Mumbai: Man arrested for posing as soldier from Guards Regiment of Army ahead of PM Modi’s rally

A 35-year-old man has been arrested for entering Prime Minister Modi’s rally and posing as an army soldier by Mumbai police. He had tried to breach the high-security VVIP area by claiming himself to be a Naik from the ‘Guards Regiment’ of the army. The accused has been identified as Rameshwar Mishra.

According to the police officials, the team arrested Rameshwar 90 minutes before PM Narendra Modi was to reach Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). Officers took Mishra aside and asked him about the discrepancies, after which he identified himself as a Ranger with the Guards regiment. During the interrogation, he said that he was currently posted in Pathankot. Further, the accused said that he had served a deputation with the NSG from 2016 to 2019.

Mumbai police statements

The police official said that Rameshwar Mishra said he wanted to get into the venue so that he could arrange a meeting between his friends and some political leaders attending the rally.

“He thought that an NSG ID card would get him in immediately instead of going through the proper process, and hence he manipulated the validity dates on his old ID card. However, he could not produce his current Indian Army ID, nor could he explain the Delhi police ribbon,” the official said.

“Mishra gave us a contact number, supposedly of his superiors and we spoke to them. They confirmed that he was a Guards ranger. However, we need to verify that the people we spoke to are actually Indian Army officers and that this process has been initiated. We have also found that his pregnant wife is in the Military Hospital in Colaba. Further course of action will be decided after his credentials are fully verified,” the official added.

Ahead of the interrogation, Mumbai police have registered a case against Rameshwar under sections 171, 465, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused was produced in Bandra court on Friday and sent to police custody till 24 January 2023.

PM Modi in Mumbai

On Thursday, PM Modi inaugurated 20 Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana and laid the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs. 38,800 crore in Mumbai. It is an effort to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in Mumbai. The initiative is to provide essential medical services to the people like health checkups, medicines, and diagnostics.

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