Coimbatore: The city police launched an ‘Area Domination Exercise’ on Sunday morning, in the run up to the assembly election in the state.An area domination exercise is a strategic security operation involving high-visibility patrolling, route marches, and surveillance by security forces (police, paramilitary, or army) to establish authority, enhance public safety, and create deterrence against criminal or militant elements.As many as 450 police personnel, including two deputy commissioners, 18 inspectors, and paramilitary forces, raided several locations across the city, including bachelor accommodations and private mansions. They also held searches at lodges, bus stands, and railway stations. As many as 21 people were held with ganja, three history-sheeters violating externment orders and one category A rowdy who had been in hiding were found during the exercise on Sunday. Further, 800 grams of ganja and rolling papers were seized from college students. The teams also seized 127 bottles of liquor from Maharashtra and lottery tickets. During vehicle checks, 14 suspicious two-wheelers were impounded. Fingerprints were collected from 15 suspicious individuals and sent to the fingerprint bureau for cross-referencing with unsolved cases.City police said more such exercises will be held periodically to maintain law and order and build public confidence ahead of the election cycle.
