The first day of the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on February 16, turned into a nightmare for one participant who traveled to showcase India’s first patented AI wearable. The NeoSapien founder shared his shocking experience on X (formerly Twitter), detailing how his company’s expensive prototypes went missing inside what was supposed to be a high-security zone.
“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.”
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
Security chaos and conflicting instructions
According to him, issues began around noon, when security personnel arrived to sanitize and cordon off the area ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit at 2 pm. He explained that he wanted to showcase his company’s AI wearable but faced conflicting instructions from security staff:
“One officer told others to let me stay, and they left. Then another group came and ordered us to leave immediately. Seemed like there was lack of co-ordination between the security itself. I asked: ‘Should we take our wearables?’ They said, others are leaving even laptops behind, security will take care. Trusting them, I left.”
The summit’s gates remained closed from 12 pm to 6 pm, much longer than participants had anticipated. By the time the restrictions were lifted, the NeoSapien team discovered that their AI wearables had gone missing.
“Much much longer than expected. Later we found out that our wearables were stolen. Think about this: We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and even the booth. Only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone. If only security and official entourage had access, how did this happen? This is extremely disappointing,” the founder wrote on X.
Social media backlash and public outcry
The incident quickly drew attention on social media, with other attendees criticising the summit’s organisation and security arrangements. Many pointed out that such lapses could tarnish India’s efforts to promote AI innovation and make international investors wary of showcasing technology at domestic events.
Reacting to his post a user wrote, “My suggestion: Never go to an event to be graced by the Indian PM. The security protocols are archaic. You will end up sacrificing 6 hours for a 30 minute speech. I was a delegate, and still didn’t feel it was worth it. Watches being stolen is unfortunate. Like our airport security, a lot of the protocols seem performative than impactful”.
One more user pitched in saying, “We need civic sense summit instead of AI summit”.
A third user asked, “Damn this is bad! , will the govt reimburse them for the loss of their devices/IP?”