Bhubaneswar: Biju Patnaik International Airport on Saturday conducted a mock drill involving sniffer dogs to assess if the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)-led security arrangement at the airport was foolproof. The security mock drill is conducted in case of a real threat or threat perception. Since the airport has special aircraft of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah parked, and they will leave on Sunday afternoon after concluding their three-day visit, the drill was carried out.
“The mock drill was conducted outside the arrival lounge. A bag was placed in a luggage carrier to make it appear abandoned and some incriminating material was there. A sniffer dog, guided by a CISF jawan, checked the bag,” an airport officer said. Airport sources said the access points to the airport towards the city side have been kept under strict vigilance. Passengers are being frisked to check for incriminating materials, especially electronic gadgets, from entering the airport operational areas. “The sniffer dog and bomb disposal squads have been asked to stay prepared,” said a CISF officer.
Another CISF personnel said National Security Guards (NSG) earlier conducted a joint mock drill with CISF. Notably, NSG top officers came here to discuss with the state police for better coordination to counter future threats. Since 2017, for the movement of VVIPs, security at the airport has been heightened thrice – in 2017, for the BJP national executive meet; in June this year, for BJP govt formation and this time for the DGP-IGP conference.
In another development, a team from the crime branch also began a probe into the email from Pannun to find out the source and IP address. The team visited a local journalist’s home and verified his laptops and emails. The CB sleuths are yet to divulge the address from where the mail came and whether it truly originated from Pannun or was a fake one.