In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Gujarat in connection with a money laundering investigation. Rajendra Mahendra Patel, a 2015-batch officer and former District Collector of Surendranagar, was taken into custody from his residence on Friday, January 2, 2026.
Court Grants Five Days of ED Custody
Following his arrest, Patel was presented before a Special PMLA court in Ahmedabad (Rural) later the same day. The central agency had sought a 10-day remand for custodial interrogation. However, the court granted five days of ED custody, lasting until 5 pm on January 7, 2026. Special Public Prosecutor Anirudh Kamboj, representing the ED, confirmed the court's decision to The Indian Express.
Origins in a Corruption FIR and Land Use Allegations
The case stems from a zero FIR registered on December 23, 2025, at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) police station in Ahmedabad under the Prevention of Corruption Act. This was later followed by a formal FIR at the ACB police station in Surendranagar. Based on this, the ED recorded an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and initiated a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The core accusations revolve around alleged corruption in the processing of "Change of Land Use" (CLU) applications in Surendranagar district. The ED is investigating allegations of generation, possession, and concealment of "proceeds of crime" linked to these acts.
Link to Earlier Arrest of Revenue Official
Patel's arrest comes close on the heels of another related detention. On December 24, 2025, the ED arrested deputy mamlatdar (revenue official) Chandrasingh Mori from his office. Mori was remanded to ED custody for seven days, which concluded on January 1, after which he was sent to judicial custody.
As a deputy mamlatdar, Mori was responsible for title verification and processing CLU applications under the Saurashtra Gharkhed Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands Ordinance, 1949. The agency alleges that Mori misused his official position to collect bribes from applicants seeking faster approvals, with the bribe amount calculated on a per-square-metre basis.
The ED is investigating a larger alleged money laundering racket involving Mori and others. Notably, Rajendra Patel was transferred without a posting shortly after Mori's arrest in December.
The arrest of a senior IAS officer marks an escalation in this investigation, highlighting the agency's focus on probing the alleged laundering of bribes collected through corrupt practices in land use changes. The five-day custody will allow the ED to question Patel intensively regarding his alleged role and the flow of illicit funds.
