ED arrests Gujarat IAS in a 1500 Cr. Land Scam

On January 2, 2026, following extensive questioning and the discovery of documentary evidence, the ED officially arrested Former Collector of Surendranagar, Dr. Rajendrakumar Patel in Gandhinagar.

This case relates to a major land-related corruption and money laundering scandal in Gujarat's Surendranagar district, in which senior IAS officer is directly implicated.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the residences of Surendranagar Collector Rajendra Mahendra Patel and other top officials on December 23, 2025. The raids were part of an investigation into a ₹1500 crore land conversion scam. 

Following the raids, the ED registered a case against the following individuals that include Surendranagar Collector Rajendra Mahendra Patel,Deputy Mamlatdar Chandrasinh Mori
,Collector's PA Jayrajsinh Zala and Clerk Mayur Gohil.

Chandrasinh Mori was arrested after cash and documents were recovered from his mobile phone and residence. The ED recovered ₹67.50 lakh in cash during the search.

The investigation revealed that the recovered cash was part of a bribe. The officials were allegedly extorting money from applicants for expediting or granting favorable approvals for files related to converting agricultural land to non-agricultural (NA) land.

Who is Dr.Patel?

Dr. Rajendrakumar M. Patel, IAS (2015 batch, Gujarat cadre) is a civil servant with a background in public policy and dental surgery. He has served in several key administrative roles across Gujarat, including Surat and Surendranagar.