Two Held After Security Breach at Jio World Plaza Ahead of PM Modi’s Mumbai Event

Mumbai Police arrested two men late Monday night for allegedly breaching security and impersonating government personnel at Jio World Plaza, located in the same complex where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to address the 7th Global Fintech Fest on Tuesday evening. A third man accompanying them remains missing and a search is underway.

According to Crime Branch officials, 24-year-old Rohan Parekh, a resident of Khar, entered Jio World Plaza, part of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre complex, around 4.50 pm on Monday after allegedly telling security personnel that he worked for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Security personnel became suspicious when one of the men accompanying Parekh was spotted carrying a firearm. Parekh allegedly identified himself as a PMO official and displayed an identity card on his phone, while the armed man claimed to be a member of the Special Protection Group (SPG).

Both claims were subsequently found to be false.

The SPG, which typically takes charge of security arrangements several days before the prime minister’s arrival, began verifying the identities of the men. CCTV footage showed the trio arriving in a Mercedes. Police traced the vehicle’s registration to Parekh, following which a team went to his Khar residence.

Parekh reportedly told police that one of his companions was his friend Prathamesh Bagul, 26, a Worli resident, while the armed man was Dilip Kunde, his father’s bodyguard and a former serviceman.

Police arrested Kunde and seized a revolver and six live cartridges from him. Bagul remains on the run. Parekh and Kunde have been remanded in police custody until September 11.

Parekh claims he may have been duped

Parekh’s background has also emerged during the investigation. The son of a diamond merchant, he holds a degree in mathematics and physics from a UK university.

His lawyer, advocate Anandini Fernandes, told a metropolitan magistrate on Tuesday that Parekh himself may have been the victim of a fraud.

According to Fernandes, Parekh was allegedly contacted about two years ago by a man named Tarun Kapoor, who offered him a PMO job with a monthly salary of ₹68,000. Parekh was reportedly told that he would work on defence policy and was allegedly provided with a letter purportedly signed by the prime minister and a digital PMO identity card.

Kunde, a resident of Nashik, is a retired serviceman who works as a bodyguard for Parekh’s father and is licensed to carry a weapon.

Fernandes told the court that Parekh had recently become engaged and had gone to Jio World Plaza to purchase perfume for his fiancée. She maintained that he had no malicious intentions and had handed over all the material in his possession to BKC Police and subsequently to the Crime Branch.

The Crime Branch is continuing its investigation into the alleged impersonation, security breach and the identities and motives of those involved.