Gujarat conman Kiran Patel had made four visits, each between three and five days, over six months until March this year, Indian Express reported.
During his meeting, he met at least two IAS officers besides several junior officials. He fixed up meetings for at least three Gujarat businessmen with key government functionaries; and hobnobbed with a slew of local BJP and RSS functionaries.
From rolling out the official red carpet to upgrading his security, in the form of a bullet-proof vehicle, two escort vehicles, and a dozen gunmen from Sashastra Seema Bal, The Indian Express reported that behind moving the wheels were two individuals: Rajasthan-based RSS functionary Trilok Singh Chauhan and Baseer ul Haq Chaudhary, IAS officer of 2015 batch, who is Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama.
Chaudhary, when contacted, declined to comment. Chauhan is being questioned by the police. When contacted, a senior RSS functionary said Chauhan had served as a “vistarak” in J-K.
According to the Indian express report, Patel along with his family landed in Srinagar on October 25-27, 2022. Pulwama DC Chaudhary called up J&K Police SSP (Security) of Kashmir Sheikh Zulfikar to provide him security. DC Pulwama got him a bullet-proof vehicle, two escort vehicles, a dozen SSB gunmen. Zulfikar declined to comment.
Patel meets local BJP leaders including media-in-charge Manzoor Bhat; local journalists and then Nishat Police station SHO Gauhar Hussain. Makes some of them wear ‘I am Modified’ jackets. Hussain declined to comment. Bhat confirmed that he met
On his second trip on February 6-8, 2023, Patel gets the same security on Pulwama DC’s request. This time, he is accompanied by a Gujarat businessman identified as Amit Pandya (son of Hitesh Pandya, Additional PRO in the Gujarat CMO, who was asked to quit).
Patel arranged a meeting between Pandya and Pulwama DC; Indian Express reported quoting sources. When contacted, Hitesh Pandya had told The Indian Express that Amit had, indeed, gone to J-K with Patel in February “for business purpose” with his consent.
Patel, during his second visit, made trips to Gulmarg and Aherbal waterfalls in Kulgam and also enjoyed hospitality of the state Tourism department. Visits Uri, gets his pictures clicked near Aman Setu on the LoC and posts on social media.
Patel during February 24-28, 2023 made a flurry of visits to Pulwama, Doodhpathri in Budgam and also got in touch with IAS officers such as Ming Sherpa, MD, JKTDC. Discusses redevelopment of Centaur Hotel. Sherpa declined to comment.
He was accompanied by Pandya and one Dr Hardik Chandana from Gujarat who was keen to hold a doctors’ conference in Pulwama. Meeting with DC Pulwama was arranged.
On March 2, 2023, Patel lands in Srinagar from Ahmedabad, not knowing his cover has been blown, sources said. Police waited until Patel reached Lalit Grand Hotel in Dal Lake. When accosted, he tried to flush down his fake PMO visiting cards.
Patel, arrested on March 2, is in judicial custody.
Later that month, Patel’s cover was blown at two levels. Budgam DC Fakhruddin Hamid had started his own probe on February 24 and found from the PMO website that there was no officer by this name in the PMO.
To be sure, he asked all concerned in the administration and sounded out various Deputy Commissioners and bureaucrats.
On March 1, he alerted the CEO of Doodhpathri Development Authority – who had received a call from Patel that he was coming to the tourist destination again – and told him not to entertain Patel anymore. Hamid, who sent a report to his superiors on March 2, declined to comment.
In the last week of February, the CID got active after it was alerted by some Lalit Grand staff that a guest claiming to be a PMO official had “demeanours rather unbecoming of one.” Sources said by the end of February, CID had established that Patel was a fraud.
By this time, however, Patel had left Srinagar and reached Ahmedabad.
According to Srinagar police, on March 2, CID formally informed it that the man was a fraud and that he was coming back to the Valley, reported Indian express