19 terrorists present in Tamil Nadu, planning major attacks on trains in several states: Karnataka Police

The Karnataka Police has issued an alert to as many as seven states and one Union Territory warning them about terrorists planning major attacks on trains in the coming days. 

According to sources, the Karnataka DGP has written to top police officials in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Maharashtra and Pondicherry, alerting them about terror attacks being planned on trains. The letter also talks about the presence of 19 terrorists in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram. 

The letter has been issued to DGPs of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Pondicherry, Goa and Maharashtra, DGP RPF (New Delhi), along with Bengaluru Police Commissioner, ADGP (Railways), ADGP (Law and Order) and IGP (Intelligence, Bengaluru).

According to the letter, a person claiming to be a lorry driver named Swamy Sundar Murthy called the police control room in Bengaluru and claimed to have information about terrorists planning attacks on trains in as many as seven states, along with Pondicherry.  

Swamy also claimed about the presence of 19 terrorists in Ramanathapuram, the letter added.  

Principal secretary to Tamil Nadu govt has also communicated the information to Tamil Nadu Police for necessary action.

The warning comes close to the heels of the dastardly terror attack on hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday which claimed over 250 lives, including 10 Indians, and left over 500 injured. 

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter terror attacks on three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels but the government has blamed a local Islamist extremist group, National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ), for the bombings. 

Indian intelligence agencies had warned their Sri Lankan counterparts about a possible terror attack hours before a series of explosions ripped through the island nation. The Indian government source said similar messages had been sent Sri Lankan intelligence agents on April 4 and April 20.