Terror plot to blow up Delhi metro busted

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Special Cell of the Delhi police and their counterparts in Cuttack have unearthed a major terror plot which included targeting the Delhi metro among other places in the National Capital.

Two arrests that were carried out in a joint operation by the Delhi and Cuttack police have unearthed a sinister plot on part of the al-Qaeda and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to carry out a series of attacks in Delhi.

The arrests come just a week after a parliamentary panel had stated that in Delhi the Metro is the most vulnerable.

There are 25 lakh people who use the Delhi metro everyday and hence this makes it a favoured target for the terrorist groups.

The police will now question both the arrested persons Asif and Abdul Rehman. Both hail from Uttar Pradesh and the claim of the police is that they had travelled to both Afghanistan and Pakistan and obtained training.

Meanwhile the Intelligence Bureau has issued a general alert across Delhi and has advised security to be stepped up particularly in the Delhi metro and other crowded places.

Delhi metro most favoured terror target:

While the Intelligence Bureau has always stated that the Delhi metro is the most favoured terror target, a Parliamentary panel too had stated the same last week.

The panel had said that there is an urgent need to strengthen the security of Delhi Metro trains to neutralise the possibility of any terrorist strike, as the capital's mass rapid transport system is vulnerable to attacks.

The visibility of Delhi Police in metro stations must be substantially increased, it was suggested.

Metro rail in Delhi appears to be vulnerable to man-made disasters or terrorist attack," the department-related parliamentary standing committee on home affairs said in its report.

The panel recommended that Delhi Police should continue to take pre-emptive steps to guard Delhi Metro against any causality or strike.

"Delhi Police should be in close coordination with Central Industrial Security Force to provide appropriate security without any possibility of lapse. Deployment of Delhi Police staff at more metro stations may also be examined," it said.

As crowd density at metro stations at any given point of time is very high, it is a potential target for terrorist activity.

At present, there are eight metro police stations to look after law and order, crime and security of the area, it said.

Delhi Police is taking various pre-emptive steps -- like anti-sabotage check in cooperation with the CISF.

To strengthen security and neutralise any possible terrorist strike, a proposal for Quick Response Teams at different metro stations is also under process, the Committee said.

Besides this, process to install CCTV cameras at parking lots and other areas of metro stations has also been initiated.

The manpower proposal for the creation of 2,088 posts for eight existing metro stations is part of the 17 proposals sent to Ministry of Finance for approval.

These booths at the metro stations are already in operation at Rajiv Chowk metro station and Chandi Chowk metro station, where staff from metro police station are deployed.

OneIndia News