Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists infiltrate : Tamil Nadu, Kerala on high alert

Chennai : Tamil Nadu Police are on high alert following intelligence reports that six Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists have infiltrated the state. One of the six is believed to be a Pakistani national, the others are believed to be from Sri Lanka.

Police are also on alert in neighbouring Kerala, with districts adjoining Tamil Nadu ordered to carry out extra inspections. "We have received this information and have alerted our force.

We want the public to inform the police if they see any suspicious person or any suspicious activity," a top Tamil Nadu police officer said. Security in Chennai and Coimbatore has been strengthened, with hotels, airports, railway stations, theatres, malls and places of worship under close watch.

At least 2,000 police personnel have been deployed around Coimbatore, where a red alert has been sounded. According to news agency IANS, the LeT terrorists are believed to be hiding in the city. Coimbatore has come attack from fundamentalist groups in the past. In 1998, serial blasts coinciding with the visit of senior BJP leader LK Advani killed 58 people and left 200 injured.

"There is no need for panic, Everything is under control," Coimbatore Police Commissioner Sumit Sharan said, adding that the Army and the Air Force had also been alerted. "We have strengthened security and conducting vehicular checks too in several places," a senior Chennai police officer said.

Security has also been increased in the temple town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, as also the Nagapattinam coast where the Shrine Basilica in Vailankanni, a famous Christian pilgrim centre, has been given extra protection, according to news agency PTI.