German Bakery manager did not follow security guidelines: Police

Pune police today claimed that the management of German Bakery that was bombed in February 13 terror attack had not followed the standard security guidelines given to all establishments in Koregaon Park area.

Talking to reporters here, city police commissioner Satyapal Singh said a letter detailing the necessary security guidelines to be implemented was handed over to the manager of the eatery on October 9, 2009.

"They did not follow the security guidelines", he added. Maintaining that investigators were on the "right track", Singh denied reports that the authorities had received a fresh terror alert for Pune where security has been beefed up since last night.

"We have stepped up bandobast to ressure the common people in the wake of the terror attack", he said.

Asked on a television channel report quoting Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan on "some arrests" made in the German Bakery case, the commissioner said "he has no information on this". He said rumour mongers were having a field day in the city and warned them of action if they were caught.

On the directive against the use of scarves by two-wheeler riders in the city issued today, Singh said police would initiate necessary measures to implement it after going soft for the first three days.

Replying to questions, he said he had no official communication on media reports that the Centre was likely to hand over Pune blast investigations to National Investigation Agency if the ATS failed to get a breakthrough within a week.

He denied reports that use of water at the blast site had resulted in damage to circumstantial evidence saying "all proofs at the scene of crime are intact".