Mumbai: Cops suspected terror attack at RBI headquarters

The sound of a gunshot at the Reserve Bank of India headquarters on Tuesday evening had various teams of the Mumbai police rush to the spot ready to handle a suspected terror attack, HT reports.

The sound of a gunshot at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters on Tuesday evening had various teams of the Mumbai police rush to the spot ready to handle a suspected terror attack.

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Initial reports had suggested that Padmagirish Rajshekhar Nair, 27, fired one round at a security guard when he was stopped from entering the building.

It was established only later that the gun went off as guards tried to overpower him.

As initial information trickled in, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) swung into action with the standard operating procedure (SOP), which was put in place after the 26/11 attacks.

The crime branch rushed a team to the spot, as did various police stations in the nearby areas.

“Gunshots at a vital installation such as RBI can never be taken lightly. Firstly, it was necessary to determine the identity of the suspect, and then a check had to be done to ensure he did not have an accomplice. Our experiences from 26/11 made us take adequate measures in case of such a contingency,” said an ATS officer, requesting anonymity.

Nair, who was overpowered by the police and the RBI security staff, was taken to MRA Marg police station, where he was grilled.

A team of ATS officials, headed by deputy commissioner of police Pradip Sawant, also interrogated him, said sources.

Officials said Nair claimed he did it for publicity. The accused has told the police that he came to Mumbai from Kerala and was staying at a lodge in Fort.

However, ATS officials are not convinced with Nair’s story and have got in touch with their counterparts in Kerala to verify it.

In the meanwhile, specialised units such as special operation squad, anti-extortion cell and criminal intelligence unit began collating information through informers to determine the nature of the incident.