30 ‘dummy IEDs’ planted across Delhi to check police alertness, 12 found

At a recent crime review meeting, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal made a presentation before Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana about the need to conduct such mock infiltration exercises. “The first batch of 15 dummy IEDs was planted on June 12 across Delhi’s districts, and 10 of them were detected. Of the 10, two were detected by the public in Southeast and North districts; three by security guards of malls in South, Rohini and Outer districts; and five by the local police in North, Northeast, East, Northwest and Outer North districts,” a senior police officer said.

Dhaliwal also informed the police chief that another batch of 15 dummy IEDs was planted on June 28, again in all the districts, but this time 13 couldn’t be detected. The two that were detected had been planted in the northern range. “The IEDs were planted openly by the Special Cell – in a flower pot, near a dustbin at a mall, outside the gate of Palika Bazar,” an officer said.

After the presentation, Asthana asked Dhaliwal to conduct a similar drive at the IGI airport, railway and Metro stations to check the alertness of police and ensure vigilance. Initially, the Special Cell had decided to conduct such a drive twice a month, but they now plan to conduct it once every month.

A letter issued last month by DCP (Special Cell) Ingit Pratap Singh had stated, “Keeping in view the controversy and recent violent protests over the Prophet Muhammad issue, and Al-Qaeda’s threat of suicide attacks in India, police staff should be instructed to develop intelligence inputs to thwart any militant attack/plan. The Special Cell staff will randomly infiltrate and plant dummy IEDs at places with high footfall in each district to check the alertness of local police staff.”