Mumbai: Security upped at 2 Taj hotels after threat calls

Security increased outside Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba on Tuesday. (Photo: Ganesh Shirsekar)

Security at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba and Taj Lands End in Bandra (West) was increased after the hotels received two separate calls threatening 26/11-like terrorist attacks. The calls, police said, came hours after the Pakistan Stock Exchange was attacked by four terrorists.

According to police, the first call was made to Hotel Taj Mahal Palace. The caller reportedly told a hotel staffer that he is a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and threatened to blow up their premises like in the 26/11 attack. A second call, made to Hotel Taj Lands End, too made similar threats following which the Mumbai Police were informed.

Local police, Quick Reaction Teams and Anti-Terrorism Squad were deployed at both the hotels, even as police patrolling was increased across the city. An officer said, “We’ve learnt the calls were made from Karachi. The same number was used to make both the calls. It looks like a hoax threat because the SIM card is registered in the name of a man whose images are available on his social media profile.”