An alleged conman from Gujarat with a verified Twitter handle and over a thousand followers posed as an additional director for strategy and campaigns at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He managed to travel to several tourist places in Kashmir and claimed that he was sent to improve facilities at hotels for tourists. He was finally arrested on March 2 when details of the case came to light.
Identified as one Kiran J Patel , the man convinced authorities to provide him with Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof car for transportation and official accommodation at a five-star hotel among other facilities.
Patel visited several tourist places, including Gulmarg claiming that the government had tasked him to look for improvement in hotel facilities in the area.
Earlier this year, Patel also held a series of meetings with Jammu and Kashmir officials during two visits to Srinagar.
પોતાની દ્વારિકા, બનાવવી હોય તો..!!જીતેલુ મથુરા, છોડવાનું સાહસ જોઈએ....!!!! pic.twitter.com/v0qZU8NZxA
— Dr. Kiran J Patel (@bansijpatel) March 2, 2023
He was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police from a five-star hotel in Srinagar around 10 days back. However, his arrest was kept a secret by the police, NDTV reported.
Details of his arrest emerged on March 16, when he was produced before a magistrate who sent him to judicial custody.
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Patel had reportedly claimed that he was given a mandate by the government to identify buyers for apple orchards in south Kashmir and a couple of IAS officers were in awe as he dropped names of high-ranking bureaucrats and politicians.
Patel had shared several videos and pictures of his 'official visits' in Kashmir in which he could be seen surrounded by paramilitary guards. The last of his videos was shared on March 2.
In his Twitter bio, Patel claimed to have a PhD from Commonwealth University, Virginia, an MBA from IIM Trichy, and an MTech degree in Computer Science and BE in Computer Engineering.
His first visit to the valley was in February when he visited health resorts.
Welcome to Doodh Pathari, Welcome to Kashmir..!!#budgam #Kashmir #PMOIndia #narenderamodi pic.twitter.com/9y4VuZiGIq
— Dr. Kiran J Patel (@kiranpatel1977) February 16, 2023
He came under suspicion after he arrived in Srinagar on his second visit within two weeks. As per the NDTV report, an IAS officer who is a district magistrate informed the police about the visit of a "senior PMO officer".
The intelligence agencies alerted the police about the "official's visit and after verifying Patel's background, he was booked for cheating and forgery and he was arrested.
He was produced before a court in Srinagar on Thursday for the extension of his police remand.
Security officials recovered forged identity cards from his possession, according to court documents.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
First Published: Mar 17, 2023 11:29 AM IST
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