Rajendrakumar Patel, an IAS officer and former Collector of Gujarat's Surendranagar district, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday, January 2, 2026. The ED said the arrest is part of a probe into money laundering linked to bribery. Patel, who belongs to the 2015 IAS batch, had recently been transferred without a new posting. This came just days after the ED arrested deputy mamlatdar Chandrasingh Mori, who worked under Patel, in the same case. The ED's investigation revolves around alleged corruption involving Mori and others. Mori handled title verification and change of land use (CLU) applications under the Saurashtra Gharkhed Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands Ordinance, 1949. Investigators claim Mori demanded bribes from applicants to speed up approvals. The bribes were reportedly charged per square metre of land. Alongside the ED case, the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed an FIR against Patel and three others following a complaint from the ED. This crackdown highlights ongoing efforts to tackle corruption in land-related approvals in Gujarat.