NEW DELHI: Security has been stepped up across India, particularly in states hosting the World Cup cricket, following warnings of possible terror attacks by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

According to official sources, the Intelligence Bureau has sent out advisories that the Pakistan-based LeT, blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attack, may be planning to strike during the cricket tournament jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

India's coastal states have been asked to take steps to detect any attempt by terrorists to sneak into India, said an official familiar with the letter sent to the state governments.

The sources said that the Intelligence Bureau had intercepted LeT messages discussing dates and timings of the matches being played in India.

They said that the terrorists were planning to enter India through the sea - the way the 10 Pakistanis landed in Mumbai for their horrific three-day mayhem that killed 166 Indians and foreigners.

Apart from the advisories, Home Secretary G.K. Pillai is said to have spoken to police chiefs and chief secretaries of states hosting the World Cup matches, the sources said.

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium will host the final of the nearly two-month long tournament. Mohali in Punjab will host one of the semi finals March 30.

The warning comes after terrorist Illyas Kashmiri, an Al Qaeda operative in Pakistan, last year threatened to attack athletes of the Commonwealth Games in October. But the Games passed off peacefully amid high security restrictions that won Delhi Police and other security agencies praises.

Keywords: Latest sports news, indian cricket, tennis, chess, football, world cup,