Hitesh Pandya, a senior official in the Gujarat Chief Minister’s office, has resigned from his position following a controversy involving his son’s involvement in a fake team that impersonated officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The fake team, led by conman Kiran Bhai Patel, managed to secure a Z-plus security cover, official accommodation at a five-star hotel, and more from the Jammu and Kashmir administration and security apparatus. Amit Hitesh Pandya, the son of Hitesh Pandya, was part of the fake team and has been suspended from the BJP’s primary membership.
While Amit and his accomplice, Jay Sitapara, have been made witnesses in the case, the Jammu and Kashmir police have not named Amit Pandya as an accused in the fake PMO team case. The senior official, Hitesh Pandya, tendered his resignation to the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, citing the desire to protect the image of the CMO and the PMO.
The conman, Kiran Bahi Patel, was arrested in early March after enjoying official protocol for over four months while posing as a senior PMO official. Amit and Jay Sitapara were initially let off by the police but were called back for questioning last week. Sources say that the duo may have “fallen into the trap” of the conman.
The fake PMO team had been visiting Kashmir since October last year and had held meetings with officials in various districts across the region before the police were alerted that they were conmen. While Mr Pandya has defended his son’s innocence, the incident has raised questions about the hiring practices and vetting procedures of the state government, and the need for stricter background checks and scrutiny of the employees working in the government sector to prevent such incidents in the future.
