‘Bulletproof car, PMO visiting card: How Guj ‘conman’ duped all

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: For over four months, ‘Dr’ Kiran J. Patel enjoyed the largesse of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, introducing himself as ‘Additional Director (Strategy & Campaign)’ in the Prime Minister’s Office, even allegedly visiting sensitive border areas of Uri near the Line of Control (LoC) before an alert official blew his cover and ensured his arrest on March 2.

Sources say Patel duped officers of the J&K Police and civil administration moving around in a bulletproof Scorpio with full security cover and escort vehicles, taking the liberty of snubbing officers for being ‘lax.’

“He had a government ID and also a PMO visiting card with him which were obviously forged,” a source said. The officer who saw through him is Budgam Deputy Commissioner Syed Fakharuddin Hamid and Patel was put under surveillance after information was received that a person was enjoying a Z-plus security cover, a police source told The Print. He was finally arrested on March 2when he arrived in Srinagar and has been booked for forgery, impersonation and cheating. The FIR, according to The Print, says Patel by resorting to cheating, forgery and impersonation, has duped gullible people.”

The office of the J&K Lieutenant-Governor has ordered a high-level inquiry into the security breach. In a statement on Friday the J&K Police said Patel was arrested after the police received information that he had checked into Lalit Grand Palace.

Patel, who also has a blue-tick verified account on Twitter, introduced himself as “PHD (Commonwealth University Virginia), MBA (IIM Trichy), M.Tech (Computer Science), B.E. Computer (LD Engineering, Thinker, Strategist, Analyst, Campaign Manager”.