Bengaluru under security blanket after blasts in Lanka

In the wake of the terror attacks in Sri Lanka, the police here Thursday stepped up security and initiated elaborate measures to prevent such an incident.

In addition, the police have decided to set up ananti-terrorist cell in the city and have written to Karnataka government in this regard.

As part of the measures, the police convened a meeting with head of variousinstitutions, religious places and commercial establishment with a footfall of more than 500.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, city police commissioner T Suneel Kumarsaid he has instructed deputy commissioners to gather information on religious places where lots of people congregate.

The deputy commissioners, in turn, have been directed to instruct the managers of malls and hotels.

Further, the commissioner decided to hold a meeting with the trustees, board members and managers of religious institutions and commercial places.

Kumar said the Sri Lanka experience revealed that many people went unchecked.

"The Sri Lanka experience tells us that the people were moving casually with baggage and without any security check," he said.

"We want to alert our hotelier-friends to escalate the security measures like installing baggage scanners. Physical-checking and frisking of each and every individual was necessary," he said.

The string of blasts in Sri Lanka on April 21 killed over 350 people andleft many others injured. As many as 10 people from Karnataka were killed in the blasts, of which nine were from Bengaluru.

Among the nine, eight were JD(S) workers who went to the island nation to take a break fromelectioneering.