Gujarat ACB books IAS officer and Ex-Surendranagar collector on ED’s complaint

Ahmedabad, Dec 25 (PTI) The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered an FIR against Surendranagar ex-collector Rajendrakumar Patel and three others on a complaint by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a bribery-linked money laundering probe, an official said on Thursday.

Patel, a 2015-batch IAS officer serving as the collector of Surendranagar district, was transferred without posting on Wednesday following the arrest of Chandrasinh Mori from his office by the ED in a money laundering case stemming from bribery.

“Based on a complaint by the ED, we registered an FIR against Patel, his personal assistant Jayrajsinh Jhala, clerk Mayursinh Gohil, and deputy mamlatdar Chandrasinh Mori on December 23 under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” said ACB’s Joint Director Makrand Chauhan.

No one has been arrested yet, he said.

On December 23, an ED team conducted searches and arrested deputy mamlatdar (revenue officer) Chandrasinh Mori, posted at the Surendranagar district collector's office, after recovering Rs 67.5 lakh from his home for his alleged role in a bribery-linked money laundering case.

He was produced before a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court here on Wednesday, which remanded him in ED custody till January 1.

The ED claimed Mori admitted that “the seized cash represents bribe money demanded and collected by him, directly and through intermediaries, from applicants seeking expedited or favourable processing of statutory land-use application”.

The agency is investigating alleged money laundering involving Mori and others, following the registration of an Enforcement Case Information Report under the PMLA.

The remand application also said that the Gujarat ACB had registered a separate FIR against Mori and others.

The investigation revealed a “large-scale corruption and generation of proceeds of crime through systematic extortion, demand, and collection of illegal gratification by public servants in Surendranagar collector's office”, the remand application said.

As deputy mamlatdar, Mori was entrusted with the title verification and processing of CLU (change of land use) applications under the Saurashtra Gharkhed Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands Ordinance, 1949.

Mori allegedly misused his position and collected bribes from applicants for speedy approval of applications. The bribe amount was calculated on a square metre basis, the ED added. PTI PJT PD NR