Tamil Nadu has been put on high alert after Intelligence agencies sounded a warning on Thursday midnight that six Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists may have entered Coimbatore from Sri Lanka for possible attacks in Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Coimbatore and Chennai City police commissioners have confirmed that the alert has been issued by the state home department and security has been subsequently beefed up in all the major cities of Tamil Nadu.
“While one terrorist is from Pakistan, five others are from the island nation. They have come here through the sea route,” police sources revealed the intelligence alert. The Pakistani national has been identified as Ilyas Anwar.
The LeT terrorists have reportedly disguised themselves as Hindus and may carry out attacks across the state. According to a News 18 report, the alert also highlighted that the men are likely to have disguised as Hindus “with tilak/bhabuti smeared on foreheads”. The Pakistani national has been identified as Ilyas Anwar.
The reports further state that security installations, foreign embassies, tourist spots and worship centres could be among the targets of the terrorist group. Officials are also monitoring the coastal areas, particularly the movement of ferries and boats.
Vigil has been stepped up in malls, public places, railway stations and bus stands.
A general alert was sounded in the country after the Modi government came up with a historic move to change Kashmir’s destiny by revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 and the resultant deterioration of ties with Pakistan. The government had warned of possible ‘retaliatory attacks’ by terror organizations.
Notably, the Indian Armed Forces have been manning the volatile and infiltration prone Line of Control along Jammu had recently thwarted a major infiltration bid in the Macchal sector made within 15 hours of the announcement of scrapping Article 370 on August 5.
LoC between India and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has been tensed since days as Pakistan has reportedly been attempting to send BAT personnel with Islamist terrorists into the valley. There have been reports of continuous shelling at the LoC.
Last week, Bangaluru was put on high alert following intel warning of a possible terror strike. The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force were also put on high alert and Delhi Metro was put on red alert following the abrogation of Article 370.