Key Highlights
- The Incident: Patented AI wearable devices allegedly stolen from the NeoSapien stall at Bharat Mandapam.
- Security Lockdown: Theft occurred during a six,hour period when the area was restricted for Prime Minister Modi’s arrival.
- High-Profile Venue: The summit features global leaders including Sundar Pichai, Bill Gates, and Sam Altman.
- Evidence Shared: CEO Dhananjay Yadav posted photos of empty packaging on social media, questioning security integrity.
- Financial Impact: The entrepreneur highlighted significant personal investment in travel and logistics to support the AI ecosystem.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, intended to showcase the nation’s technological prowess at the prestigious Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, has been hit by a controversial security scandal. Dhananjay Yadav, the CEO of Bengaluru,based startup NeoSapien, has alleged that his cutting,edge AI devices were stolen from his designated booth just hours before a scheduled visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The summit is a landmark event for the global tech community, drawing industry titans such as Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. However, for Yadav, the professional milestone turned into a “nightmare” when his company’s primary assets disappeared from a supposedly sterile, high,security zone.
Timeline of the Disappearance
According to reports, the incident began during a routine security sweep on February 16, 2026. At approximately 12:00 PM, security personnel began clearing the expo hall in preparation for the Prime Minister’s 2:00 PM arrival. Yadav, who was eager to demonstrate India’s first patented AI wearables, devices capable of emotional analysis and conversation tracking, was reportedly ordered to vacate his stall immediately.
Despite his requests to take the sensitive hardware with him, Yadav claims he was assured by security officials that his belongings would be safe under their direct supervision. Trusting these assurances, he left the premises. The summit area remained under a total lockdown for six hours, a period during which only authorized security personnel had access to the floor.
“Shocking and Shameful”: CEO Demands Answers
When Yadav was finally permitted to return to the NeoSapien booth, he discovered the devices were gone, leaving only the empty retail packaging behind. The CEO took to the social media platform ‘X’ to express his frustration, sharing images of the discarded boxes and questioning how a theft could occur in an area restricted exclusively to security forces.
“I am disappointed,” Yadav stated, describing the ordeal as both “shocking and shameful.” He detailed the heavy financial burden he undertook, including airfare, freight, and hotel costs, to participate in the government-backed summit. The entrepreneur emphasized that such an incident in a high-security zone not only hurts individual innovators but also tarnishes the reputation of international events hosted by India.
Context and Unanswered Questions
As of February 17, 2026, there has been no formal statement from the Delhi Police or the summit organizers regarding the alleged theft. The silence from official channels has raised further concerns among exhibitors about the safety of their intellectual property and hardware at Bharat Mandapam, a venue that previously hosted the G20 Summit without such reported lapses.
The incident highlights a critical lack of coordination between private exhibitors and state security apparatus during high-profile visits. For a summit aimed at fostering an “AI-ready India,” the loss of homegrown, patented technology under the noses of security officials remains a distressing irony for the startup community.
