A man armed with an air gun allegedly tried to enter the Reserve Bank of India building here on Tuesday and was overpowered by policemen guarding the premises.
A shot was fired in the melee, which occurred at the Reserve Bank of India head office at Fort around 4 pm.
The man, aged about 27 and hailing from Kerala, gave his name as Padma Girirao Shekar and tried to go in through the entrance meant for the Reserve Bank of India employees.
The employees are permitted to enter only after displaying their identity cards, while the public should obtain a gate pass to go in.
However, Padma Girirao Shekar proceeded directly without any identification. Also, his air gun was as big as a self-loading rifle.
“When policemen guarding the gates tried to stop him, he attempted to flee into the building. However, our policemen courageously pounced on him and snatched the gun from him. A pellet was fired while trying to capture him,” said D Sivanandan, former director general of police who is a security adviser to the Reserve Bank of India .
Padma Girirao Shekar was soon bundled into a police van to the MRA Marg Police Station.
Police said Shekar reached Mumbai from Kerala last week and was put up in a hotel at Fort. Padma Girirao Shekar has claimed that he is a matriculate.
Shekar, who is being questioned by the police, is giving different versions on why he entered the Reserve Bank of India building with an air gun. Initially, Padma Girirao Shekar said he did it for publicity.
However, not ruling out anything, the Anti-Terrorism Squad and Intelligence Bureau arrived at the MRA Marg Police Station to question Shekar on his motive.