Goa to tighten security for Chabad House, carnival

PANAJI - A Jewish prayer house in Goa has been provided 24-hour security cover in the wake of the terror attack in Pune, police said here Sunday.

The Chabad house located in Anjuna, 20 km from here, sees quite a few Israeli tourists and had reportedly been surveyed by Pakistani American Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley, currently in US custody, during his weeklong stay in Goa last year.

“Our north district superintendent of police visited the prayer house last night, immediately after the Pune incident to take stock of the situation. We have raised the security presence there. We will be mounting a 24-hour vigil,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ravindra Singh Yadav told reporters.

Nine people were killed and at least 57 injured when a bomb exploded Saturday evening in Pune’s German Bakery, which is frequented by many foreigners.

The bakery was located near the Osho Ashram and a Chabad House Jewish religious centre. The Chabad House in Mumbai was also targeted during the 26/11 attacks.

The police officer said security would be increased for the four-day Goa carnival, which kicked off here Saturday.

“We also will be beefing up security for the carnival festival since it is a major tourist attraction,” Yadav said.

Yadav added that Goa was on a high state of alert with most vehicles entering and exiting the state being thoroughly examined.

“We are leaving no stone unturned,” Yadav said.

Goa, which sees around two million tourists annually, has been the target of several terror threats over the last few years.