Surat: After facing multiple cases of extortion, criminal defamation, conspiracy and criminal intimidation, history-sheeter Kirti Patel has now been booked under the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, 2020, for allegedly illegally occupying a rented flat in Parvat Patiya area of the city for nearly seven years.According to the FIR registered by the Puna police, Kirti allegedly took possession of the flat on rent in 2019, but neither executed a formal rental agreement nor vacated the property despite repeated requests from its owner. She is also accused of threatening the complainant and her family whenever they attempted to recover possession of the flat or collect rent.The complainant, Manjula Patel (59), stated that she had purchased flat No. 203 in Kushal Darshan Vatika society in Parvat Patiya from Bhagirath Baladha in 2016 for ₹19.11 lakh. Initially, the flat was provided for the stay of Jain monks. After they vacated, society chairperson Ramesh Jain introduced Kirti as a prospective tenant, assuring that she would pay a monthly rent of Rs 9,500 along with a refundable security deposit of Rs 30,000.Manjula alleged that while Kirti provided her photograph, she repeatedly avoided submitting her Aadhaar card, preventing the execution of a formal rent agreement. Despite the absence of any written agreement, she moved into the flat.According to the complaint, Kirti was subsequently arrested in connection with a fight in the Puna area. After her release from jail, Manjula asked her to vacate the flat. Kirti allegedly assured her that she would leave after finding alternative accommodation. However, she neither vacated the premises nor paid rent thereafter.The complainant further alleged that whenever she or her family members visited the property to demand rent or seek possession, Kirti threatened them with dire consequences, forcing them to stay away. Over the years, Manjula said she lodged several complaints with the Puna police, but no effective action was taken until now.Based on the latest complaint, the Puna police have booked Kirti under the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, 2020, along with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to criminal intimidation and other alleged offences.Meanwhile, Kirti, who was arrested by the Puna police on Thursday in connection with a separate extortion case registered on Jul 11, was produced before a Surat court, which remanded her to police custody until Sunday for further investigation.
