3 Men Who Posed As "PMO Team" With Gujarat Conman In Srinagar Escaped: Sources

Hours before Kiran Bhai Patel was arrested on March 2 following a tip off by Jammu and Kashmir CID, his three accomplices managed to escape, sources said.

Three more people posing as part of an 'official team' led by a conman from Gujarat, Kiran Bhai Patel, may have escaped from Kashmir before police arrested the "senior PMO official" early this month in Srinagar.

The imposter had taken the Jammu and Kashmir administration and security structure for a ride by securing Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof Mahindra Scorpio SUV, official accommodation at a five-star hotel, and a lot more.

Patel, who was impersonating an Additional Director for strategy and campaigns in the Prime Minister's Office, was arrested on March 2, but his arrest was kept a secret by the police. On Thursday, details of his arrest emerged after a magistrate sent him to judicial custody.

Sources say Amit Hitesh Pandiya and Jay Sitapara from Gujarat, and Trilok Singh from Rajasthan were also staying with Patel at a five-star hotel in Srinagar and impersonating an official team from the Prime Minister's Office.