Fake PMO Official, Armed Gunman Held In Mumbai Ahead Of PM Modi’s Event
Fake PMO official and gunman arrested.
A major security scare unfolded at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex late Monday night, after police detained two men, one carrying a forged Prime Minister's Office identity card and the other found with a firearm, hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to inaugurate the seventh edition of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026. The detentions triggered a heightened security alert at the venue and across the city as authorities scrambled to assess whether the incident posed any threat to the Prime Minister's programme.
According to Mumbai Police, the episode began when a 24-year-old man, identified as Rohan Parekh, was spotted moving in a suspicious manner within the high-security zone near the event venue during a security protocol drill. Investigators said Parekh was accompanied by a man later identified as Dilip Kunde, who presented himself as his bodyguard. Kunde was stopped after a Door Frame Metal Detector flagged a firearm he was carrying, prompting security personnel to detain him and summon Parekh, who then produced an identity card describing him as a "Grade C official," purportedly from the PMO. On verification, police found the document to be fake.
The discovery set off alarm among security agencies coordinating the event, given the tightened protocols typically in place at venues scheduled for a prime ministerial visit under Special Protection Group arrangements. Officials said the men's mobile phones and identity documents were seized for examination, and their call detail records were being analysed as part of the investigation. According to police, Parekh is understood to run a drone technology business, though authorities have not yet disclosed a clear motive for why the pair allegedly attempted to gain access to the venue using a forged credential and a weapon.
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A case has since been registered against both men at the BKC Police Station, and the investigation has been handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch for further inquiry. Investigators are expected to examine the duo's backgrounds, movements and associates, as well as trace the origin of the counterfeit PMO identification card. Some police officials have since clarified that the firearm recovered from Kunde was licensed and that preliminary findings suggest no direct connection between the incident and the Prime Minister's visit, though the probe remains ongoing.
The security scare came just hours before Modi was scheduled to inaugurate GFF 2026 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, a four-day international conference running through September 11 that brings together policymakers, central banks, regulators, fintech firms and technology leaders from around the world. This year's edition is themed "Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum – Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance," with discussions expected to focus on emerging technologies shaping the future of digital payments and financial systems. Authorities have said security arrangements were further strengthened at the venue and at other sensitive locations across Mumbai, including the airport, following the incident. Police have indicated that further legal action against the two detained men will depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
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