ED secures 7-day custody of deputy mamlatdar after ₹2.67 crore cash seizure in Surendranagar graft case

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday secured seven days’ custodial remand of Chandrasinh Bhupatsinh Mori, a deputy mamlatdar and executive magistrate posted in the Surendranagar district collectorate, in connection with an alleged large-scale corruption and money-laundering case.

The remand was granted by the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), presided over by the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Ahmedabad (Rural), after the ED moved an application seeking Mori’s custodial interrogation.

In its submission, the ED said Mori was arrested late on Tuesday night in Surendranagar following two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) registered on December 23. The ECIRs stemmed from a First Information Report (FIR) lodged earlier by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Gujarat State, Ahmedabad, under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

As the offences invoked in the ACB FIR are scheduled offences under the PMLA, the ED initiated a parallel probe on the same day, the agency told the court.

The ED further stated that search and seizure operations were conducted under section of the PMLA in connection with the case, during which incriminating documents and material were recovered and linked to the alleged money-laundering activity.

According to the ED, the investigation has uncovered what it described as “large-scale corruption and systematic generation of proceeds of crime” within the Surendranagar district collector’s office, particularly in matters relating to conversion of land use (CLU) and allied statutory permissions under the Saurashtra Gharkhed Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands Ordinance, 1949.

The agency alleged that Mori, in his capacity as deputy mamlatdar and executive magistrate, was entrusted with verification of land titles and processing of applications under various provisions of the Ordinance, a role that gave him significant control over the movement and outcome of such files.

Bribes were allegedly demanded and collected as “speed money” to ensure expeditious or favourable processing of applications, the ED said, adding that the amounts were allegedly pre-fixed and calculated on a per-square-metre basis depending on the nature of the land-use proposal. The payments were allegedly routed through intermediaries and commission agents, details of which were purportedly maintained by the accused.

During searches at Mori’s residence, the ED said it recovered and seized ₹2.675 crore in cash, allegedly concealed in his bedroom. In his statement recorded under the PMLA, Mori is stated to have admitted that the seized cash represented bribe money collected by him directly and through intermediaries from applicants seeking favourable decisions or expedited clearances.

The agency told the court that Mori is a “key person” with exclusive knowledge of assets allegedly generated from the proceeds of crime, many of which are yet to be identified. It also expressed apprehension that he could tamper with evidence, influence witnesses or dissipate assets, citing his position and alleged influence within the collectorate.

Mori was arrested under Section of the PMLA at around 10.45 pm on December 23. Seeking 14 days’ custodial remand, the ED argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the complete money trail, identify movable and immovable properties allegedly acquired through corruption, and ascertain the role of other persons involved in the alleged money-laundering network. The agency also said that as the investigation is being handled by its headquarters unit in Delhi, Mori’s custody was required for further probe outside Gujarat.

After hearing submissions, the court granted the ED seven days of custodial remand.