- Man arrested with fake PMO ID at Jio World Plaza.
- Claims he was duped by offer for PMO advisory role.
- Police ruled out link to PM Modi's event.
The 24-year-old man arrested with a fake Prime Minister's Office (PMO) identity card while entering Jio World Plaza in Mumbai’s BKC may have himself been duped to believe that he was genuinely working for the top executive office.
The man identified as Roshan Parekh has been sent to police custody till September 11. His armed bodyguard, 49-year-old Dilip Kunde, was arrested along with him.
The recovery of fake ID and a revolver sent the entire security architecture on high alert as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to attend an event at the site the next day.
What led to the arrest
On Monday, at the entrance of the Jio World Plaza, Kunde was stopped while allegedly carrying a firearm. Kunde contacted Parekh, who had already entered the building using his identity card. Subsequently, the security personnel questioned Parekh's identity.
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The digital card identified Parekh as a Grade C official of the PMO but had several discrepancies. There was no validity date on the card, which raised suspicion. Moreover, the name of the signing authority was missing on the card.
The Mumbai Police have ruled out the incident's link to PM Modi's event.
What Parekh's lawyer told the court
During the proceedings in the Killa Court, Parekh's lawyer submitted that his client was himself a victim of a larger conspiracy, hatched by people impersonating as PMO officials.
He told the court that a man, identified as Tarun Kapoor, had approached Parekh with an offer for an advisory role in the PMO.
His client then received emails regarding defence acquisition policy. He was also provided a digital copy of an original-looking offer letter and an identity card purportedly bearing the signature of PM Modi.
The defence argued that the email was received from someone claiming to be the "Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister." Parekh's lawyer told the local court that his client has shown the digital ID to the police and handed over the said email communications.
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The lawyer urged the court to get the communications examined to decide if Parekh knowingly impersonated a PMO official or if he was himself deceived.