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Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Tazias under 9 feet, no loudspeaker at night: Surat Police issues instructions for Muharram processions
The height of Tazias should not exceed 9 feet, Tazia makers should ensure that religious sentiments of other faiths are not harmed, and no loudspeaker should be used from 10 pm to 6am: These are some of the instructions that Surat Police has issued ahead of the upcoming Muharram processions. Tazia processions will be carried out on July 17 in Surat and are expected to see participation by hundreds of people. On Wednesday evening, Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut held a meeting with members of Surat city Tazia committee and Shanti Samiti (peace committee). Apart from top police officials, people from both Muslim and Hindu communities attended the meeting in which an appeal was issued to strictly follow the notification and ensure peaceful conduct of the procession. According to the notification issued by Gahlaut, Tazias should be kept at designated locations and should not be taken out on the roads, except on the day of the procession. The area where Tazias are made and kept should not create any road blockages or traffic issues, it added. Tazias should not be abandoned, it said. On the day of the procession, only those Tazias that have the permit will be allowed to pass through the allotted route, the notification said. A sound limiter should be installed in the sound system, it added. Due to the ongoing work of the Metro rail project on Raj Marg, the route of Tazia procession has been changed. The procession will start from Zampa Bazaar area, reach Lalgate on Raj Marg, take a turn and pass through Shahpore, Muglishara, and finally culminate at Hodi Bungalow. To ensure law and order, police officers will wear body-worn cameras, allowing for continuous monitoring of the procession and identification of those who could disrupt the atmosphere. Besides, the proceedings will be monitored through the CCTV network. Surat city Tazia committee president Arshad Kalyani said, 'This year, we have got requests from 330 Tazia makers. We have given them permit numbers and also prescribed them the routes they have to follow on the procession day. Our volunteers will stand on the roads to ensure the procession passes by peacefully.' Commissioner Gahlaut said, 'We held a meeting with the Tazia committee and Shanti committee leaders and asked them to ensure that the processions go by peacefully. We have acted on Supreme Court guidelines… The height of Tazia has been fixed at 9 feet.'
Mint
19-06-2025
- Mint
Instagram influencer, accused of honeytrapping builder for ₹2 crore, gets arrested after being on the run for months
Kirti Patel was arrested by the Gujarat Police after being on the run for 10 months. The popular Instagram influencer with 1.3 million followers is accused of honeytrapping a builder and demanding ₹ 2 crore as ransom. An FIR was filed in June 2024 against Kirti and four others. While four had already been arrested, Kirti remained missing. Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar confirmed that Patel had been caught based on a court-issued warrant and presented before the court. The alleged honeytrap case has drawn widespread attention due to Kirti's social media fame. According to police, the investigation is still ongoing. "In June 2024, an FIR was registered for honey-trapping, and 5 accused were there, 4 were arrested while Kirti Patel was on the run for the last 10 months. We had arrested her based on the warrant issued by the court and produced her before the court. She has demanded a ransom of 2 crores from a builder," Kumar told ANI. Honeytrapping is a method where someone, often using charm or romance, tricks another person. The victim gets into a situation that can later be used to trap, blackmail or cheat them. They are usually forced to give money, information or some other benefit. In many honeytrap cases, a person is made to believe they are in a romantic relationship. But, later they are threatened with photos, videos or false complaints unless they pay money or do what the trapper says. Kirti Patel kept changing cities across Gujarat, SIM cards and IP addresses for 10 months to avoid arrest. Interestingly, she regularly posted on Instagram during this time. Last week, she posted a Reel to promote an online casino. The video gained over 6 lakh views. In February, she posted multiple videos of her visit to Mahakumbh 2025. She is a Shree Krishna devotee who regularly posts videos with His idols. The Surat Police, with help from cyber experts and the Ahmedabad Police, tracked her to Sarkhej, Ahmedabad. They even worked with Instagram to find her exact location. 'In these 10 months, her location kept changing constantly, in different parts of Gujarat. The IP address kept changing, as did her phone numbers and SIM cards. We also coordinated with Instagram to get her location," NDTV quoted Kumar as saying.
