In a late night joint operation by the district Anti-Naxal Force the and the Mumbai police, five suspected terrorists were detained from Daxina Kannada district.
The joint team led by A M Prasad, IGP, Western Range, cordoned off a house at Mukkacherry on Ullal-Someshwar Road and took two suspected terrorists into custody.
Based on the information provided by them, three more people were detained and taken to an undisclosed location for further investigation.
Prasad told UNI in Mangalore on Friday that their names and other details could not be disclosed at present, as it would hamper the investigation. He, however, said all the detained were locals.
The police also seized five crude bombs, mobile timer and ammonium nitrate suspected to be planned for a blast in Mangalore.
They also recovered a map of Mangalore containing the details of key installations and other locations.
A total of 150 police personnel with bulletproof jackets had been in action. The house from where the duo had been detained was located near a masjid. The police, during the operation which went for about two hours, prevented the Muslims from going near the masjid. The eye-witnesses said one among the detained was aged about 15 years.
Prasad said further details could be given only after their interrogation.
The locals at the revered Kukke Subramanya shrine in Daxina Kannada district, meanwhile, caught a person on suspicion and handed him over to the local police late on Thursday night.
On inquiry, it was found that he was deranged and hailed from Chennagiri Taluk in Davanagere district.
"The person, identified as Mohammed Ul-Hameed, was found reading the Quran near the temple premises. He was believed to seen in Subramanya since September 29. However, he had been sent out by the locals from Savanoor Kora in Puttur taluk where he was staying at a masjid.
Prasad, however, clarified that on inquiry, the police have found that the person caught by the locals had nothing to do with any terrorist activity.
More from rediff