Gujarat Police File Cheating Case Against Conman, Custody May Follow

SRINAGAR: The Gujarat state’s Ahmedabad Crime Branch has filed a fresh First Information Report (FIR) against Kiran Patel, a fraudster who posed as a PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) official and deceived the security establishment in Kashmir to obtain various benefits before being apprehended earlier this month.

According to an official who spoke to news agency KDC, the Ahmadabad Crime Branch has lodged a fresh FIR against Kiran Patel, dubbed a ‘conman’, after being arrested by a team of Srinagar police based on information from the CID department. Patel had posed as an additional director (strategy and campaigns) at the Prime Minister’s Office and received numerous benefits, such as a bulletproof car, security protection, and various other amenities.

The official stated that the police station of Ahmadabad’s Crime Branch in Gujarat state has registered a new FIR (number 11191011230073) against Kiran Patel under sections 406, 420, 170, and 120 B.

Sources have verified that a two-member team from the Crime Branch has been dispatched to Srinagar to assume the custody of Kiran Patel from the Srinagar police.

The initial report of the arrest of the fraudster, hailing from Gujarat, who had allegedly used fake credentials to pose as an Additional Director (Strategy & Campaigns) of the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi, was published by the Srinagar-based news agency, KDC. The arrest had taken place at Hotel Lalit in Srinagar, in a significant case handled by the Srinagar police.

An FIR number 19 of 2023 was registered by Srinagar police in Police Station Nishat in Srinagar, reads “On 02-03-2023 a reliable information received by Police Station Nishat has revealed that a fraudster namely Kiran Bhai Patel son of Jagdesh Bhai Patel resident of Gujarat has by virtue of criminal intention indulged in activities within the jurisdiction of this police station and other parts of Kashmir valley and by employing high degree of forged means. Kiran Bhai has impersonated himself as a senior government official of India.”

“The said individual, by resorting to cheating, forgery and impersonation has duped gullible people and also intentionally induced people to do and also to omit to do activities, under a well-knit plan for securing monetary as well as material benefits,” reads the FIR.

The imposter had taken the J&K administration and security structure for a ride by securing Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof Mahindra Scorpio SUV, official accommodation at a five-star hotel, and a lot more,” reads the FIR.

On Thursday, after hearing the arguments of the counsel representing Patel and additional public prosecutor, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Srinagar Raja Mohammad Tasleem found the bail plea “devoid of any merit”.

“I am of the considered opinion that arguments advanced by APP are just, proper and appealing and carries much weight and on the other hand I respectfully disagree with the submission put forth by Counsel for the applicant (Patel) because in case at this stage discretion of bail is exercised in favour of the accused it shall definitely destroy the very fabric of the investigation,” the court said. “Resultantly, in my considered opinion the instant application is devoid of any merit which deserves to be rejected, hence rejected.” (KDC)