Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (PTI) A former member of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, who had surrendered his passport to a court in connection with an ED case, was arrested for allegedly obtaining a second passport using forged documents, officials said on Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Harikesh Patel, a resident of the city’s Shahibaug area, on September 12. His mother is a member of the Congress party, an official said.

According to an official release, Patel had surrendered his “Indian passport (No. S2528999)” before a court during proceedings in a money laundering case related to the “Powerbank app” registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

“However, he later obtained another passport (No. C0538007) by furnishing false documents and fake information,” it said.

The release said Patel’s anticipatory bail application in the money laundering case was rejected, following which he had approached a high court.

During this period, Patel, who is in his 30s, allegedly lodged a false complaint with the Delhi Crime Branch claiming his passport was lost, intending to evade arrest and travel abroad, the release said.

He subsequently obtained the second passport from the Regional Passport Office in Ghaziabad on July 26, 2024, after furnishing a false address in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on his Aadhaar card and obtaining supporting documents on that basis, according to the release.

ATS said Patel used the second passport to travel to Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai via Bhutan and returned to India via Nepal.

A case has been registered against Patel under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Passports Act, the release said, adding that further investigation was underway.

After his arrest, the agency secured his six-day remand on September 13, it said.

PAAS, a socio-political organisation, was formed in 2015 in Gujarat to spearhead the agitation for Other Backward Class reservation status and government job and education quotas for the Patidar community. PTI KVM PD NR