Gujarat: Deputy Mamlatdar Booked For Disproportionate Assets

(MENAFN- IANS) Ahmedabad, April 9 (IANS) A Deputy Mamlatdar posted in Gujarat's Surendranagar district has been booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, with investigators stating that the excess wealth is over Rs 1.22 crore, or 56.89 per cent above his legitimate earnings.

In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the ACB said that Chandrasinh Mori, a Class-3 officer in the Collector's office in Surendranagar, has been named in a case registered at the local ACB police station under Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, along with Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the amended Act of 2018.

The agency stated that during the check period from April 1, 2013 to December 31, 2025, Mori allegedly“adopted illegal means” and acquired assets in his own name and in the names of his family members.

A preliminary inquiry found that he had accumulated assets amounting to Rs 1,22,27,658“more than his known sources of income”, leading to the registration of the offence on April 8.

The ACB said the present case arises from earlier proceedings initiated following a communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi.

Acting on this, an earlier FIR was registered in 2025 under Sections 12, 13(1)(b), 13(2), and 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment 2018).

Mori is currently in judicial custody in connection with that case before the Sessions Court in Ahmedabad Rural.

According to the statement,“for detailed and speedy investigation” into the allegations, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on January 5.

The SIT was tasked with examining whether the accused had accumulated disproportionate assets by“adopting illegal methods or abusing his position” and by investing in movable and immovable properties in his own name or in the names of relatives and associates.

The case is part of a wider corruption probe into alleged irregularities in the processing of change of land use (CLU) applications at the Surendranagar Collectorate.

The ED has alleged that a“systematic bribery racket” was in operation for granting non-agricultural status and land-use approvals, with bribes collected to expedite applications.

Investigators have stated that more than 800 land-related applications were examined, with alleged proceeds of crime exceeding Rs 10 crore generated through such approvals.

Earlier, the ED arrested Mori after recovering Rs 67.50 lakh in cash from his residence, which he admitted was linked to bribe collections for processing applications.

The probe also led to the arrest of then Collector Rajendrakumar Patel, with authorities alleging a structured system in which bribe amounts were fixed per square meter of land and distributed among officials in the collectorate.

Authorities have stated that the investigation remains ongoing and further action will depend on the outcome of financial and property inquiries.

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