Perhaps, there was a plan to do a Jaipur in Chennai too. But fortunately, it has been nipped in the bud itself.

Well, the city police have netted three Muslim terrorists during a search at a lodge in Parry’s on Wednesday night.

It has now emerged that the three may have been plotting to kill Hindu leaders in the State and also possibly trigger some random blasts in the State.

Police are tight-lipped about what they have elicited from the three hardcore elements. But sources in the know on Thursday confirmed that the three were indeed ‘big catches’. Police have also refused to reveal the identity of the arrested persons.

It may be recalled that Chennai city came under a huge security blanket in the wake of Jaipur serial bomb blasts which killed around 80 persons on Tuesday.

Security has been stepped up at all important places in the city, including railway stations, airport and temples.

Police men were deployed in sensitive places and also near hospitals and parking areas. Following requisition to conduct thorough checks in lodges and hotels, police conducted random checks in lodges and hotels, especially in North Chennai looking for suspicious elements.

Acting on a tip-off about the movement of suspicious ultras in a lodge at Mannadi, a police team headed by ‘Q’ branch officer Pandian, Deputy Commissioner Karrupasamy and four Assistant Commissioners deputed 40 policemen for an intensive check in lodges.

In one such check, police rounded up three persons who are believed to be Muslim terrorists and took them for interrogation.

They initially said that they had come to Chennai for a business deal. Not convinced with their reply, police intensified their enquiry and asked them to produce proof supporting their deal. Since they did not possess any proof, the interrogations lead the cops on a terror trail.

The trio who were tight-lipped about their plan, after a thorough questioning disclosed that they had planned a blatant attack on leaders belonging to prominent Hindu organisations.

Police are continuing with their interrogations to obtain the exact details of their plans and the motive behind their attack.

Following this, special teams have been formed to keep a strict vigil on the lodges and hotels located both in the city and its suburb.