Airports placed on high alert

Chennai, Nov 9 (UNI) Not taking any chances following the receipt of a letter in the name of 'Al Qaeda' warning of car bomb explosions in airports, especially Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Kerala, airport authorities in South India today sounded a high alert and beefed up other security measures.

In Karnataka, Director General of Police B S Sial, confirmed the receipt of an advisory sent by Commissioner of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and said security has been tightened in Bangalore and Mangalore international airports.

''I have asked Commissioners of Police and SPs in these cities to extend all cooperation to central security forces manning the airports'', he told UNI in Bangalore.

Additional forces were deployed in all entry and exit points of the two airports.

In Chennai, security was beefed up further at the Domestic Kamaraj and the international Anna airports. The authorities in the airport are keeping a strict vigil on the vehicles coming in.

Cars and autorickshaws are not being allowed to remain in the premises for more than three hours, according to airport Director Dinesh Kumar and police sources.

In Tiruchirapalli airport, where the threatening letter was received yesterday, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is maintaining a strict vigil in the airport while the police are keeping a vigil outside the airport complex.

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