JOIN USThe City police remained on high alert on Tuesday in the wake of tweets that warned of terror attacks in support of Mehdi Masroor Biswas, 24, who was arrested last week for allegedly handling a Twitter account that propagated the Islamic State.
But a statement released by the office of the police commissioner dismissed the tweets as “just rumours” and asked the public not to panic. On Tuesday, police kept a strict vigil in areas where there is heavy movement of people. Policemen were also deployed in shopping malls and other public places.
On Monday night, police picked up a man who was found moving “suspiciously” around Jamia Masjid near K R Market. They confiscated his laptop and mobile phone. They then took him to the police station. The man, identified as Hasan, an architect from Hyderabad, had come down to the City recently in search of job. He was sleeping on the footpath near the Jamia Masjid as he could not rent a room in any lodge. The police checked with his family members in Hyderabad before letting him off.
‘Red Alert Day’
On Tuesday evening, another set of rumours was being circulated through WhatsApp and other social media about the City being “under threat” and Wednesday being declared ‘Red Alert Day’.
Police have asked the public to remain alert, and contact them if they find any suspicious material left abandoned or anybody moving around suspiciously. A senior police officer said, “We are on constant patrol. Policemen have been deployed at railway and bus stations, and are checking every corner of the premises. We have also asked security guards at Metro stations to keep a check on the luggage.”