‘Extremely disappointing’: Start-up founder alleges AI-powered wearable devices built by his company were ‘stolen’ under security personnel’s watch at Bharat Mandapam

Day 1 of the AI Impact Summit turned to be a pain for us.

I came genuinely excited, it was the first time the summit was being hosted in India, and I wanted to show up personally to support the ecosystem and the government’s push.

But what happened next was shocking.

At 12… pic.twitter.com/9gVygparq0

— Dhananjay Yadav (@imDhananjay) February 16, 2026

Police reached out to the victim and took down the details and the complaint. CCTV footage have been scanned and the accused have been identified. They would be nabbed soon and cops are hopeful that the stolen devices will also be recovered. DCP New Delhi, Devesh Mahla said, “A case of theft has been registered. Several teams are working on the case.”

Yadav told The Indian Express that he was planning to go to the police to complain about the devices having gone missing. “I am contemplating filing a police complaint… But since I don’t reside in Delhi, I will speak to my team and see what can be done,” he said.

Devesh Mahla, Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, told The Indian Express on Tuesday that they had not received any complaint in the matter so far.

Yadav’s company advertises its pendant-like product as “India’s first AI-Native wearable that tracks conversations and analyses emotions”. The listed price of the NeoSapien Neo 1 wearable on the company’s web site is Rs 11,999.

“It was the first time the [AI] summit was being hosted in India, and I was really excited, both to showcase innovation and to back the government’s push to position India as a global AI hub. I believe India really deserved to host something like this,” Yadav told The Indian Express.

According to Yadav, around noon, security personnel began sanitising and cordoning off the venue of the Summit in preparation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit which he said was scheduled at 2 pm.

He said that he tried to explain to officials that the company was building India’s first patented AI wearable and requested permission to remain at the booth to display the product. According to him, “The security officials told me that one person could stay, and since I was all excited, I stayed back.” “One of the security personnel also liked our device,” he said.

However, Yadav said that a second set of security personnel had subsequently shown up, and asked him to leave. “I don’t know how they coordinated amongst themselves,” he said. “So I left the premises (Hall number 3),” Yadav said.

Yadav alleged that before leaving, he had asked whether he should also take away the wearable devices, but was told that other exhibitors too were leaving their equipment, including laptops, behind, and that security personnel would “take care”.

“Trusting them, I left. Hoping that the wearables will be safe, and If I am lucky, it might catch the eye of PM Modi,” Yadav posted on X.

According to Yadav, however, the gates remained shut till 6 pm, which was “much much longer than anticipated”. “It was quite long,” he told The Indian Express, and “since I had sustained an injury while playing football a day before the Summit, I came back to my hotel.”

“I had also made friends with a volunteer who said he would tell me when we could possibly come back. Around 6 pm, when he went to our stall, he informed us that the devices were not there,” Yadav said.

He said that the NeoSapien team then returned, and discovered that the AI wearables had gone missing. “Later we found out that our wearables were stolen,” Yadav posted on X.

Yadav said that the loss was not just financial – the team had invested in its participation in what was meant to be a defining moment for India’s AI ecosystem.