The Gujarat government suspended IAS officer Rajendrakumar Patel following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a bribery-related money laundering case. Patel, from the 2015 IAS batch and former District Collector of Surendranagar, was arrested on January 2, 2026, and remanded to ED custody until January 7 by a special PMLA court. The state’s General Administration Department stated that Patel was deemed suspended from January 2 as his custody passed 48 hours. Patel was last posted as Collector of Surendranagar but had been transferred last month without a posting after Deputy Mamlatdar Chandrasingh Mori was arrested by the ED in a connected money laundering case involving bribery. The ED uncovered that Patel allegedly fixed bribe rates between ₹5 and ₹10 per square metre for approvals on change of land use (CLU). The agency said bribes were systematically collected as “speed money” to speed up CLU applications through a network of middlemen from the Collector’s office. Digital evidence showed that a detailed "hisaab" or account of bribe collections was maintained and shared with Patel’s personal assistant. The probe traced over 800 CLU applications where bribes were paid, resulting in crime proceeds exceeding ₹10 crore. The ED identified Patel as the key beneficiary and final decision-maker in the racket. This case highlights ongoing scrutiny of corruption in land use approvals. The Gujarat government is taking strict action, suspending the accused IAS officer while the investigation continues.