A local businessman and his armed bodyguard were arrested in Mumbai on Monday after the man allegedly attempted to gain entry to the Jio World Plaza, a shopping mall that is in the same compound as the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), using a forged identity card, claiming he worked for the Prime Minister’s Office, police said on Tuesday.
It is unclear why the businessman, identified by police as Rohan Parekh, tried to enter the premises in Bandra Kurla Complex a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to attend the Global Fintech Fest at NMACC.
Police said Parekh, who told investigators he ran a drone business in Khar, identified himself as a PMO official to gain entry to the venue on Monday. He also showed them his identity card, which security officials found to be a fake.
Parekh and his bodyguard, an ex-serviceman, were handed over to Mumbai police after it turned out that the bodyguard was carrying a licensed firearm.
The crime branch grilled the two and later arrested them under an FIR registered at the Bandra Kurla Complex police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including impersonation of a public servant and unlawful entry armed with a weapon. Both of them have been sent to the police custody till September 11.
{{/usCountry}}The crime branch grilled the two and later arrested them under an FIR registered at the Bandra Kurla Complex police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including impersonation of a public servant and unlawful entry armed with a weapon. Both of them have been sent to the police custody till September 11.
{{/usCountry}}Police said they found no link between their visit to the complex on Monday and PM Modi’s visit on Tuesday.
PM Modi is due to be at the convention centre where Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026, dubbed the world’s largest fintech platform, is being held. It started on September 8 and will continue till September 11 at the Jio World Centre.