Highlights
- Amit Shah's security breached in Mumbai, impersonator arrested
- Accused, Hemant Pawar of Dhule in Maharashtra, has been sent to five-day police custody
- Home Minister Shah visited Mumbai for first time after Eknath Shinde became Maharashtra CM
Mumbai: A major security breach during Home Minister Amit Shah's recent visit to Mumbai has come to the fore. Mumbai Police have arrested a man for allegedly impersonating the Personal Assistant (PA) of an MP from Andhra Pradesh and thus breaching the security of Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Mumbai. The accused, Hemant Pawar of Dhule in Maharashtra, has been sent to five-day police custody by the court on Tuesday after being arrested by the Malabar Hill Police Station on Monday.
According to the police, the accused was also seen outside the residences of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis by impersonating himself as a member of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as he also carried its ribbon tag. He was seen at both the places where the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's events were held.
When asked by the Mumbai Police, he said that he was an officer of the Union Home Ministry, but later he left. When CRPF officials informed the Mumbai Police that the man was a suspect, he was arrested through a tip-off from Naka Chowk area. Investigation revealed that he was not a government official but the big question is what was that fake officer doing there during a VVIP visit?
The Girgaon Metropolitan Magistrate Court has sent the accused to police custody till September 12. The identity card of the MP secretary has also been found from the accused. Further investigation is on in this matter
Shah visited Lalbaugcha Raja, a prominent Ganesh pandal, on Monday during his two-day visit to the city. He also visited the residences of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
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The security breach for Home Minister in Maharashtra was witnessed during his first visit as the police verified later that the accused name was not mentioned in Shah's list of security. Shah visited Mumbai on Monday for the first time after Eknath Shinde became Maharashtra Chief Minister on July 30 following a split in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
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