Vijayawada: Is Vijayawada, the biggest city close to the proposed capital region, becoming a SIMI hotspot?
 
Soon after two SIMI terrorists were killed in shootout in Nalgonda of Telangana, National Investigation Agency (NIA) took 15 suspects from Vijayawada into custody.

NIA kept the suspects in its custody for five days and interrogated them. NIA sources believe these persons have links with banned SIMI. Eleven of the 15 persons have been released after questioning, but remaining four are still being interrogated. This has raised fears of SIMI sleeper cells in Vijayawada.

Vijayawada being the biggest railway junction and the nerve centre of surface transport in the south India, over a lakh people ply in and ply out of the city everyday. Some 245 trains and over 1500 buses enter Vijayawada town everyday.  Hence, SIMI can have a safe haven in the city, sources say.