NEW DELHI, July 27: Three people drove into the heavily fortified residence of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the heart of New Delhi on Thursday, an official said, breaching its outer layer of security.

The incident occurred as Singh was chairing a meeting of his cabinet at the residence, said the official who wished to remain anonymous.

“Yes, there was such an incident,” the official said refusing to give details.

Television footage showed the three — two women and a man who appeared to be in their early 20s — driving past the first security cordon near a secure zone in a black sedan.

The secure zone is an area where cabinet ministers usually gather so they can be driven to the residence by the premier’s elite Special Protection Group for meetings.

Security personnel turned back the three at a second gate, the television footage showed.

One of the women later told reporters outside the residence that they had wanted to meet Singh.

“We are commoners. We want to meet the prime minister,” one of the women was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

A police spokesman said the three had been detained for questioning.—AFP