Gandhinagar, January 4: The Government of Gujarat has placed senior IAS officer Rajendrakumar M. Patel under suspension following his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a money laundering case.

According to an official order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), Shri Patel, a 2015-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, was arrested by the ED on January 2, 2026 in connection with an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The case pertains to an ECIR registered by the ED’s HIU-3 unit in New Delhi.

At the time of the alleged offence, Rajendrakumar Patel was serving as the Collector of Surendranagar district. He was then removed from the post and his services were placed at the disposal of the General Administration Department.

The order states that Shri Patel has remained in the official custody of the Enforcement Directorate from January 2, 2026, and his custody period has exceeded 48 hours. As per Rule 3(2) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, an officer who remains in custody for more than 48 hours is deemed to be under suspension.

Accordingly, Rajendrakumar M. Patel has been placed under suspension with effect from January 2, 2026, until further orders.

The suspension order has been issued in the name of the Governor of Gujarat and signed by Jaimeet Shah, Under Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, General Administration Department (Services-2). Orders regarding the subsistence allowance admissible during the suspension period will be issued separately.

Copies of the order have been forwarded to the Government of India, the Directorate of Enforcement, and other concerned departments.