According to a senior police officer, the intelligence alert said a group of 12 LeT terrorists have already sneaked into Mumbai and 4 from the group having crossed over to Ahmedabad from Mumbai. The alert also stated that the LeT terrorists had a plan to carry out terrorist attacks at foreign consulates, particularly that of the US, UK, France, Germany and few others located in Mumbai on Christmas eve and New Year.

The intelligence alert also spoke of the terrorist likely to carry out a fedayeen-type attack at the foreign missions and may carry out suicide mission using vehicles which they would run over from the entry points of the missions. Apart some of the terrorists may be act as human bombs, the alert is reported to have stated, according to police sources.

Further, the intelligence agencies also said that the terrorists, while targeting the foreign missions, would also target the Mumbai police headquarters.

Following the intelligence advisory, the Mumbai police beefed up security to the maximum level in Mumbai deploying commandos and armored vehicles at all the foreign missions, Mumbai police headquarters and the state police headquarters.

Parking of vehicles within a radius of half a kilometer from the missions and Mumbai police headquarters were also banned.

Special forces of the Mumbai police carried out combing and searching operations as also house-to-house searches were conducted on Tuesday midnight and on Wednesday in some localities. Searches were also conducted at railway stations, bus terminus, lodges and hotels. Huge deployments of armed and civilian police were put in place in crowded market places. Suspected persons were frisked at railway stations, especially at Chhatrapti Shivaji Terminus and Churchgate railway stations.

Suspected people were interrogated thoroughly and then released.

The police were told to be on their toes and specific instructions were relayed to them on security.

“We will not allow the terrorists to create any trouble and all possible steps have been taken to foil an attempt by the terrorists to disturb peace. We would like the foreign nationals to take all precautions for their safety as the terrorists may target them too,” said another police official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mumbai police commissioner Sanjeev Dayal, while assuring the citizens and the foreigners of all possible security to them, told the media that the police had taken the utmost security measure based on the inputs about a terror threat ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.  

Dayal further stated that the Mumbai police had been regularly receiving alerts from the federal intelligence agencies about likely terror attacks. And these inputs are analyzed and taken very seriously. There is good coordination between all security agencies and citizens should remain alert and there are no reasons for them to panic, he added.

Along with Mumbai, the state police headquarters sounded high alert in neighboring Pune and Aurangabad cities.