Conman Kiran Patel arrested in fifth case filed in Gujarat

As per the complaint, Patel duped Chandarana to the tune of Rs 3.51 lakh while asking him to arrange a “G20 event” at a posh hotel in Ahmedabad city in January.

“Patel called in January 2023 as he wanted me to organise an event… On January 10, he came to my office (in Ambawadi), discussed the event, sent the guest list on WhatsApp while sitting there and fixed the venue at Hyatt Hotel on Ashram road. He also said that he worked at the Prime Minister’s Office and had been given work on the ‘Kashmir development project’,” the FIR stated Chandarana as saying.

According to Chandarana, Patel also assured him of getting work on a big medical conference in Kashmir.

According to Chandarana, to gain his trust, Patel sent him his visiting card which mentioned his designation as “additional director (strategy and campaigns)” in the PMO. It also mentioned his residence address as “34, Meena Baug Flats, opposite Vigyan Bhavan, off Janpath road, New Delhi, 110001”.

The complainant further stated that he made preparations for the event, “G20 Summit – Scope and Priorities for Various Industries” and was sent banners for the event along with the list of guests along with their photos. Chandarana has also stated that he was added to a WhatsApp group named “29th Event @ Hyatt” by Patel. The event was reportedly held on January 29 and Chandarana claimed to have made payment of Rs 1.91 lakh for the same.

As per the FIR, Patel told Chandarana that between February 8 and 10, they would have to go to Srinagar for the preparation of a medical conference.

“So, I booked air tickets and made a booking at the Lalit hotel in Srinagar, and stayed there, the cost of which was around Rs 1.60 lakh. He also showed me the venue for the conference, on February 10, which was to be held in the near future,” stated Chandarana in the FIR. In all, Patel is accused of cheating to the tune of Rs 3.51 lakh.

Patel was brought to Gujarat on April 8 by state police after taking his custody from Jammu & Kashmir. He was arrested in connection with a case of cheating and breach of trust registered by Jagdish Chavda, brother of former BJP minister Jawahar Chavda. Patel’s wife, Malini, is also an accused in the case.

Jagdish Chavda alleged that the couple duped him of Rs 15 crore in the name of renovating his residential property in Shilaj area of Ahmedabad in 2022. Malini was arrested on March 29, and remanded in six-day custody by a local court in Ahmedabad, after which she was sent to judicial custody.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCB, Chaitanya Mandalik, Patel was on police remand till Saturday in connection with the case registered by Chavda. He was then arrested in the latest case registered by Chandarana in which a magisterial court has sent him to police remand for four days, Mandalik added.

Previous cases against Kiran Patel in Gujarat

* Naroda police station, Ahmedabad: Rahulkumar Parmar, a professional disc jokey, accused Kiran Patel of cheating to the tune of Rs 1 crore in August 2017. A case of cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy registered. As per Patel’s lawyer, he has got anticipatory bail in the case.

* Raopura police station, Vadodara: Patel and his associates were arrested for criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation following a complaint by one Paritosh Shah in August 2019 in connection with a garba event in 2018. Shah alleged that the accused owed him Rs 1.5 crore. Following a settlement, the case was quashed by Gujarat High Court in November 2020.

* Bayad police station, Aravalli: An FIR was registered by one Ashish Kumar Patel, a primary school headmaster in Bayad in August 2019 accusing Kiran and three of his relatives of cheating to the tune of Rs 1.75 crore. Kiran and one of his uncles were arrested in the case and spent two months in jail before getting bail from the Gujarat High Court in 2020.

* Ahmedabad City DCB: In the case filed by Jagdish Chavda, brother of former BJP minister Jawahar Chavda, on March 22, Kiran and his wife Malini are accused of cheating on the pretext of renovating Jagdish’s bungalow in Shilaj area. Kiran allegedly claimed to be a “Class 1 Officer in the PMO”. The couple was booked for criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy. Malini is in judicial custody in the case whereas, Kiran’s police custody ended in the case on Saturday.