A man allegedly used a fake PMO identity card to enter a luxury Mumbai mall with two others. Police suspect the digital pass was AI-forged and are probing whether his stated motive hides something more.
A 24-year-old man, identified as Rohan Parekh, arrested for allegedly using a fake Prime Minister’s Office identity card at Mumbai’s luxury shopping mall, Jio World Plaza, told police that he did it to impress his family and make them believe he was working for a “worthy cause”, an official said on Thursday.
Rohan Parekh was arrested earlier this week after he was found with the fake PMO card. Police said the case came to light after the man accompanying him, Dilip Kunde, 49, was found carrying a firearm and an argument broke out between the two men and security staff at Jio World Plaza.
During the argument, Parekh allegedly claimed he was a PMO official. The incident took place on September 7, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event at the adjacent Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. Investigators suspect Parekh used Artificial Intelligence tools to forge the digital PMO identity card and are verifying the technical details.
“During questioning, Parikh claimed he wanted to convince his family he was associated with a worthy cause and working for the PMO. However, we are not convinced by this explanation and are actively examining other potential motives,” the official said. Police are also probing Parekh’s claim that he had received an email in 2024 confirming his selection for a role at the PMO, the official added.
According to police, Parekh, Kunde and another person, identified as Prathamesh Bagul, entered the upscale mall after Parekh showed the digital PMO ID to security staff. The trio then bought a perfume and a wallet before leaving the premises. Efforts are on to trace Bagul. Parekh and Kunde have been remanded in police custody till September 11.
