One man managed to trick several J&K officials into believing that he was a senior PMO official

A conman got the Jammu and Kashmir administration and several security officials to believe that he was a senior official in the Prime Minister's Office. He visited the Valley on two occasions since February and one such visit got suspicious, leading to his arrest. Kiran Bhai Patel, the conman from Gujarat, also held several meetings with officials in the Valley.

Patel was so convincing in his act that he even got a Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof Mahindra Scorpio SUV and official accommodation at a five-star hotel. He was impersonating an Additional Director for strategy and campaigns in the Prime Minister's Office. The arrest happened around 10 days back but was kept under wraps by the police. The news spread after a magistrate sent him to judicial custody on Thursday.

"The said individual, by resorting to cheating, forgery and impersonation has duped gullible people and also intentionally induced people to do and also to omit to do activities, under a well-knit plan for securing monetary as well as material benefits," a police statement said.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"The said act of the said fraudster has been found attracting cognizablity to the extent of section 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 IPC. Self would be taking up the investigations in the instant case,'' the report added.

Action will also be taken against two police officials for failing to take note of the impersonator. Gujarat police are also joining in the investigation.

He forged documents to deceive people in the security, who provided him with a high-security cover during his stay in the Valley.

During his first visit to the Valley, Patel took a trip to several health resorts. He also held meeting with officials regarding tourism in Kashmir and ways to bring more tourists from Gujarat. His last visit to the Valley was on March 2.

Several videos show Patel visiting places escorted by the paramilitary and the police, including Doodhpathri in Budgam. In one photo, he can be seen posing in front of the clock tower Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

Patel also has a verified Twitter account with over a thousand followers. BJP Gujarat General Secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela also follows him. His account is full of pictures and videos showing him on official visits to Kashmir surrounded by paramilitary guards. His Twitter bio says that he has a PhD from Commonwealth University, Virginia, an MBA from IIM Trichy, as well as an M.Tech in Computer Science and B.E. in Computer Engineering.

His second visit within two weeks in Srinagar raised suspicions. According to sources, an IAS officer told the police about his visit in February. Once the police were alerted about a conman impersonating a PMO official, his background was looked into and he was later arrested from a hotel in Srinagar.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.