Gulshan, Niketan in tighter security

Law enforcement agencies have wrapped Gulshan diplomatic zone and its adjoining areas in a tight security blanket as part of "security measures," police said today.

The enhanced measures did not go unnoticed and the social media went abuzz of the increased police activity in Niketan and Gulshan areas this evening.

"We are acting according to intelligence," Ashraful Karim, assistant commissioner (patrol) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told The Daily Star in this regard.

As part of such measures, four more police check-posts have been set up in the area. Now, there are total 18 check-posts in different strategic places of the diplomatic zone.

COPS IN STRATEGIC MEETING WITH RESTAURANT OWNERS

Meanwhile, police today held a three-hour meeting with hotel and restaurant owners in and around the diplomatic zone after the grisly attack in Holey Artisan Cafe on July 1.

The meeting began from 5:00pm at the office of Gulshan police's deputy commissioner.

"It was a strategic meeting discussing the security of the hotels, restaurants and the overall security of the area," Assistant Commissioner Ashraful Karim said.

The hotel and restaurant owners have been asked to strengthen their personal security and remain in touch with police to prevent any untoward incident at the soonest, he said.

On July 1, in an attack reportedly claimed by the Islamic State, gunmen killed 20 hostages in a 12-hour long siege in a restaurant and killed two other police officers in gun battle.

The hostages were mostly foreign nationals including from Japan, Italy and the United States.

Several countries have issued a travel alert on Bangladesh. The US has said terrorist threat is still real and credible in Bangladesh and foreign nationals are likely to be its victims.