Haroon Nabi
Srinagar, Apr 06 : Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday handed over conman Kiran Bhai Patel to Gujarat police after a local court has ordered authorities of central Jail Srinagar to handover ‘conman’ Kiran Bhai Patel to the police team of the Ahmedabad city crime branch for the investigation in a case of ‘fraud’ on Wednesday, official sources said.
In an order by Chief judicial Magistrate Srinagar, Raja Tasleem, a copy of which lies with Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot reads that “the accused Kiranbhai @Bansi son of Jagdishibhai Patel aged 48, residing at A-17, Prestige Bunglow, Nr. Jiviba School, Ghodasar, Ahmedabad City Gujarat was produced through video conferencing. After hearing and from the perusal of all material available on the CD file, I am of the opinion the submissions made by the Ld AAP and Inspector of police Mr M.M Solanki carries much weight and at the same time seems to be just proper and appealing.”
Therefore, application is allowed hence the custody of the accused namely Kiranbhai @Bansi son of Jagdishibhai Patel aged 48, residing at A-17, Prestige Bunglow, Nr. Jiviba School, Ghodasar, Ahmedabad City Gujarat is changing from FIR No 19/2023 of police station Nishat to FIR No 1119011230073/2023of DCB police Station Ahmedabad city, Gujarat, reads the order.
Kiran Patel was handed over to a five member police team of Gujarat police after completing medico-legal formalities.
The application was presented by Inspector of police M.M Solanki, of Crime Branch, Ahmedabad Gujarat.
Official sources told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that the police team has left for Ahmedabad by road and further process of investigation will start in a graft case registered by Ahmedabad Crime Branch once they will reach.
Kiran Patel was under judicial custody in Jammu & Kashmir, where he was under investigation for allegedly posing as an Additional Director (Strategy & Campaigns) of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and thus enjoying perks, the Gujarat police had applied for a transfer warrant, subsequently was granted by a local court in Srinagar.
Malini Patel, the wife of the ‘conman’ Kiran Patel who was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for fraud and impersonation, was taken into custody by the Gujarat Police in connection with a cheating case registered against the couple by a former Gujarat minister’s brother Jagdish Chavda, police had said.
Malini Patel was arrested from Bharuch district’s Jambusar town in connection with a first information report (FIR) registered against the couple on March 22 after Kiran Patel’s arrest from a luxury Srinagar hotel. The FIR was registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 170 (impersonating a public servant) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, the Ahmedabad crime branch said.
As investigating agencies turned the spotlight on the Patel family, Jagdish Chavda approached the police to seek the registration of a case against them. Kiran Patel allegedly told him too that he worked at the PMO and that he was also co-owner of a popular cafe in Ahmedabad and was into renovating buildings, police said.
In February last year, the couple allegedly convinced Chavda to spend on renovating his sprawling bungalow in the Shilaj area that he was trying to sell.
While the renovation work was on, Jagdish Chavda alleged that the couple moved into his bungalow, complete with his nameplate at the entrance, and had even organised a house-warming ceremony.
Chavda alleged in his complaint to the police that when he confronted the couple, they vacated the place and promised to return the ₹35 lakh that he had paid for the renovation. However, in August last year, Chavda alleged that he got notice from an Ahmedabad court for a civil suit filed by the Patels claiming ownership of the property.
Chavda is the brother of Jawahar Chavda, who exited the Congress to join the BJP and was a minister in a previous government when Vijay Rupani was chief minister.
During questioning, Malini Patel allegedly told the police that her husband and brother-in-law Manish Patel earlier operated a travel agency in Ahmedabad which ran into losses. Police said she underlined that she wasn’t aware of what her husband does for a living and that they carried out some renovation work in Chavda’s bungalow and also invited some guests for ‘Vastu Puja’ when the owner was away, the police statement said.
It added that Kiran Patel, wife Malini and their two daughters travelled to Jammu and Kashmir on a holiday in October last year and February this year and stayed at the five-star hotel from where he was arrested on March 2.
Apart from the bungalow case, Malini Patel is also named as an accused along with her husband and brother-in-law in a fraud case in which a resident of Naroda, Rahul Parmar, alleged that they convinced him to become a part of their business of renting cars to the Vadtal Swaminarayan temple.
According to the FIR registered in 2019, Parmar alleged that he and his friends gave the Patels 16 cars worth ₹1 crore in 2017 but did not get back the vehicles or his share of the profits.
Kiran Patel has been booked in four other cases of fraud including an FIR lodged against him by a group of farmers on August 27, 2019, at Bayad police station, the police statement said.
It was first Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com 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.”
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.
A court in Srinagar has also ordered “preliminary enquiry” into an application by Danish Hassan dar, a resident of Rambagh Srinagar, alleging defrauding of Rs 18 lakh by three persons including Kiran Bhai Patel.
Pertinently, on March 29, the government ordered inquiry into the various aspects related to the visits of Kiran Patel and has asked the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to submit a detailed report within a week. (KDC)
