Gujarat man who allegedly impersonated as PMO official charged after raids

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday carried out searches several places in Gujarat against Kiran Patel who allegedly cheated people impersonating as a PMO official.

The agency said in a statement that searches helped seizing documents related to immovable properties apart from recovery of "highly incriminating" material,

"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.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.

"Kira bhai 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.

PTI with superficial edits