New Delhi, August 20Almost 14 years after 10 heavily armed Pakistani terrorists stormed Mumbai and carried out attacks that left 166 persons dead, the police of the country’s financial capital in Maharashtra are on the alert again after receiving text messages that threatened of a ’26/11-like’ attack.The Mumbai police’s traffic wing received several text messages on its helpline number, threatening that a “26/11-like” attack would be carried out in the city by six persons and “preparations were on to blow up” the metropolis, an official said. The messages were reportedly received from a phone number carrying Pakistan’s code. “Text messages were received on the WhatsApp number of the Mumbai traffic police’s helpline operated from its control room located at Worli around 11.30 pm on Friday,” the official said. The city police’s crime branch had initiated an investigation into it, he said.Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar said the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad and the city police personnel had been put on alert. “Coastal security has been beefed up and we are coordinating with the Coast Guard,” he said, adding ‘Operation Sagar Kavach’ had been launched.The Mumbai police said the messages had a mention of slain 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab and late Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. The messages mentioned that “aides of the purported attackers were already in India”.The November 26, 2008, attack was carried out by terrorists using the sea route. Fourteen years down the line, the Indian security establishment is yet to ensure that all boats less than 20 metres in length have an automatic identification system (AIS). The AIS-fitted boats emit a signal for ground-based radars to pick up to identify the vessel’s owner and travel route.
