Indian-origin dentist used dead man’s disabled badge on car

LONDON - An Indian-origin dentist, who is a millionaire, has admitted using a dead man’s ‘disabled person’ badge on his Ferrari car in Britain, a media report said.

Chirag Patel, 32, is the founder of a chain of cosmetic dentists and owns a 2-million pounds house in a London suburb and a fleet of luxury cars.

Chirag was caught using a dead man’s blue badge of ‘disabled person’ to park his 140,000 pounds red Ferrari for free, Daily Mail reported Friday.

The badge had been issued to his business partner’s father Virendra Patel. Virendra had died in 2008.

Wandsworth Council officials filmed him six times using the disabled badge last December in Putney, South-West London.

Chirag claimed that it was a mix-up with his 540 pounds business parking permit as he had only just sold his Bentley to buy the Ferrari.

The dentist admitted two charges of misusing the badge but has denied a more serious charge of fraud, the media report said.

Chirag’s lawyer Michael Levy said: “Dr. Patel was in the process of selling his Bentley to buy the Ferrari and the logbooks were being changed over. He was waiting for the business permit and so used the blue badge on the six days over two weeks in early December.”

A Wandsworth Council spokesman said: “Using a dead person’s badge when you’re able to afford a Ferrari is particularly objectionable. Abuse of the blue badge system is rife and it’s crying out to be reformed.”

“Most of these unscrupulous drivers use an elderly or disabled relative’s badge just to save a few pennies in parking charges.”