A “mock drill” by police in Patna’s hotspots created a fluster, as many thought it was security tightening after an alert.

Sources in the police said there was intelligence information about a possible terrorist activity at a temple in Patna after which security was tightened at religious sites.

On June 22, the city police intensified security checks in areas like Mahavir Sthan, Patna Junction and Takht Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara in Patna City, resulting in panic. However, higher-ups in the state police headquarters said the entire surveillance was a mock drill and there was no intelligence alert about any terror group planning an attack in Patna.

“Once or twice a year we carry out mock drills to check the alertness of the police. Saturday was a similar exercise. It is a known fact that any information coming from the Intelligence Bureau cannot be leaked. The police headquarters doesn’t have information about any kind of a terror plot taking shape in Patna,” additional director-general (law and order) S.K. Bharadwaj said on Monday.

But sources in the city police office begged to differ. They said there was an intelligence input and hence security was tightened.

“According to information, a Devi Temple in Shastri Nagar was on the target list. However, the information is baffling because the temple is in a secluded area, unlike popular sites like Mahavir Mandir. But intelligence inputs need to be taken seriously,” a senior police officer said. Sources said two men, believed to be operatives of the Indian Mujahideen, had come to Patna from Calcutta for a recce of the capital in May. The duo were identified as Sarfuddin and Sirajuddin.