The case of conman Kiran Patel, who posed as a senior officer from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and strutted around Jammu & Kashmir under Z+ security for over six months, has come to haunt the Gujarat CMO and the BJP with new findings about his relations at the State Secretariat.
Wasting no time, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel asked his additional PRO Hitesh Pandya to put in his papers and vacate the State Government accommodation after it was revealed that his son Amit Pandya had accompanied Kiran Patel to the J&K Valley, with one more person.
Patel held meetings with senior officials
Patel, who posed as a senior officer in the Prime Minister’s office, enjoyed Z+ security in the valley. He also held meetings with senior officers and claimed that he was sent to the Valley to explore the possibility of developing various sectors, including horticulture.
Simultaneously, the Gujarat BJP suspended Amit Pandya from the primary membership of the party in Gujarat though Kiran Patel, who claims himself to be a BJP member on social media, continues in the party.
Hitesh will wrap up his work by 31st March
Hitesh Pandya told reporters that he had already tendered his resignation and would wrap up his work in the CMO by March 31 and be relieved from the office the same day.
Almost every day, some complaint or information about Kiran continues to trickle in the Gujarat Secretariat and political circles. Patel, who already faces three complaints of fraud in the State, was known to flaunt his connections with top BJP leaders on the social media and even posted his pictures with them.
He assured diamond merchants to facilitate all clearences
What is more, Gujarat political circles call Kiran Patel a fixer and even allege that he had the connections to get official files cleared in the State Government. Sources said he had also reportedly assured a few diamond merchants to facilitate all clearances if they invested in Jammu and Kashmir.
The latest complaint against Patel in the Ahmedabad Crime Branch was filed on Thursday by one Jagdish Chavda, 63, a resident of Shilaj in Ahmedabad.
Chavda happens to be the brother of Congress turncoat Jawahar Chavda, who had quit the party to join the BJP and was made a minister in the earlier Vijay Rupani Government.
Chavda paid ₹35 lakh to Patel
According to Jagdish Chavda’s complaint, Patel promised to get his house renovated and help him sell at a handsome price. He took ₹35 lakh from Chavda. When Jagdish returned from his native Junagadh at his house, he was shocked to find that Patel had already put his own name plate on the bungalow and completed the “vastu puja”.
Confronted by Chavda, he vacated the bungalow and promised him to return the Rs 35 lakh when he gets paid for a few projects he had bagged from a corporate house. However, in August last year, Chavda got another jolt when he was slapped with a notice from the Ahmedabad District Court that he had occupied his bungalow illegally. Finally, now he has lodged a complaint against Patel.
Patel did rounds of the valley posing as officer from PMO
Kiran Patel was arrested by the J&K police and multiple agencies are probing the reasons for him doing the rounds of the Valley as a fake officer from the PMO and how did he manage to get a Z+ security.
The police are also investigating those who have been in touch with him. looking into the reasons behind Patel posing as an officer from the PMO. Those who have been in contact with Patel are also being interrogated. Besides Amit Pandya, one Jai Sitapara, from Saurashtra, had also accompanied Patel.
