A special court in Ahmedabad dealing with Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases has sent former Surendranagar district collector Rajendrakumar Patel into the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) until January 7. The remand is part of an ongoing investigation into a major alleged bribery racket operating within the district collectorate, which was used to speed up land-use change applications.
The Arrest and Custody Plea
Following his arrest, Patel was presented before the court on Friday afternoon. The federal investigative agency requested a 10-day period for custodial interrogation. The primary grounds for this request, as stated in the remand report, were to uncover the whereabouts of the substantial bribe amounts allegedly collected and to trace how these illicit funds were concealed and converted into assets.
The ED's application to the court detailed statements from co-accused individuals, which reportedly exposed the systematic distribution of bribe money among officials. The probe has shed light on a well-organized corruption network within the government offices of Surendranagar.
Sharing the Bribe Pie: Allegations Against Officials
The remand report cites a shocking breakdown of the bribe distribution, as allegedly confessed by arrested deputy mamlatdar and executive magistrate Chandrasinh Mori. According to these statements, half of the total bribe collected, a staggering 50%, was earmarked for the district collector, Dr. Rajendra Patel. The remaining shares were reportedly distributed among other officials.
The alleged breakdown is as follows:
- 50% to Collector Dr. Rajendra Patel
- 25% to Residential Additional Collector R K Oza
- 10% to Deputy Mamlatdar Chandrasinh Mori
- 10% to Mamlatdar Mayur Dave
- 5% to Clerk Maryusinh Gohil
The ED further informed the court that, according to co-accused, Patel's personal assistant acted as the collector's conduit, collecting the bribe money on his behalf before handing it over.
Probing the Proceeds and a Rs 65 Lakh Witness
The agency is actively investigating how the accused, particularly Patel, created assets with the alleged bribe money. One specific lead involves a flat purchased by Patel in Ahmedabad's Chandlodia area, where his mother was reportedly collecting rent. Investigators are also looking into the fact that Patel did not pay school fees for his son and daughter, who are studying in a Surendranagar school, suggesting the use of unexplained funds.
The ED's case is bolstered by a witness, Chetan Kanzaria, who has claimed to have paid a bribe of Rs 65 lakh to obtain permission for changing land use. Furthermore, the agency stated it has traced approximately 800 applications for Non-Agricultural (NA) permission from an alleged "hisaab sheet" or accounts sheet maintained by the accused. The total bribe amount involved in these applications is estimated to be over Rs 10 crore.
The court granted remand till January 7, allowing the ED to pursue these serious allegations and unravel the full extent of the corruption network that operated in the Surendranagar collectorate.
