Surat social media influencer arrested in Rs 2 crore honey-trap extortion case

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After evading police for over a year, controversial social media personality Kirti Patel, also known as Kirti Adalja, was arrested by the Kapodra police on Tuesday from a house near Sarkhej police station limits in Ahmedabad. Patel, accused in a high-profile Rs 2 crore extortion case involving a Surat-based builder, had been frequently changing locations, phones and SIM cards to avoid capture.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-1) Alok Kumar said Patel’s arrest was the result of "meticulous technical work." Despite being on the run, she remained active on social media, even uploading videos on Instagram and issuing threats online, according to TOI.

The case dates back to June 2, 2024, when builder Vaju Katrodiya was allegedly lured to a farmhouse under the pretext of settling a property dispute. As per the FIR, Patel, along with co-accused Vijay Savani, Zakir Pathan and Janvi alias Manisha Goswami, made the builder consume alcohol before photographing him in "objectionable positions" with Janvi. These images were later used to extort Rs 2 crore from him.

The complaint also alleges that Patel and Savani had previously defamed Katrodiya on social media and issued threats related to the unresolved property matter.

Patel is no stranger to legal trouble. In 2020, she was embroiled in an attempt-to-murder case after victim Raghu Bharwad, alias Boliyo, was attacked following a dispute over alleged insults made by Patel, then a TikTok star with over 20 lakh followers. Patel filed a counter-complaint accusing Bharwad of threats, TOI reported. In another incident, Patel was fined Rs 25,000 by the Surat wildlife division for posting a TikTok video holding an owl, a protected species.