Influencer Kirti Patel arrested from Udaipur after YouTuber Abjal Sida’s complaint; 2 other cases filed against her in a week

RAJKOT: The Junagadh rural police on Sunday arrested controversial social media personality Kirti Patel from Udaipur in Rajasthan in connection with a case of harassment, attempted extortion and criminal intimidation registered against her and her associates at Junagadh taluka police station on Saturday (Feb 21).

Deputy superintendent of police (Junagadh Rural Division) Ravirajsinh Parmar said that following the complaint, Patel was traced to Udaipur and arrested. "She was produced before a Junagadh court which has granted one-day remand for further investigation," Parmar told TOI. Police said that Patel has as many as 14 offence registered against her across Gujarat including rioting, intimidation, assault to name a few.

Police said they was Patel's remand to trace the whereabouts of the other accused allegedly linked to her, ascertain whether any extortion money was collected from the complainant, and identify individuals who may have sheltered her while she was absconding.

Parmar added that Patel will also be arrested in connection with two other cases registered against her at Bhavnath police station in Junagadh. Separate investigations will proceed in those matters. At least three police complaints have been lodged against Patel in Junagadh district over the past week.

The latest complaint was filed by 27-year-old Junagadh-based labourer and part-time YouTuber Abjal Sida, who accused Patel of harassment, threats and attempting to extort money from him. Sida alleged that Patel and her associates demanded Rs 20 lakh and threatened to falsely implicate him in a criminal case, including a rape charge, after he uploaded videos criticising her actions during a recent religious fair.

Sida said the dispute began after the recent Shivratri fair. He alleged that Patel had participated in a sacred bath disguised as a monk, which he and others considered disrespectful to Sanatan Dharma.

After Sida filed the complaint, Patel and her associates — Divya Savlani, her boyfriend Jashpalsinh, Hanu Chavda and Veeram Mevada — allegedly began calling and messaging him on Instagram, using abusive language and demanding that he remove his videos. Sida further alleged that the threats escalated into an extortion attempt.

Following the alleged threats, Sida consumed phenyl at his residence and later near the Jetpur railway bridge, where a woman noticed him and rushed him to Jetpur Government Hospital. He had also reportedly recorded a video of the act.