In Surat & Vadodara, police ramp up surveillance, track accused in earlier ‘terror cases’

For instance, in the case of the 2008 bomb seizures, the Surat police had arrested two youths, Tanveer Pathan and Mohammed Zahir Patel,  along with others arrested from across the country. A court  pronounced Pathan guilty in 2022, while  Patel was acquitted. Similarly, in 2001, the Surat police carried out checks at Rajeshree Hall where SIMI was allegedly holding a meeting and detained 127 persons. Some among those arrested were from Surat, while others hailed from various parts of the country. In July 2008, several bombs went off in Ahmedabad and the following day, several bombs were seized from Surat

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Operations Group, Rajdeep Nakum, said, “We are tracking Mohammed Zahir Patel and nine other SIMI activists who are currently at large and will monitor their activities. Around 19 drone cameras have been deployed in different parts of Surat city, including coastal areas, to maintain vigilance. Our teams are also inspecting warehouses and godowns in Surat.”

Police teams have been deployed at public locations such as bus depots, hotels, guest houses, malls, cinema halls and crowded areas across the city. The Surat police have conducted coastal surveillance using drone cameras and have also alerted fishermen to remain vigilant against suspected activities at sea.

Officials in Vadodara said that a special unit of the city police is scanning the records of persons held in cases of possession of arms, explosives and terror activities and those, who are out of prison, are being closely tracked to ascertain their whereabouts and recent contacts.

The Vadodara city police has also undertaken a drive in suspected housing pockets of the city which are known to harbour migrants without documentation. Vadodara Joint Commissioner of Police, Dr Leena Patil, has been heading teams to conduct combing operations in these locations, where the police have also seized suspected vehicles without documentation and number plates on Tuesday.

Vadodara City Commissioner of Police Narasimha Komar told this newspaper that apart from setting up check posts to scan movement of vehicles from the entry and exit points, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads have also accompanied the city police teams to conduct checks on vehicles parked in public parking places such as bus stands and railway station as well as in crowded areas — corporate office parks and markets.

Komar said, “There are people with a history of previous Arms Act cases, some involved with explosives and such activities… Some are members of banned organisations. Such people are being tracked and verified. People with a history of terrorism are also being tracked. We have documentation of these individuals since the last 30 years… we are locating them (to ascertain) where are these people, have they come in contact with other suspicious people, are they missing, have they moved to the North (or other suspected areas)…”

Komar added that people who have sheltered others without informing the police in certain suspect localities in the city were also being checked while some persons were caught with sharp weapons on Monday. “These were not firearms but weapons like knives that are prohibited under Gujarat police Act. Action was taken against small-time criminals, who can harbour bigger miscreants…”

Komar also said that while the city police have been actively working on tracing a list of individuals involved in crime previously, the number of those with a history of terror activities was “small” in Vadodara city.

Surat Police Commissioner Gahlaut said, “We are conducting vehicle surveillance, checking hotels and guest houses and keeping vigil at crowded places. We have prepared a list of 15 people who were earlier nabbed by police in connection with the recovery of 29 live bombs in 2008 and SIMI activists arrested by Surat police in 2001, and those who are presently on bail.”

Surat is a textile hub and other industries town, and a large number of people from different states come to Surat to earn their livelihood. “We are in touch with the local informers and community leaders to find out about those who have rented out their houses. House owners are advised to collect all necessary details before renting to strangers and to share these details with the local police”, the police chief said.

Gahlaut said, “We are appealing to the people of Surat; if they find anything suspicious, they should contact the Surat police control room on 100 or 112 and share the information. The names of informers will be kept confidential.”