DHAKA, Dec 6: The government of Bangladesh on Monday decided to put in place a "massive security net" before and during the January 9-11 summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The decision came after the arrest of two members of an underground party carrying time bombs, and the reported threat to Indian cricketers by a self-proclaimed Islamist outfit on Sunday.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion, an elite force of the police, will be deployed on either side of the roads that delegates will use during the three-day summit. Members of the Special Security Force have already been assigned to ensure personal security for the delegates.

Besides, thousands of Bangladesh Rifles, police and Ansars personnel, and members of the inelegance agencies will be deployed on special duty to check overall security during the summit.

The government also decided to conduct a 24-hour special anti-crime drive today in the Dhaka metropolitan area, Narayanganj, and Gazipur. The decisions were made at the fifth meeting of the SAARC security committee.

The meeting decided to deploy five sweeping teams of special branch armed with modern equipment, the sources present told reporters. It also decided the SSF members would be deployed at Zia International Airport instead of RAB personnel whom the ministry had decided to deploy earlier. Meanwhile, the state minister for home affairs directed the Bangladesh Rifles for tight security along the borders to stop arms smuggling.