Thursday, December 29 2005 10:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Karnataka police last night (Dec 28, 2005) asked information technology and bio-technology companies to step up their own security set-up and not just depend on police and security agencies to do the job.

"We would request the industries to tighten and step up security for their own economic development, instead of only depending on police and security agencies," Director General of Police B S Sial said.

Sial criticised companies who consider investing in security set-up as a wasteful expenditure.

On the suspected terrorist attack at the Indian Institute of Sciences campus here, he said there was no specific target.

Sial said an investigating team has been formed in the wake of the attack, and police would give 'handsome reward' to anybody who gives clues leading to arrest of culprits.

He said IT and BT companies are 'soft targets,' apparently hinting that security is a low priority for them.

Asked about recent reports that Bangalore might be targetted by terrorists, he said, "If you are keeping an aircraft in the middle of the town, obviously it will be soft target."

Bangalore attracts attention because it's one of the fastest growing cities in the world and the city has a cosmopolitan nature with multi-ethnicity people and is known for its IT and BT firms.