Man arrested for suspiciously roaming around Malabar Hill during Shah’s Mumbai visit

|HT|

A 32-year-old resident of Dhule who was found to be moving suspiciously around the Malabar Hill area during union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Mumbai, was arrested late on Tuesday night.

The man, who identifies himself as Hemant Bansilal Pawar, was first checked by Assistant Commissioner of Police Neelkanth Patil on Monday when he was on bandobast duty.

Patil found something suspicious about his manner as he loitered outside the homes of the chief minister and the deputy chief minister where Amit Shah was scheduled to visit. When Patil questioned him the man who was wearing a smart blazer, showed him an identity card and claimed that he was an MHA official who was in town as part of Shah’s visit. “He was dressed such that one would believe he was from the minister’s security convoy,” said a senior police officer who is investigating the matter.

Patil checked his identity card, reprimanded him for loitering around and then let him go. However, shortly afterwards deputy commissioner of police, Zone 2, Neelotpal, sent him the photo of a man who had been seen moving around suspiciously in another part of Malabar Hill area. Patil instantly identified him as the man he had reprimanded.

“The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) that provides security to various VIPs began looking for him based on the name and description that Patil gave them,” said the police officer. Investigations led them to Nana Chowk from where the man was detained on Monday afternoon.

The cops also found an identity card of the personal secretary of a Member of Parliament (MP) on him in addition to an MHA identity card. They also discovered that that man lives in Sindkheda in Dhule, and does not work for the government in any capacity.

“Hemant Pawar has been booked under section 170 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for impersonating a public servant and section 171 of IPC for wearing a garb or carrying a token used by public servant with fraudulent intent,” said the investigating officer. In addition, central agencies have been informed, and they will soon be questioning him. Pawar was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate, 40th court in Girgaum, on Wednesday where the presiding officer Nadeem Patel remanded him to police custody till September 12.

Mumbai has been on high alert following a series of terror hoax calls in the last few weeks and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was in the city a day ahead of Amit Shah’s visit and had met the director general of police and other senior officers of Mumbai police. Though, his visit has been described as a routine visit.

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