Mint
19-06-2025
- Mint
Instagram influencer, accused of honeytrapping builder for ₹2 crore, gets arrested after being on the run for months
Kirti Patel was arrested by the Gujarat Police after being on the run for 10 months. The popular Instagram influencer with 1.3 million followers is accused of honeytrapping a builder and demanding ₹ 2 crore as ransom. An FIR was filed in June 2024 against Kirti and four others. While four had already been arrested, Kirti remained missing. Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar confirmed that Patel had been caught based on a court-issued warrant and presented before the court. The alleged honeytrap case has drawn widespread attention due to Kirti's social media fame. According to police, the investigation is still ongoing. "In June 2024, an FIR was registered for honey-trapping, and 5 accused were there, 4 were arrested while Kirti Patel was on the run for the last 10 months. We had arrested her based on the warrant issued by the court and produced her before the court. She has demanded a ransom of 2 crores from a builder," Kumar told ANI. Honeytrapping is a method where someone, often using charm or romance, tricks another person. The victim gets into a situation that can later be used to trap, blackmail or cheat them. They are usually forced to give money, information or some other benefit. In many honeytrap cases, a person is made to believe they are in a romantic relationship. But, later they are threatened with photos, videos or false complaints unless they pay money or do what the trapper says. Kirti Patel kept changing cities across Gujarat, SIM cards and IP addresses for 10 months to avoid arrest. Interestingly, she regularly posted on Instagram during this time. Last week, she posted a Reel to promote an online casino. The video gained over 6 lakh views. In February, she posted multiple videos of her visit to Mahakumbh 2025. She is a Shree Krishna devotee who regularly posts videos with His idols. The Surat Police, with help from cyber experts and the Ahmedabad Police, tracked her to Sarkhej, Ahmedabad. They even worked with Instagram to find her exact location. 'In these 10 months, her location kept changing constantly, in different parts of Gujarat. The IP address kept changing, as did her phone numbers and SIM cards. We also coordinated with Instagram to get her location," NDTV quoted Kumar as saying. Patel is also facing other complaints, including land grabbing and more extortion cases. Police will now record her statements in these cases and continue their investigation.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Who is Kirti Patel? Influencer with over 1 million followers held for honey-trapping Surat builder
Social media influencer Kirti Patel, who has over 1.3 million followers on Instagram, was arrested in Ahmedabad after being on the run for 10 months in connection with a honey-trapping and extortion case involving a builder in Surat. The Surat Police, who had been tracking her movements since June 2024, said Kirti Patel had been evading arrest by frequently changing locations across Gujarat and using different SIM cards and IP addresses. A court in Surat had issued a warrant against her last year after a first information report (FIR) was registered in the case, which named five accused. Four of them had already been arrested, while Patel remained absconding. 'In June 2024, an FIR was registered for honey-trapping, and 5 accused were there, 4 were arrested while Kirti Patel was on the run for the last 10 months. We had arrested her based on the warrant issued by the court and produced her before the court. She has demanded a ransom of 2 crores from a builder,' news agency ANI quoted Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone-1, Surat, Alok Kumar, as saying. The cop added, 'In these 10 months, her location kept changing constantly, in different parts of Gujarat. The IP address kept changing, as did her phone numbers and SIM cards. We also coordinated with Instagram to get her location.' Patel was finally traced to the Sarkhej area of Ahmedabad with the help of cyber experts and local police. 'With the help of our technical team and cyber experts, we tracked her location to Sarkhej in Ahmedabad. We contacted our counterparts in Ahmedabad and arrested her,' Kumar added. Apart from the extortion case, Patel is also facing multiple other complaints, including land grabbing. 'We will record her statements in these cases as well, and investigate them further,' the DCP said. Kirti Patel, who also goes by the name Kirti Adalja, is a Gujarati-language digital content creator known for her strong online presence despite being a wanted accused in a ₹2 crore extortion case. Patel has also gained notoriety for abusive and threatening posts on social media, according to officials. While on the run for over a year, Patel continued to stay active on social media, frequently posting on Instagram and YouTube. Her Instagram account featured posts from the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj earlier this year, as well as a video message to her followers on her birthday in April. Patel has nearly two lakh subscribers on YouTube, where she began posting videos in 2019. In one of her recent uploads, she shared a news clip related to an FIR being quashed and thanked her supporters for their continued backing. Even as police searched for her, she openly issued threats online and maintained a visible public profile through her social media activity.
NDTV
18-06-2025
- NDTV
Influencer, With 1 Million Followers, Arrested For Honeytrapping Builder In Gujarat
Surat: A social media influencer who had been on the run for over 10 months after allegedly honeytrapping a builder and trying to extort crores from him has been arrested in Ahmedabad. The police said a case had been registered against Kirti Patel, who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, in Surat on June 2 last year and a warrant had also been issued against her by a court some time later. "Patel was accused of honeytrapping a builder in Surat and then blackmailing him, demanding crores. Four other people were also named in the first information report (FIR) and had been arrested earlier," said an official, adding that the influencer has also been named in other complaints of land grabbing and extortion. Despite a warrant being issued by a court in Surat, Patel managed to evade the police by changing cities and using different SIM cards on her phone. She was tracked down to the Sarkhej area of Ahmedabad and the Surat Police took the help of counterparts in the city to arrest her on Wednesday. "We had been trying to track Kirti Patel down for 10 months. With the help of our technical team and cyber experts, we tracked her location to Sarkhej in Ahmedabad. We contacted our counterparts in Ahmedabad and arrested her. She has been accused of honeytrapping and extortion... In these 10 months, her location kept changing constantly, in different parts of Gujarat. The IP address kept changing, as did her phone numbers and SIM cards. We also coordinated with Instagram to get her location," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar. "There are several other complaints against Patel as well, including of land grabbing and extortion. We will record her statements in these cases as well, and investigate them further," he added. Mr Kumar urged people to go to police stations or even the ACP or DCP's office and lodge complaints if they are facing any extortion attempts.
