New Delhi: In the world of news, one cannot be content enough to believe that all has been read or reported. There’s always something more interesting in this domain. Adding to the list, a man impersonated a high-profile PMO official, visited border areas in Jammu and Kashmir twice, and conducted meetings till the authorities realised that the ‘official’ was a conman.
Impersonation cases are one of those that keep making headlines and compelling one to think how far one could go and this one is certainly an addition to it.
A Gujarat man, identified as Kiran Bhai Patel, posed as an official of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and got a Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof Mahindra Scorpio SUV, official accommodation at a five-star hotel and a whole lot more, reported NDTV.
Patel met officials of the Jammu and Kashmir and the security teams were unaware that they were being taken for a ride. Reportedly, Patel held a series of meetings with officials during his two earlier visits to Srinagar earlier this year.
He was impersonating an Additional Director for strategy and campaigns in the PMO and was arrested 10 days back. But, NDTV reported, his arrest was kept secret until after a magistrate sent him to judicial custody.
The report added that Patel first visited the valley in February and also has a verified Twitter account.
As per the NDTV report, he has over a thousand followers, including BJP Gujarat General Secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela. He also shared several videos and pictures of his 'official visits' in Kashmir surrounded by paramilitary guards, the last of which was on March 2.
He claims to have 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 in his Twitter bio.
Several videos of him touring the valley with security teams around him have emerged on social media and netizens are amazed at the developments.
According to NDTV, he could be seen walking through snow at Doodhpathri in Budgam with paramilitary guards. In some videos, he could also be seen posing for a photo in front of the clock tower Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
The report said citing sources that Patel also held meetings with officials to discuss ways to bring more tourists from Gujarat and also about making Doodhpathri a major tourist destination.
He came under suspicion after he arrived in Srinagar on his second visit within two weeks. Reports said that an IAS officer who is a district magistrate informed the police about the visit of a "senior PMO officer" last month.
Following this, the intelligence agencies alerted the police about a conman impersonating a PMO official. After verifying his background, agencies asked police to arrest Patel from a hotel in Srinagar.
A team of Gujarat police is also joining the investigations, NDTV reported citing sources.