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Who is Rohan Parekh? Diamond merchant’s son at centre of Mumbai PMO impersonation case
Rohan Parekh was among two men arrested by Mumbai Police for a security breach and impersonation at Jio World Plaza.
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What began as an alleged attempt to enter Jio World Plaza by claiming to be a PMO official has put a 24-year-old Mumbai man under police radar. Rohan Parekh, son of a diamond merchant, is now at the centre of the case, even as his lawyer has told a court that he himself may have been duped.
Parekh was among two men arrested by Mumbai Police for the security breach and impersonation on Monday at Jio World Plaza, which is housed in the same complex where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to speak at the 7th Global Fintech Fest on Tuesday evening. A third person accompanying the duo is missing, and police have launched a search for him, HT reported earlier.
Typically, the Special Protection Group (SPG) secures the convention centre five days in advance of the PM’s arrival. The Jio Convention Centre has 22 gates and is spread over 17 acres in the heart of Bandra-Kurla Complex.
Deep Dive
Also Read: Man claiming to be PMO official, ‘bodyguard’ with gun arrested in Mumbai
Who is Rohan Parekh?
Parekh, a Khar resident, is 24-years-old and holds a graduate degree in mathematics and physics from a UK university. He is the son of a diamond merchant.
According to crime branch officers, Parekh entered Jio World Plaza, a shopping mall that is part of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), at around 4.50 pm on Monday.
Police said Parekh was accompanied by two men when they attempted to enter the plaza. The group was stopped after security personnel spotted one of the men carrying a gun.
Parekh identified himself as a PMO official and showed an identity card on his phone, following which he was allowed inside.
The armed man claimed he was part of the SPG, but he and the third man were stopped. Parekh came out of the plaza within a few minutes, after which the trio left the venue.
What is the 'PMO connection’?
The SPG had begun verifying Parekh's claim of being a PMO official, as well as the armed man's claim of being an SPG member.
A scan of CCTV footage at the entrance of the mall showed the men had arrived in a Mercedes. Its registration plate revealed the vehicle was registered in the name of Khar resident Rohan Premal Parikh, a resident of 12th Road in Khar West.
A police team was subsequently sent to the address to apprehend Parekh.
Parekh told police that one of the men accompanying him was his friend Prathamesh Bagul, a Worli resident. The other man, Dilip Kunde, was his bodyguard and an ex-serviceman.
Police subsequently arrested Kunde and seized a revolver and six live cartridges from him. They are on the lookout for Bagul, 26. Parekh and Kunde have been remanded in police custody until September 11.
Also Read: Flashed phone ID, claimed PMO link: How two men tried to slip into Modi's Mumbai venue
'Parekh may have been duped'
Parekh's counsel, advocate Anandini Fernandes, told a metropolitan magistrate on Tuesday that Parekh himself could have been a victim of a fraud.
She said Parekh was contacted by a certain Tarun Kapoor two years ago and offered a job in the PMO on a monthly salary of ₹68,000. Parekh, whose uncle has a drone equipment business, was told he was to work on defence policy in the PMO.
Fernandes told the court that Parekh had received a letter purportedly signed by the PM, as also a digital identity card from the PMO.
Nashik resident Kunde is a retired serviceman who works as a bodyguard for Parekh's father and carries a licensed weapon.
(With inputs from Vinay Dalvi, Megha Sood)
