MHA issues terror alert for three metros

The Union home ministry on Monday issued an alert for Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore saying the three major cities could be targeted by terrorists.

Based on the interrogation of suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Salman Ahmed, the home ministry asked governments of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka to take all possible steps to foil any bid by terrorists to strike the cities.

"We are not taking any chances on whatever information we have received. So, we have alerted the concerned state governments to take all necessary security measures immediately," a home ministry official said.

During his interrogation, Salman, who was suspected to be involved in serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, confessed that the Indian Mujahideen has set up bases in Karachi, Kathmandu, Dubai and a few places in Middle East under its so-called 'Karachi Project.'

"He also confessed before the interrogators that IM cadres go to Pakistan either taking the route of Nepal or Bangladesh for training and he had returned from Pakistan only in January last," the official said.

Under the 'Karachi Project,' IM sends Indian youths to Pakistan for terror training and again push back them to the country to carry out subversive activities.