Mock security drill at RBI HQ sends onlookers in tizzy

Security agencies on Thursday carried out a mock drill at the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) headquarters here, which involved a helicopter hovering over the 25-storey building in south Mumbai.

A video shot from the street below shows a helicopter coming over the RBI building's terrace and a few security men slithering down.

As part of the mock drill, the security establishment created a "hostage situation" where people had to be evacuated from a particular floor in the RBI building, sources said.

The entire operation, involving multiple agencies, was planned to the last detail, they said.

There are various kinds of security and fire drills that are conducted on a regular basis and this was a specific one which involved the use of helicopters.

It can be recalled that during the November 2008 terror attacks, commandos from the National Security Guard (NSG) had slithered down on the Chhabad House, one of the three sites of attack, and neutralised the terrorists holed in.

As part of Thursday's drill, a chopper hovered close to the roof of the RBI building in the high-security area, taking everyone by surprise.

A senior police official said it was a security drill designed keeping in mind a few possible scenarios.

RBI sources said it was a "mock drill" carried out by the central bank's in-house security department with the help from other agencies.