BJP MLA’s kin files complaint against ‘PMO officer’ Kiran Patel for fraud

The Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) has filed a criminal case against Kiran Patel, the Ahmedabad resident who was arrested by Jammu & Kashmir police for allegedly posing as an officer from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), on the basis of a complaint filed by the brother of former Gujarat minister and ex-BJP MLA for fraud and criminal conspiracy.

This is said to be the fifth FIR against Patel in Gujarat.The FIR registered on Thursday alleged that in February 2022, Kiran Patel (43) alias Bansi met the complainant Jagdish Chavda over a property deal and duped him of Rs 35 lakh. Chavda has alleged that Patel allegedly tried to usurp his bungalow.

Patel has been booked under several IPC sections. On March 3, he was arrested by J&K police for impersonating a PMO officer. According to the fresh FIR, Patel approached Chavda after coming to know that the latter wanted to sell off his bungalow located in Shilaj, Ahmedabad.

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Patel is alleged to have met Chavda at a popular tea joint “Tea Post” where the former introduced himself as a class-I PMO officer and also claimed that he was a partner in the food chain joint. When contacted, Tea Post’s owner and founder Darshan Dasani told DH that Patel was not associated with his business in any manner though he knew Patel.

Patel took Chavda into confidence and said that if the bungalow was renovated, it would fetch a higher price. Patel is alleged to have told Chavda that he had some "expertise" in building renovation work. The two made a deal and Chavda reportedly paid Rs 35 lakh to Patel for the work. According to the FIR, Patel took an interior designer Zubin Patel for the renovation work along with his wife, Malini, who is also a co-accused in the alleged fraud.

As per the deal, the FIR alleges, Chavda paid money to Patel for renovation and shifted to his friend's bungalow at Shela. Chavada, who is the brother of former BJP minister Jawahar Chavda and son of veteran Congress leader late Pethalji Chavda, went to native in Junagadh while the renovation of his bungalow was on. Meanwhile, Patel is alleged to have put up a name plate claiming to be its owner of the bungalow and also performed vaastu pooja.

When Chavda came to know about it, Patel said that he would buy it and would pay after he would receive payment for a " big business deal with Adani." The FIR says, Chavda became suspicious of Patel and asked him to finish the renovation work as soon as possible. FIR stated that Patel didn't finish the renovation and disappeared. Later, Chavda received notice from Ahmedabad court informing him that Patel had filed a civil suit claiming the bungalow.

Police said that Chavda filed a complaint sometime in June last year with the DCB against Patel. When asked about the delay in investigation a senior officer with the DCB told DH, "There was a civil suit filed in the court which caused the delay. Generally, police don't interfere in civil disputes. We had issued summons to the accused (Kiran Patel) several times and he appeared just once."

Kiran Patel, who is under judicial custody in union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, is facing many other FIRs lodged in Ahmedabad, Bayad, Aravalli and in Anand districts. In another case registered with Vadodara's Raopura police station, the Gujarat high court quashed the FIR in 2020 after complainant and Patel settled the matter outside the court.