Mumbai: The lawyer of 24-year-old Rohan Premal Parekh, who was arrested in Mumbai on Tuesday, for carrying a fake Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) identity card, has told a court that his client may have been a victim of a fraud himself.
Parekh, along with an armed bodyguard and another person reached the Jio World Plaza at the Bandra Kurla Complex in a Mercedes around 4.50 pm on Tuesday, shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to arrive there to inaugurate an event.
During a security check, Dilip Rajaram Kunde (49), clad in a black safari suit was stopped as he was carrying a weapon. Parekh, however, showed a PMO identity card on his mobile phone.
As the photograph on the identity card was Parekh’s, all three were allowed to enter. They then wandered around the mall, purchased some perfume, and left.
Security personnel had their first doubts when Kunde allegedly claimed to be associated with the Special Protection Group (SPG). There were real SPG personnel at the venue to inspect security arrangements ahead of the PM’s visit.
The commandos quizzed Kunde about his links with the SPG. They got suspicious when he was unable to provide satisfactory answers. However, the police allowed the three to leave the venue.
Efforts then began to cross check Parekh’s identity. The PMO was called up and it became clear that there was no officer by that name.
The local police were informed after that. Using CCTV footage from the mall, the Mercedes was tracked. The police reached the Parekh residence in Khar and arrested him.
The youth identified Kunde and the third person as Prathamesh Ganesh Bagul (26). Kunde was arrested later, while a search is on for Bagul.
Parekh claimed during interrogation that the trio had no plans to stay at the venue. They had apparently gone there to purchase perfume for his fiancee.
Kunde revealed that he had been working as Parekh’s personal security guard for about a year and received a salary of nearly Rs 1.2 lakh per month.
According to the police, Parekh is a science graduate and is engaged in stock trading. His uncle, Amal Parekh, is said to be involved in the supply of digital chips used in drone manufacturing.
Parekh’s lawyer told the Court that his client himself was the victim of an alleged fraud. According to the defense, Parikh was misled into believing he was working for the PMO for nearly two years.
In 2024, a person claiming to be Tarun Gupta contacted Parikh and promised to give him an appointment letter for the position of advisor in the PMO. Gupta then allegedly sent an email to Parekh with details about the Defense Acquisition Policy, and later, the appointment letter.
A screenshot of an identity card was also sent to Parekh, the lawyer said. He showed the same identity card to the police on Tuesday.
A detailed investigation has now been launched by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.