Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police filed a chargesheet against Gujarat conman Kiran Bhai Patel on Tuesday, accusing him of ‘fraud and criminal conspiracy’.
The chargesheet has been submitted at the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Srinagar.
Police said that the chargesheet against Patel, who posed as a PMO official in Kashmir, was filed under FIR number 19/2023 of Police Station Nishat.
“Challan filed under sections of 419, 420, 468, 471, 170, 120B of IPC and Sections 3, 5 of Emblem & Names (Previously of improper use) Act 1950,” Srinagar police said in a tweet.
He is lodged in central Jail, Srinagar, the police said.
Patel, 48, was arrested in Srinagar after defrauding the J&K administration and acquiring VVIP protocol and protection while in Kashmir. He pretended to be an Additional Director (Strategy & Campaigns) in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Piyush Kantibhai Vasita, a trusted aide to him, was detained by Kashmir Police on April 25 for fabricating phoney visiting cards for him to deceive authorities and ordinary people.
The Gujarat Police detained Patel’s wife on March 28.
In October of last year and in February of this year, the Patel family flew to Jammu and Kashmir for vacations with their two children, staying at the five-star hotel where he was apprehended in March.
Earlier on April 6, the Srinagar Jail authorities handed over custody of Gujarat conman Kiran Patel to Gujarat Police after the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Srinagar ordered his shifting to Gujarat. Later he was shifted back by Gujarat Police to Kashmir again after questioning there.
Patel was shifted to Gujarat for questioning in connection with a case registered against him by Ahmedabad Crime Branch.
J&K government on March 29 ordered an inquiry to probe into various aspects related to visits of Kiran Patel to Kashmir during the past months and security arrangements made during his visit.
As per the government order, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri has been appointed as inquiry officer to inquire into the matter.