A thick security blanket was thrown around the iconic Hotel Taj Mahal Palace near Gateway of India in south Mumbai and Hotel Taj Land’s End at Bandra in north-west Mumbai on Tuesday, after the hotel group received a call purportedly from Pakistan threatening to engineer terrors along the lines of the 26/11 attacks.
Not wanting to take any chances, the city police also beefed up security around the famous Siddhivinayank temple at Prabhadevi in north-central Mumbai.
Official sources said that a caller –identifying himself as a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative from Pakistan – called up Hotel Taj Mahal Palace around 12.30 am. A similar call was received at Hotel Taj Land’s End at Bandra. The caller threatened to blow up the two hotels with explosives. The call reportedly came from a Karachi number.
Following the receipt of calls, the Taj Group of hotels alerted the Mumbai police.
Not losing any time, the city police tightened the security arrangements outside both the Taj hotels and launched investigations into the call received by the hotel group.
Similarly, as a precautionary measure, the police intensified security around Siddhivinayak Temple. “Lakhs of devotees come to this temple. Though we are not scared of any threat, we have taken cognisance of the alert sounded by the Mumbai police following the call received by the Taj group of hotels. On their own, the Mumbai police are beefing up the security around the temple. Some time ago, we trustees also held a meeting with the temple management on security matters,” Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust (SSGTT) Chairman and Marathi film actor Aadesh Bandekar said.
Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, located near the Gateway of India, was one the targets of LeT fidayeens during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, in which 166 people were killed and 300 others injured. Apart from the Hotel Taj, the other important targets were Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Cama Hospital, Oberoi-Trident Hotel, Leopold Café, Colaba and Nariman House.
Given that the telephonic threat call came in the wake of Monday’s attack on Karachi Stock Exchange, the city police have stepped up security measures at the two five star hotels, Siddhivinayak temple and other sensitive places across the metropolis.
While the Mumbai Police chose not to comment on the security steps taken by them, the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd (IHCL)-- which runs the Taj Group of hotels – confirmed that the two hotels had received threat calls.
In a statement issued here, an IHCL said: “We are proud to be a part of the fabric of this nation and the safety of our guests and associates is of paramount importance to us. We immediately alerted the authorities on receiving these calls and are providing full support and cooperation to the investigating agencies”.
“Our safety and security teams have ensured that all our protocols and guidelines are being followed towards safeguarding lives and assets. We would like to reassure our guests and associates that all adequate steps are being taken towards the safety of the premises,” the statement added.