Cops do a sting operation on Inorbit Mall's security; woman carrying pistol in handbag passes through the checks easily and freely roams about in shopping plaza
Cops do a sting operation on Inorbit Mall's security; woman carrying pistol in handbag passes through the checks easily and freely roams about in shopping plaza
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THIS was one woman who sincerely wished the pistol in her bag would set the metal detectors off at the mall she was trying to enter. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
Police found that one of the biggest malls in
city does not have foolproof security
Forget the metal detectors, even the private security guards who rummaged through her bag failed to detect the pistol tucked safely in her bag.
The woman was part of a team sent by the police to determine if the one of the biggest malls in the city was a safe hangout for its teeming millions. The exercise was conducted keeping in mind the Independence Day fervour.
The main aim of the exercise, undertaken by the Bangur Nagar police, was to check if anyone carrying a pistol could get into the mall without being intercepted.
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Accordingly, a 38-year-old well-dressed woman was sent by the police around 12.30 pm to the mall.
Not only did the metal detectors fail to set off when she passed through, but a search of her bag also failed to reveal the object.
The woman then managed to enter the premises with the pistol safely tucked in her bag. Not just that, she also roamed the entire mall before exiting it.
Sources at the police station said it was a mock drill and conducted in the wake of fresh terror threat to the city.
"Since Inorbit Mall is the biggest mall in our jurisdiction and crowded, we cannot take any chances with the security of the establishment.
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We were expecting a huge crowd in the mall today (Monday) on account of the holiday," said a police officer. "The security of the visitors is the responsibility of the mall authority.
But whenever any untoward incident takes place, the police is blamed, although the mall has hired a private security agency."
Visitors' complaint
An officer from the Bangur Nagar police station said visitors to the mall had tipped them off about the lapse in security. "After receiving complaints, we sent the woman.
We had hidden the pistol in the bag. The woman was checked but her handbag was not thoroughly searched.
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We had sent two officers in plain clothes to follow her and bail her out in case she was caught by the security guards," said the officer.
Senior Police Inspector Ramesh Kadam of Bangur Nagar police station said, "Whenever we find lapses in security, we give a letter to the mall authorities and ask them to give an explanation.
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We have conducted a security check on Monday but will not be able to disclose the details. We regularly conduct such security checks."
The Other Side
When contacted the authorities at the Inorbit Mall denied the security check yesterday. When told that police officers had confirmed it, the woman who answered the phone said they did not want to comment on the matter.
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