Thug posing as PMO official visits border post in J&K

Posing as a senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office, a conman from Gujarat managed to fool the Jammu and Kashmir administration and its security apparatus by obtaining Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof Mahindra Scorpio SUV, official lodging at a five-star hotel, and much more.

The imposter, identified as Kiran Bhai Patel, impersonated the Additional Director for strategy and campaigns in the Prime Minister’s Office and held a series of meetings with officials during his two visits to Srinagar earlier this year.

Patel posted a number of videos and images of his “official visits” to Kashmir while being escorted by paramilitary personnel on his verified Twitter account, the most recent of which was on March 2. He has over a thousand followers, including BJP Gujarat General Secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela.

On Thursday, March 17, details of his arrest were made public after days of his detention on March 3, when a magistrate sent him to judicial custody.