A high security alert has been sounded in the metropolis and vigil stepped up especially in and around Siddhivinayak Temple following intelligence inputs that warns of terror strike during US President Barack Obama's visit to India this weekend.
The famous shrine, situated in the heart of Mumbai, has been fortified after information that terror outfit LeT and its affiliates have dispatched teams to execute attack on the temple and other vital installations in the financial capital, a police officer said today.
One of the city's oldest temples, Siddhivinayak in Prabhadevi area attracts over 50,000 devotees on Tuesdays, the most popular day of worship at the shrine, and this is when the terror groups could target it, the officer added.
Police have raised the security threat alert levels to the highest notch against the backdrop of terror threat. A tight surveillance system has been put in place ahead of January 26 and the visit of Obama, who will be chief guest at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
Personnel from Quick Response Team, an anti-terror unit of Mumbai Police, has been deployed outside the temple, police said.
Since the past few days, the Union Home Ministry has been sending alerts, based on phone intercepts of terror outfits, to States about possible attacks in the run up to or during the three-day India trip of the US President.
