Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 17: Even as the Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested a Gujarati man who impersonated a top official in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and held meetings with top officials in the Union territory, some officials have under the scanner for having given “undue access to the accused in violation of code of conduct.”
The sources said the alleged conman, identified as Kiran Bhai Patel, used to identify himself as the Additional Director in the PMO and would hold meetings with officials across Kashmir during his previous visits.
The sources said some of the officers were “more than eager to have a word with him and so seek his blessings.” The sources said such meetings were done in violation of norms “thereby compromising the issues over governance in the region.”
Apart from taking pictures at historic Lal Chowk, he had visited frontier Uri.
The sources said detailed inquiry of some such officers was expected in the coming days.
According to the sources in Srinagar police, who filed the FIR, Patel enjoyed government hospitality, was assigned a personal security officer (PSO), and room in a luxury hotel. The sources said all the facilities were provided by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
However, Patel was subsequently arrested by alert security officials on March 3 on his third visit to Kashmir. He was arrested by police from a five-star hotel in Srinagar.
Patel, as per the sources, had reportedly claimed that he had been given the mandate by the Union government to look after some prospective real estate deals in the Union Territory.
The accused is being questioned by a number of officials to see if the man was a spy. “The matter is being looked into very seriously in a water-tight manner,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.
The official however declined to share any details with regard to the case. |
