The Hyderabad city police has ordered the sealing of two commercial establishments and served notice on six others after their security arrangements were found to be inadequate in dealing with terrorist threat.
The police took the unprecedented measure after its mock drill exposed the lacuna in the security set up large malls, hotels, and tourist places at a time.
The mock drill was undertaken following the Intelligence Bureau's warning that a terrorist was on the prowl in the city to carry out an attack.
Snow World, a popular tourist destination near Hussain Sagar lake, and a shopping mall were sealed after plain clothed policemen managed to pass through their metal detectors with bomb-like objects and planted them inside.
Later, the police searched those places and recovered the hidden bomb exposing the weakness in security arrangements.
Similar searches were carried out at Imax theatre, five other shopping malls and hotels where plain clothed policemen had already successfully breached and planted bombs. The police found either the metal detectors not working properly or the private security guards not up to the task of searching the visitors.
The crowded Karachi Bakery in Moazzam Jahi market was the only place where security was found alert, as the guards did not allow the policemen to enter with bags and insisted that it should be left at the prescribed place.
The police's attempt to use a woman to do the job also failed.
Hyderabad city police commissioner A K Khan, who sounded the alert, confirmed having received a warning from the intelligence agencies that terrorist may carry out an attack in the city any time.
"We have some specific information from central agencies that any thing might happen in the coming few days", he said.
Apart from Hyderabad, alert has also been sounded in the adjoining Cyberabad, home to hundreds of IT companies.
