High alert at Bangalore airport, city

Bangalore city and the international airport have been put on high alert following an intelligence alert and in view of Ramadhan fasting and upcoming Independence Day, police said Monday.

"We have stepped up security by deploying more personnel (about 200-250) in and around the airport and intensified patrolling across the city," Bangalore Additional Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant told IANS.

As the third busiest in the country, the Bangalore airport, about 40 km from the city centre, operates about 400 flights daily.

"We have put our forces on high alert and deployed additional personnel at vital installations, VIP areas, railway stations, bus terminals, commercial areas and malls as part of our exercise," Pant said.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of the security at the airport and support facilities around it, has also deployed more personnel and intensified checks at entry and exit points.

"Frisking of passengers and scanning of their baggage has been intensified as part of additional security measure," a CISF spokesman said.

All vehicles, including cargo trucks and special buses bringing passengers, are subjected to the security drill.