Belgium explosions: Security beefed up in Delhi

New Delhi: Security was stepped up in the national capital today hours after a series of explosions ripped through the Brussels airport and a metro station in the Belgian capital, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 200.

Delhi Police ramped up security at railway stations, bus terminuses, the airport, popular markets and places around vital installations in the city, a senior official said.

Delhi Police’s counter-terrorism unit Special Cell and the Crime Branch have also been roped in, the official said adding, local police have been alerted and a tight vigil put in place at the porous borders of the city.

In the afternoon, panic gripped passengers at the Indira Gandhi international airport after the Jet Airways call centre received threats about bombs on five of its aircraft.

While three of the planes had already departed by the time the anonymous call about the bomb threats was received, the fourth aircraft, which was bound for Chennai, was diverted to Nagpur, sources said.

Another plane, also bound for Chennai which was preparing for take off, was grounded and undergoing checks by the security agencies, a senior police official said.