Ahmedabad, Apr 4: A team of Ahmedabad Police has reached Jammu and Kashmir to take custody of alleged conman Kiran Patel in a cheating case and is expected to bring him to Gujarat on Thursday evening, an official said here.
Four First Information Reports (FIRs) related to cheating have been registered against Patel in different police stations in Gujarat, said a city crime branch official on Tuesday.
“Our team is already in Jammu and Kashmir to take Kiran Patel’s custody in a cheating case registered with us. He will be brought here on Thursday evening,” the senior official said.
Ahmedabad-resident Kiran Patel was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir last month for allegedly posing as a top official in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Subsequently, the Ahmedabad crime branch registered a case of cheating against him and his wife Malini Patel on March 22 for allegedly trying to usurp a senior citizen’s bungalow.
Malini Patel was arrested six days later.
The complainant in the case, Jagdish Chavda (63), wanted to sell his bungalow in Shilaj area. Patel approached Chavda in February 2022 claiming to be a real estate agent and told him that the property would fetch a good price if renovated.
To win Chavda’s trust, Patel allegedly claimed to be a “Class-1 officer in the PMO” and a partner in a cafe chain.
When Chavda agreed to renovation, Kiran, Malini and an interior designer took Rs 35 lakh in instalments from him for the work.
As renovation was underway, Chavda shifted to his friend’s residence. A few days later he learnt that Kiran and his wife had put up their own nameplate outside the bungalow and also conducted a house-warming ritual as if they were the owners.
When confronted, the couple left the bungalow without finishing the renovation, and Chavda moved back into the house.
In August 2022, Chavda learnt through a court notice that Kiran Patel had filed a civil suit claiming ownership of the property using photographs of his nameplate and invitation card for the house-warming ceremony, said the FIR.–(PTI)
