Three held in Sabarimala, security stepped up

The youth, who were arrested on Tuesday night, belonged to Palani in Tamil Nadu.

Three persons working in a tea-stall in Sabarimala have been arrested even as security has been stepped up in major temples across the state including the hill shrine in view of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on Wednesday.

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The youth, who were arrested on Tuesday night, belonged to Palani in Tamil Nadu. They secured their jobs by giving false names concealing their true identity, the Sannidhanam police said.

Their acutal names are Hakim, Allapicha and Shahul Hameed while their identity cards, required for working in Sabarimala where the pilgrimage season is on, showed the names as Rajendran, Alagiriswamy and Shanmughanathan respectively.

They were interrogated and the Tamil Nadu police had been informed of the arrests to ascertain their antecedents including whether they had any connection with any extremist outfits, police said.

Security had been tightened in and around the hill shrine since Tuesday where pilgrims continued to pour in thousands.

Metal detectors have been installed in five vital points including the 'holy eighteeen steps' just below the sanctum sanctorum of the hill shrine. Mobile phones and cameras were strictly prohibited.

Security had also been strengthened in Guruvyaur Sri Krishna temple.