SRINAGAR: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch in Gujarat state have registered a new FIR against Conman Kiran Patel who conned the security establishment in Kashmir into believing him to be a PMO official and got the requisite perks prior to his arrest earlier this month.
An official said the Ahmedabad Crime branch has registered a new FIR against ‘conman’ Kiran Patel who was arrested by a team of Srinagar police on the inputs of the CID department, for posing as an additional director (strategy and campaigns) in the Prime Minister’s Office and enjoyed many perks, including a bulletproof car and security cover besides other hospitality.
He said that a new FIR number 11191011230073 under section 406, 420, 170, and 120 B have been registered against Kiran Patel at police station of Crime Branch of Ahmadabad in Gujarat state.
Reliable sources confirmed that Crime Branch has deputed a two-member team to Srinagar, where they will likely take over the custody of Kiran Patel from Srinagar police.
It was the first Srinagar-based news agency that broke this story “Srinagar police in a high profile case, have arrested this conman, a resident of ‘Gujarat’ allegedly by forged means posing as Additional Director (Strategy & Campaigns) Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi, at Hotel Lalit in Srinagar on specific input received by CID wing of J&K Police.”
An FIR number 19 of 2023 was registered by Srinagar police in Police Station Nishat in Srinagar, reads “On 02-03-2023 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 a 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 the 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 the 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)
