in the city. Vehicle checking has been intensified and number of patrols increased. Uniformed police personnel backed by armed constables were seen at every corner stopping vehicles to inspect the documents and also frisk the vehicles and its occupants. Searches were also being carried out in hotels and lodges. City Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma on Wednesday said that frisking operations had been intensified in crowded places. People should be alert and inform the police about any suspicious objects found in any place or suspicious movements of strangers.

No fresh alerts from central agencies The Commissioner, however, said no fresh alert of any kind has been received from the central intelligence agencies. "We have stepped up vigil in view of Shivratri as there will be huge gatherings at the temples. We are fully prepared to handle any kind of situation since we do not want to take any chance," he said. Managements of malls, business houses and traders across the city had installed as many as 600 CCTV cameras following security awareness programmes launched by the city police after the Dilsukhnagar blasts, Anurag Sharma said. He urged people not to get panicky over rumours and contact local police for help should there be any trouble. Meanwhile, Octopus (Organisation to Counter Terrorist Operations) commandos conducted a mock drill at Prasad's Imax at Necklace Road to show its preparedness in handling crisis. Thorough searches had been carried out by security personnel at various public and other crowded market places.

Bomb hoax Bomb disposal teams conducted inspection at Mythrivanam and on Kachiguda-Nizamabad passenger train following bomb scare. However, both the instances turned out to be hoax calls, police said. On the other hand, police found huge amount of cash during vehicle searches till evening. Police found Rs 10 lakh and Rs 35 lakh worth US currency from a person in Narayanaguda, while Rs 10 lakh was found from a vehicle in Himayatnagar. Anurag Sharma said the money and valuables found during searches would be returned to the owners if they produce related documents. In case they fail to do it, the money and valuables would be handed over to the Income Tax department along with the person from whom they had been seized.