A woman vandalised the name plate of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis outside his office at Mantralaya in south Mumbai, following which the police have launched a search, an official said on Friday.

The incident occurred after 6.30 pm on Thursday, in which the woman removed the name plate and banged it on the floor before leaving the place, an official said.

Fadnavis, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, also holds the home portfolio. He was the chief minister of the state from 2014 to 2019.

"The woman entered the Mantralaya, the state secretariat, without a valid entry pass. As per the investigation conducted so far, the woman told the security personnel that she forgot her bag inside the secretariat complex and wanted to collect it," he said.

"After gaining entry into the building, she reached the office of deputy CM Fadnavis, where she removed his name plate stuck outside, and damaged it by smashing it on the floor. After that, she stepped out of the Mantralaya," he said.

The woman is yet to be identified and a case is being registered in this connection at the Marine Drive police station, he said.

Police have launched an operation to trace the woman, the official said.

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