After nearly a year of evading law enforcement, social media influencer Kirti Patel has finally been arrested in Ahmedabad. Police had been searching for her for more than 10 months in a major honey-trap and extortion case registered in Surat.
Patel allegedly blackmailed a real estate developer and demanded a huge sum of money. A warrant for her arrest was issued last year, but she managed to stay out of reach until now.
Police Track Patel Through Cyber Surveillance
Surat Police struggled to locate Patel for months because she kept shifting her location across Gujarat. She reportedly used multiple SIM cards and changed internet networks frequently to avoid being traced. According to investigators, she also masked her digital presence by operating through different IP addresses.
Police finally tracked her down in the Sarkhej area of Ahmedabad. Officials said they used advanced cyber surveillance and coordinated with Instagram to locate her movements online. Four others named in the extortion FIR had already been arrested earlier.
Police officers also confirmed that Patel faces several other complaints, including cases related to land grabbing and extortion in different parts of Gujarat.
Who Is Kirti Patel?
Kirti Patel, also known by the name Kirti Adalja, is a well-known Gujarati digital content creator with a large social media following. She has more than 1.3 million followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts videos—often featuring her riding motorcycles, meeting people, or attending local events.
Despite being wanted by the police, Patel continued to upload content on Instagram. Her last post appeared just five days before her arrest and showed her interacting with children on the street.
Patel has also attended several religious events and shared posts from the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this year. She is active on YouTube as well, where she has nearly two lakh subscribers. She has been creating videos on the platform since 2019. In one recent upload, she shared a news report about an FIR being quashed and thanked her supporters.
What Is the PASA Act?
Kirti Patel was arrested under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act, a stringent law used by the Gujarat government to detain people who pose a threat to public order. The Act allows authorities to place an accused person under preventive detention if they believe the individual is involved in activities like extortion, land grabbing, habitual violence, or offences that disturb public peace.
Under PASA, police can detain someone without a regular trial for a specific period to prevent them from continuing illegal activities. The law is often used in cases where the accused repeatedly commits offences or influences witnesses, making normal legal action difficult.
Past Controversies and Legal Issues
This is not the first time Kirti Patel has been linked to serious allegations. In 2020, she was connected to an attempted murder case. Raghu Bharwad, also known as Boliyo, accused her of attacking him after a dispute and insulting him publicly on TikTok. Patel reportedly filed a counter-complaint in response.
The same year, Patel faced action from the Surat Wildlife Division after she posted a TikTok video holding an owl. The owl is a protected species under wildlife laws. She was fined Rs 25,000 for violating the Wildlife Protection Act.
With her latest arrest, police expect more details regarding the extortion racket to emerge in the coming days.
