Conman Kiran Patel, who was nabbed by security officials in Kashmir for posing as a senior PMO official, was brought to Gujarat on Saturday morning. Patel was brought to the crime branch headquarters in Ahmedabad by road from Srinagar.
Four FIRs related to cheating have been registered against Patel in different police stations in Gujarat, including one by the Ahmedabad crime branch for trying to usurp a senior citizen's bungalow.
Patel was arrested by J-K police from a five-star hotel in Srinagar last month for allegedly posing as an 'additional secretary' in the Central government and enjoying security cover, besides other hospitality. Patel had claimed to have been given a mandate by the government to identify buyers for apple orchards in south Kashmir. While he posed as a senior government official, he had also received Z+ category security that included a bulletproof SUV and two Sashastra Seema Bal escort cars.
The incident is seen as a serious security lapse in the militancy-hit Union territory. Vijay Kumar, additional director general of police, told The Week earlier that the con was not the result of an intelligence lapse. A team from the Gujarat Police’s anti-terror squad has also arrived in Kashmir to investigate the incident after Patel was nabbed. The investigators recovered forged orders and documents from Patel’s possession. The police also seized 10 fake visiting cards and two mobile phones from him.
He had two accomplices, Amit Pandya and Jai Sitapara, both from Gujarat. Patel had introduced them also as 'officials from the PMO'. Patel’s first visit to Kashmir is said to have been in October 2022.
His wife Malini Patel was also arrested recently.