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Urvashi Seth visits luxury hotels with two questions for the security guards: What are they looking for under the cars using trolley-mounted mirrors? And do they really help? She returns with mixed reactions
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TIGHT CHECK: Private security guards at Hotel J W Marriott check a vehicle with the help of a sniffer dog.
PIC/PRADEEP DHIVAR |
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CHECK KARO: A guard checks a vehicle entering ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Andheri.
PIC/PRADEEP DHIVAR | Hotel J W Marriott, Juhu
Security Guard: We do not use mirrors. We have CCTV cameras fixed under the speed breaker, which can easily scan the car from below. The person in the control room monitors the cameras.
ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Andheri
Security guard: Gaadi ke neeche bomb ya RDX hai toh hum dekh sakte hai na.
(Shakes his head to indicate that their mirrors are of no use)
Le Royal Meridien, Andheri
Security Guard: We look for any suspicious items under the car. Since we are trained, we can easily spot RDX or bombs. The mirrors are very helpful.
Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, Juhu
Security Guard: We look for any suspicious items. If we find any loose wires, we inform our seniors. Then, the car is not allowed inside.
However, till date, we have not experienced anything like that.
The mirrors are not very helpful, because if RDX or a bomb is kept in the gas cylinder, we cannot find them.
ITC Grand Central, Parel
Security guard: Kya karte hain, matlab? Bomb dhundte hai.
Agar gaadi ke neeche kuch hai toh hum dekh sakte hain.
Hyatt Regency, Andheri
Security guard: Kuch nahin. Bas agar bomb ho toh?
(The guard refused to divulge more details)
| Same questions for⦠|
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Guard at Mantralaya: The trolley-mounted mirror has a camera, which relays the visual contents on a CCTV camera inside the police control room.
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Constables outside office of the Commissioner of Police:
Attack ke baad yahaan security zyada hai. With this metal detector we check whether a bomb is planted under the vehicle.
Kya aap bag bhi check karte hai?
Constable: Haan. Bag mein koi gun ya bomb la sakta hai. |
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| Security expert speaks |
 Colonel (retd) Mahendra Pratap Choudhary said, "Usually the security guards look for suspicious objects under the carriage of the car.
Apart from looking under the car, they are also supposed to check the bonnet, boot, under the seat, foot rest area and glove compartment of the car, which many of the security guards do not.
And many of these security guards are not trained to detect any explosive, but if at all they spot some suspicious objects, they are expected to raise an alarm and alert the cops." |
| - Inputs by Shashank Rao and Vinod Kumar Menon |
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