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J&K administration orders inquiry into conman Kiran Patel’s visits
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday ordered Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri to conduct an inquiry into various aspects related to the visits of alleged conman Kiran Patel and the provision of security to him
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday ordered Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri to conduct an inquiry into various aspects related to the visits of alleged conman Kiran Patel and the provision of security to him.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the appointment of Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, IAS, divisional commissioner, Kashmir, as inquiry officer to inquire into the various aspects related to the visits of Kiran Patel to Kashmir during the past months and security arrangements made thereof,” a home department order signed by additional chief secretary Raj Kumar Goyal said.
“The inquiry officer shall identify the lapses on the part of officers/ officials concerned and submit a detail report within one week,” the order said.
The Wednesday’s order is the first formal effort at an administrative level to identify the officers who were in touch with Patel and arranged for his security and extended other courtesies.
Patel, who impersonated an official with the Prime Minister’s Office, was arrested on March 2 from a luxury hotel in Srinagar by the state police, less than a fortnight after he threw a fit during his February 23 visit to Budgam because no senior official came to receive him.
His arrest led the J&K administration to issue a fresh advisory reminding officials to follow standard operating procedures in recommending or extending security details to people from outside the union territory.
The alleged conman, who faces four other cases in Gujarat, continues to remain in judicial custody after Srinagar’s chief judicial magistrate rejected his bail application on March 23, holding that it could hamper the police probe.
On Tuesday, the Gujarat Police had announced that it has arrested Patel’s wife Malini Patel in a cheating case that was registered against the couple.
