Hyderabad, March 28: As India and Pakistan gear up to lock horns in the high-voltage semi-finals of ICC World Cup 2011 at Mohali on Wednesday, the city police are leaving no stone unturned to tighten security especially in old city in the wake of the cricket match.
Plans are afoot to adopt a two-pronged strategy for the Wednesday’s match – heightened security measures and vigil on bookies.
Officials said patrolling would be intensified in south, east and west zones from afternoon and special pickets would be posted at strategic areas to keep a steady vigil on those moving suspiciously. Victory rallies would not be allowed at any cost after the match, they said.
They said instructions would be given to the Station House Officers (SHOs) of all the police stations to interact with owners of pubs and bars-cum-restaurants to initiate steps for preventing quarrels between inebriated customers while watching the match.
Emotional issue
“It’s a big match and chances of clashes in pubs and bars are high as customers will be in an intoxicated condition,” they said.
This apart, police are maintaining a watch on those indulging in large scale cricket betting. Though police have arrested eight persons till now on charges of collecting betting, special police teams have also launched a hunt to trace other gangs . Bookies and punters across the country are gearing up to run a show estimated to be crores of rupees, officials explained.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force) M. Srinivasulu said some gangs involved in cricket betting were already nabbed. Mobile phones, laptops and cash were also seized from them. Some bookies were still at large, he added.
-Agencies