One week after terror alert, Coimbatore security cover lowered

The security cover placed in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore last week after an intelligence alert that 6 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants had entered the district from Sri Lanka has been scaled down slightly.

According to the intelligence alert that was received on August 21, 6 terrorists – one of them allegedly a Pakistani national named Illyas Anwar and 5 other Tamil Muslims from Sri Lanka – had set up base in Coimbatore. However, despite heavy security checks and combing operations no arrests were made.

The intelligence alert noted that the group had disguised themselves as Hindus with tilak/vibhuti smeared on their foreheads. The notice stated that the group was currently in Coimbatore.

The police had even questioned 3 men from Coimbatore and 2 others from Ernakulam for suspected links to the militants, but failed to find any connections.

A Kerala man who was taken into custody in Ernakulam on suspicion that he had helped the terrorists enter Tamil Nadu was later found to have no connection to the case. Details of his identity along with photographs had also been circulated by the media prior to his release. 

On Sunday, Coimbatore city police commissioner told The Hindu that the security cover had been lowered as of Friday.

The tightened security checks in the aftermath of the alert involved vehicle checks and random inspections in crowded public places. The security measures in railway stations and the airport was also tightened following this.

Although the security cover has been lowered, police will continue surveillance for the Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations on Monday, reports stated.

 Until Friday attempts were being made to gather more intelligence to reach a conclusion on the alert received last week. Agencies who were involved with gathering and corroborating intelligence stated that it was suspected that the militants had hid themselves successfully following widespread media coverage, reports stated.