City police today conducted a mock anti-terror drill at Chembur in suburban eastern suburbs.
Over 300 police personnel wearing bullet proof jackets, and armed with AK-47s took positions at various spots near K Star Mall at Chembur Diamond garden as part of the exercise.
The objective of the drill was to make the personnel battle ready and counter any acts of terrorism, police said.
"We were testing our preparedness by conducting mock drills. This will enable us to know the topography of the area and we can swiftly take positions in case of any adverse situation. This exercise lasted for about 45 minutes," deputy police commissioner Dilip Sawant said.
However, passers-by, unaware of the drill, were scared to see policemen bearing arms taking positions and a large number of vans parked outside the mall.
"I remembered last year's terror attacks when I saw policemen running around the area. I was shocked and for a minute I thought it was another terror attack in Mumbai," said Priyanka Prakash, a business analyst, who saw the mock drill while travelling in a bus.
"Like me, my co-passengers also thought that it was a terror attack," she said adding, "I personally feel that such drills will help police in the long run."
Elaborating the exercise, Sawant said, "Imagining that something has happened, we chalk out our strategy on how to bring the situation under control and rescue the victims."
This will enable us to gauge the preparedness in terms of planning and response time and also help us to measure overall performance, he said.
