The Mumbai Police have arrested a 32-year-old man for falsely claiming to be a government official and moving around in a suspicious manner in an area where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to visit, ANI reported.
The man, identified as Hemant Pawar, was seen moving around in the city’s Malabar Hill area near the homes of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, according to the police.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Neelkanth Patil had first checked Pawar’s credentials on Monday when he was on bandobast duty, the Hindustan Times reported. Pawar showed Patil an identity card and claimed that he was a home ministry official who was in Mumbai in connection with Shah’s visit.
According to the authorities, the assistant commissioner of police checked his card, reprimanded him for loitering around and let him go. However, shortly afterwards, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Neelotpal sent Patil a photo of a man who was seen roaming suspiciously in another part of Malabar Hill. Patil identified him as Pawar.
“The Central Reserve Police Force that provides security to various VIPs began looking for him based on the name and description that Patil gave them,” said an unidentified police officer. Pawar was detained in the city’s Nana Chowk area on Monday afternoon.
The police found identity cards of an MP’s personal secretary and a home ministry official in his possession. According to police officials, Pawar hails from the Sindkheda town in the Dhule district, and does not work for the government in any capacity.
Pawar was booked under Sections 170 (impersonating a public servant) and 171 (wearing garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent) of the Indian Penal Code.
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