Mumbai: Unprecedented security measures were put in place for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's South Mumbai visit. The police secured the area by conducting sorties by drones, while agents of Israeli security agency conducted searches in road cavities, electricity boxes and shop's signages for possible sabotages.
The Israeli PM’s visit at the Chabad House in Colaba took place in the afternoon. The area around the Jewish community center was sanitized by the Mumbai police and the residents were asked to keep indoors for the 40 minutes span when the Israeli premier was present at the Nariman House.
Agents of Israeli external intelligence agency Mossad sanitized the Chabad House and the approach route hours before the visit. The locals were in for a different experience as they saw the agents check cavities of the poor quality road leading to the Chabad House from Shahid Bhagat Singh road.
"I never witnessed this level of checking and security measures before. They checked the electricity box and the opened the electric signages of shops in the alley," said Antim Chougule, a resident of Azad Nagar in Colaba.
The checks came as a surprise to even Mumbai police, who were told that this was part of the pre decided procedures for securing a venue that would be visited by an Israeli premier.
"The drone was constantly flying around the venue after the premier arrived there. The footage from the CCTV was being monitored real time for necessary action, if need be," added a senior Mumbai police officer at the spot.
Companies of the state reserve police was deployed in the surrounding lanes near Chabad House along the barricades that were manned by the Quick Response Team commandos.
The vehicular traffic was also stopped at the main road while Netanyahu's cavalcade was in transit.Apart from the visiting dignitary, Moshe Holtzberg, his uncle also called Moshe and the kid's nanny Sandra Samuel were also present at the venue.
On being asked about what message uncle Moshe would like to give to Pakistan, he said, “Stopping monetary aide by United States to Pakistan speaks a lot. There has to be accountability and if you (Pakistan) are serious about taking on terrorism, it cannot happen by letting out Hafeez Saeed or Lakhvi.”
