The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday ordered a belated probe to identify the alleged lapses by its officers that helped a suspected conman from Gujarat posing as a top official in the Prime Minister’s Office wangle privileges at government expense during his trips to Kashmir.

The government had initially kept the arrest weeks ago under wraps and later appeared reluctant to investigate the alleged blunders in one of the world’s heaviest militarised zones.

Kiran Patel, who claimed he was an additional director (strategy and campaigns) in the PMO, is in custody since his arrest on March 3, but the administration had been reportedly avoiding a high-level probe in the hope that the matter would fizzle out.

To the contrary, the issue has become a national embarrassment for the government and continues to attract the limelight.

The government on Wednesday sanctioned the appointment of Vijay Kumar Badhuri, Kashmir’s divisional commissioner who heads the region’s civil administration, as inquiry officer and asked him to “inquire into various aspects related to the visit of Shri Kiran Patel to Kashmir during the past months and security arrangements made thereof”.

“The inquiry officer shall identify the lapses on the part of the officers/ officials concerned and submit a detailed report within one week,” R.K. Goyal, financial commissioner, home department, said in the order.

The government has been under pressure to identify the ecosystem that helped the suspected conman enjoy the best of the privileges. Critics have pointed out how a non-local conman enjoyed privileges in “Naya Kashmir” over several visits while Valley residents are allegedly subjected to humiliation every day.

The issue has become all the more embarrassing for the BJP because of Patel’s purported connections with the party.

Patel was not alone to be picked up by the police during a raid at a five-star hotel in Srinagar on March 3. Two other persons, including Amit Pandya, son of Hitesh Pandya, an additional public relations officer for all Gujarat chief ministers since 2000, including Narendra Modi, were also picked up.

While Patel was arrested, the two others were mysteriously allowed to leave the Union Territory. They were later called back for questioning. Hitesh Pandya, who has denied any wrongdoing by his son, has since resigned.

The Jammu and Kashmir police initially tried to keep Patel’s arrest a secret for two weeks. The arrest came to the fore after his police remand ended and he was sent to judicial custody on March 17.

The Gujarat police this week booked Patel and his wife Malini for trying to capture the bungalow of a senior citizen in Ahmedabad. Malini was arrested on Tuesday. The Kashmir police said there were already three cases of fraud against Patel in his home state.