We need your support. Know More

J&K Court Dismisses Bail Plea of Gujarat Man Posing as PMO Official, Asks Police to Probe 'Network'

Jehangir Ali
Mar 24, 2023
The court said there was “reasonable apprehension” that the accused could “contact…and shall definitely try to win over prosecution witnesses and…also destroy the evidence which has not been collected by the investigating agency so far”.

Srinagar: A court on Thursday, March 23, rejected the bail application of Gujarati man Kiran Jagdish Bhai Patel who was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police earlier this month on charges of cheating and forgery from a hotel in Srinagar.

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Raja Mohammad Tasleem ruled that there are apprehensions that Patel, a resident of Ghodasar in Ahmedabad, might “influence prosecution witnesses and destroy the evidence” if he was released from prison, while dismissing his application.

According to reports, two more suspects identified as Jay Sitapara and Amit Pandya have been arrested by the police in connection with the case. The J&K Police have not officially confirmed the arrests. Pandya is a Gujarat resident and son of Hitesh Pandya, a public relations officer in the Gujarat chief minister’s office since April 17, 2001.

Patel and his associates were part of the ‘PMO team’ which was staying at The Lalit hotel, a five-star hotel flanked by the iconic Dal Lake in Srinagar. The Times of India reported that the trio had promised cheap properties in Kashmir to at least three politicians, a former IPS officer and a bureaucrat who are believed to have paid them Rs 25-50 lakh.

“Patel would tell bigwigs that the PMO had assigned him special work regarding development projects in Kashmir and he knew of many prime properties which could be bought for cheap,” the newspaper reported.

According to the J&K Police, Patel was provided accommodation as well as Z-plus category security cover, a jammer and a bullet proof vehicle for his travels in the Valley. The prosecution told the court that Patel lured Pandya and Sitapara by showing them photos and videos of his security protocol and also arranged their meeting with unidentified government officials in Kashmir.

Noting that Patel’s impersonation as ‘Additional Director (Strategy and Campaign) PMO’ “can’t to be taken lightly”, the court directed the J&K Police to conduct a “thorough investigation” to find “other possible connections of the accused” and prevent “an ugly situation”.

“A well knit network of the accused around cannot be ruled out,” the court observed, adding that there was “reasonable apprehension” that the accused could “contact…and shall definitely try to win over prosecution witnesses and…also destroy the evidence which has not been collected by the investigating agency so far”.

The Srinagar magistrate observed that “some more persons have remained closely connected with the accused person (Patel) whose nexus with the accused person requires proper investigation”.

It was “spectacularly evident”, the court observed, that Patel prima facie “forged and manufactured some documents including some visiting cards” to deceive “not only a single or group of person but extremely elevated class of the society including high officials of the civil administration and police authorities”.

During his Kashmir visits, Patel, who is suspected of having links with the BJP, met several known and unknown persons, including J&K administration officials and a young BJP leader, while claiming to be on a secret mission to assess the ground situation in the union territory and the status of developmental works taken up by the Union government.

“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,” the court was told.

Objecting to the bail application, the prosecution also informed the court that Patel caused a “security breach and violated the security protocol….which may have negative impacts upon the security of the country which the accused may have noticed after his visit”.

“At this stage when the tip of the iceberg vis-a-viz the crime under investigation has only surfaced, the grant of bail to the accused is beyond the stretch of investigation besides it would be a huge blow to the fair investigation,” the prosecution told the court.

Seeking a thorough investigation, the judge observed that Patel visited “most sensitive locations and areas” during his Kashmir visits and the motive behind these visits is yet to be established. According to the court order, Patel met the officials of civil administration and police during which he is suspected of having “received hefty amount for different purpose which areas seem not to have been investigated so far”.

“No recoveries have been made by the investigating agency so far, hence a detailed and thorough investigation is also required to be conducted as far as this area of the matter is concerned,” the court ruled.

Observing that the ongoing probe, which is being conducted by a superintendent of the J&K Police, was at its initial stage, the court ruled that granting bail to Patel “shall definitely destroy the very fabric of the investigation” while dismissing the bail application.

Earlier, Patel’s lawyer argued that his client “is victim of political vengeance and enmity because he is closely connected with national politics”. The court had heard the arguments of Patel’s counsel and state on March 20 after which it had reserved the order which was pronounced on Thursday.

Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Patel and the others offered land at a cheap rate to an IPS officer. It has been corrected to say that land was offered to a former IPS officer.

Make a contribution to Independent Journalism