Under custody in J&K, ‘conman’ Kiran Patel booked in fresh case in Ahmedabad

This is the fourth case of fraud and cheating registered against Kiran in Gujarat. Kiran, who is in judicial custody in Srinagar following his arrest in the PMO case, will be brought to Gujarat for questioning after getting a transfer warrant. Chaitanya Mandlik, Ahmedabad Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police, said the police will soon arrest Malini.

According to the FIR, Chavda, a property dealer who resides in Nilkanth Green bungalows near Taj Hotel in the Shilaj area of Ahmedabad, wanted to shift to a smaller place after his finances deteriorated. “Kiran, identifying himself as a Class 1 officer, after winning his (Chavda’s) trust, took the house in his name on the pretext of renovation. The complaint was registered on March 22,” said Mandlik.

“While looking for a buyer for our property, we got acquainted with Kiran Patel, who called my wife Ila Chavda and told her that he deals in properties. He visited our house to look at the property and suggested that renovation is needed in the house, and it will increase the sale rate of the property,” the FIR reads.

A few days later, Kiran met Chavda at ‘Tea-Post’ cafe near the latter’s house when he “promised” to renovate the bungalow and help him sell it. The FIR states that Kiran told Chavda that he has a share in ‘Tea-Post’ cafe. “I also have a large political stature. I work as a Class 1 officer in the PMO. I have experience in renovating bungalows and buildings,” it quotes Kiran as saying. The accused also told the complainant that between Rs 30 lakhs and Rs 35 lakhs would be required for the renovation.

“After a few days, Kiran and his wife Malini, along with an interior designer Zubin Patel, came to visit our house in February 2022, and said that it will require about 10 months to renovate the house. Hence, we shifted to a friend’s house in Shela and gave Rs 35 lakhs in instalments for the renovation,” said Chavda, according to the FIR.

Chavda, who soon went to Junagadh on “some work”, returned to see Kiran’s name plate outside his house. The complainant got to know that Kiran and his wife Malini had also performed vastu-puja at the bungalow. “When I asked, Kiran said he wished to buy the house, but would pay as soon as he got payments from a large Adani project, for which he claimed to be working for,” Chavda stated.

However, after he found the renovation work was left unfinished, Chavda became suspicious and moved back to the Shilaj bungalow. In August 2022, he received a notice from the Ahmedabad village district court in Mirzapur where Kiran had filed a suit claiming the ownership of the bungalow.

“The police had taken statements from different people, and even called Kiran for the statement, but he made excuses. After giving the statement, he appealed in the court and on the petition, an anticipatory bail was also applied by him. But the court rejected his anticipatory bail. And then the FIR was filed. We have also given him a notice of seven days,” said Mandlik.