ED attaches over 5L sqm properties across three prime areas in N Goa | Goa News
Panaji: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Panaji, on Monday provisionally attached 19 immovable properties measuring over five lakh sqm at premium locations in Goa such as Anjuna, Assagao, and Ucassaim, worth Rs 1,268.6 crore. The properties were attached under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged land grab cases in the state.
“These properties were illegally acquired by the group led by Shivshankar Mayekar using fabricated and forged land title documents, including ‘aforamento’/allotment certificates, certificates of final possession, auto de Demarcacao (certificate of demarcation), historical sale deeds, gift deeds, and other falsified records,” the ED said. Earlier, during search operations, the ED seized and froze bank accounts and other valuable assets amounting to Rs 12.8 crore.The probe was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by Goa police against Yeshwant Sawant and others under various provisions of the IPC for defrauding the Anjuna comunidade in relation to land situated in survey number 496/1-A at Anjuna, the ED said.“The accused people allegedly procured fraudulent mutation of the land in their names by submitting fabricated and forged documents before the authorities concerned, and thereafter sold parts of the said land to third parties, thereby generating additional proceeds of crime (POC),” the ED said.Investigation revealed that Mayekar was a key conspirator, having illegally acquired multiple land parcels in Goa in the names of his friends and relatives. He was arrested by the ED in Oct and is presently in judicial custody.“It was discovered that four additional FIRs have been registered against the accused persons with respect to illegal acquisition of land in the Anjuna and Assagao areas. The investigation has further identified several additional land parcels that are suspected to have been acquired through similar fraudulent methods,” the ED said.It stated that there is an information-sharing mechanism under the PMLA, through which information regarding these properties is being shared with the law enforcement agency concerned.“The inquiry has brought to light a systematic modus operandi adopted by the group led by Mayekar, which involved identifying vulnerable land parcels, fabricating title documents such as fake sale deeds, forged gift deeds, and counterfeit certificates purportedly issued by the comunidade and the administrator of comunidades, and using these forged documents to fraudulently mutate properties in the names of chosen frontmen, who subsequently disposed of them to generate further POC,” the ED said.Further investigation is in progress.
