Gujarat conman who posed as PMO secretary in Kashmir, got Z-plus security, arrested

A man hailing from Gujarat has been arrested by police from a five-star hotel in Srinagar for impersonating the additional director for strategy and campaigns in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Identified as Kiran J Patel, the man is found to have a verified Twitter account with thousands of followers. He was enjoying security cover besides other hospitality until his cover was blown by the police.

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Reports quoting sources said that the conman had managed to acquire Z-plus security cover for himself, a bulletproof SUV and official accommodation at a five-star hotel in Jammu and Kashmir.

Third visit to Kashmir

According to court documents, Patel was on his third visit to the Kashmir valley and was subsequently nabbed by alert security officials on March 3. He had claimed he had been given mandate by the government to identify buyers for apple orchards in south Kashmir and a couple of IAS officers were in awe of him as he had been dropping names of high-ranking bureaucrats and politicians in the national capital.

Patel was produced before a court in Srinagar last evening for extension of his police remand. A case under relevant sections of cheating and forgery was registered against him on March 2 and he was arrested the next day.

Suspicious visit

During his earlier visit, he had travelled to tourist hotspot Gulmarg claiming that the government had tasked him to look for improvement of hotel facilities in the area. Security agencies got suspicious after he landed at the airport on March 2 as there was no information of any VIP movement.

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An attempt was made to stop him at the airport but this could not fructify as he had already stepped into a bullet-proof car on the way to the hotel. After his questioning and subsequent arrest, security officials recovered forged identity cards from his possession, the documents said.