ED files money laundering case against alleged Gujarat conman Kiran Patel; conducts searches

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it has conducted searches at a dozen locations in Gujarat against alleged conman Kiran Patel who is accused of cheating people by impersonating as a PMO official while taking the Jammu and Kashmir administration on a ride.

The searches, carried out on May 19, resulted in seizure of documents related to immovable properties apart from recovery of "highly incriminating" material, the agency said in a statement.

"Further investigation in respect of his activities in J-K and other places is in progress," it said.

A total of 12 locations in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Morbi and Mehsana in Gujarat in the investigation relating to Kiranbhai Jagdishbhai Patel and his associates Jay Savjibhai Sitapara, Hardik Kishorebhai Chandrana, Vitthalbhai Motibhai Patel, Amit Pandya and Piyush Kantibhai Vasita were searched.

The ED alleged Patel, with criminal intention, employed high degree of forged means, impersonated himself as senior government official serving in PMO as 'Dr Kiran Patel, Additional Director, PMO (Strategies and Campaigns)'.

By resorting to cheating, forgery and impersonation, Patel duped gullible people and also intentionally induced people to do and also to omit to do activities, under a well-knit plan for securing monetary as well as material benefits, it said.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

"Kiranbhai Patel is a habitual scammer and imposter as other FIRs have also been registered against him and his family members in Gujarat for defrauding gullible people by pretending himself as a high-rank officer in the government and showing his political connections," it said.