(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The state police have been conducting search operations in the border village of Santalpur the men in brown are keeping an eye on suspects at airports railway stations and bus stops.The police in Gujarat which has been on the radar of terrorist groups since the 2002 communal riots have been told to keep their powder dry after Al Qaeda announced the formation of its wing in India even as federal home minister Rajnath Singh is arriving in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state on Tuesday to review the situation on its border with Pakistan.
While the state police put on heightened alert on Friday along with the Border Security Force (BSF) have been conducting search operations in the border village of Santalpur in northern Patan district the men in brown are keeping an eye on suspects at airports railway stations and bus stops.
Gujarat director-general of police P C Thakur told Khaleej Times that the state home department after a high-level meeting on Thursday with senior police officers to discuss the video of Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri had asked them to keep tab on activities of the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
He also said that security had been stepped up at all vital installations in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad and cyber security experts had been asked to aggressively scan social media increasingly the principal means of recruitment and propaganda for terrorist organisations for any sensational or incendiary posts by either Al Qaeda or ISIS.
“After 2002 we have received more than 500 terror alerts of different levels from the central and state intelligence agencies. We have to stay alert whenever there is an input on possible terror attacks” said Thakur.
“While the Centre is checking the authenticity of the Al Qaeda video we are also keeping watch on group SMSes and MMSes” said S K Nanda additional chief secretary home adding that all SPs and police commissioners had been asked to stay alert during the ongoing Ganesh festival ending on Monday.
The border near Pakistan is being combed following a recent input about the possible intrusion of 15 terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s suicide squad in India through Rajasthan.
Intelligence sources said that the input generated by central agencies was that that there could be suspects hiding in the border areas of Gujarat connecting with Pakistan.
Three months ago there were reports of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed being spotted about 117 km away from the Kutch border in the Pakistani side.
The parliament was told recently that 11 suspected intrusions by terrorists were recorded this year in Gujarat from the Pakistani side while 86 intrusions were recorded in 2013 and 41 in 2012. For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes Follow khaleejtimes ->
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