Telangana Police’s elite anti-terror unit OCTOPUS has reviewed and updated its procedures after holding 18 mock exercises at vulnerable sites in and around Hyderabad during the first five months of 2026. The drills covered room-clearing operations, hostage rescues and the use of specialised equipment.
The review was conducted by DGP (Operations) Anil Kumar, who oversees OCTOPUS and Greyhounds, at the OCTOPUS Commando Training Centre in Ibrahimpatnam on June 5, 2026. Discussions centred on lessons from the exercises and steps to strengthen operational readiness.
Officials reported that six SWAT teams performed the drills from January to May at various sensitive and vulnerable locations. Thirteen exercises took place at top-category sites, one at a medium-category site and four at normal-category sites.
During the meeting, officers examined observations from post-exercise debriefings. Attention was given to tactics including room searches, rescue operations, personnel movement, team coordination and the timely use of specialised equipment.
Shortcomings identified in some drills were discussed, and corrective steps have been added to training protocols. The aim is to ensure commandos can respond quickly and effectively to real emergencies such as terror attacks and hostage situations.
The review also allowed commanders and trainers to evaluate emerging threats and refine procedures using insights gained from the exercises. Police described the process as essential for sustaining high preparedness levels through continuous testing and learning.
The meeting was attended by Training Consultant Bharat Prasad, SP (Administration) M. Venkateswarlu, Additional SP (Operations) Ch. Raghunandan Rao, senior SWAT officers and training staff.
