4 chargesheets filed against Mohd Suhail, associates

PANAJI

As a probe into a series of land grabbing cases is underway, the Special Investigation Team of the Crime Branch has filed four charge sheets within two weeks against alleged mastermind Mohd Sohail and his associates.

Details shared by Superintendent of Police (SIT) Rahul Gupta stated that all four cases involve forged property documents, fake deeds of succession and mutation frauds across Bardez. The chargesheets, running into hundreds of pages, have been filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Mapusa.

At present, 28 cases are under investigation by the SIT (Land Grabbing), while 17 have already been chargesheeted and are under trial. Three cases have been finalised and three FIRs have been quashed, he said.

In the first case, registered in March 2023 based on a complaint by Antonio Braganca of Mapusa, the accused allegedly forged a 1996 sale deed and a succession deed dated August 6, 2021, to carry out illegal mutation of land at Parra.

The SIT revealed that the accused, Suhail, 48, of Pilar, who is currently in judicial custody, is the alleged mastermind. His associates Royson Rodrigues of Siolim, who is on conditional bail, and two others — Raju Methi of Miramar, currently absconding, and Denver Shaun D’Souza of Porvorim are also named as accused in the chargesheet that runs into 569 pages. The matter will be heard before the JMFC on November 17.

In another case, registered in August 2022 on the complaint of Vilma D’Souza of Calangute, the same gang allegedly forged ownership papers of property in Anjuna. The 569-page charge sheet stated that Suhail and Rodrigues, along with absconding suspect Raju Methi and Suhail’s nephew Denver D’Souza are named as accused. This matter is listed for hearing on November 24.

A third case of property fraud in Assagao has also identified Suhail as the alleged mastermind operating under the alias Michael Fernandes. The same associates are also named in the 480-page chargesheet. The case is under trial before the JMFC and will be heard on November 25.

In a separate case, the SIT chargesheeted accused Vikrant Balkrishna Shetty of Ponda and others for allegedly forging documents to illegally transfer ownership of another piece of land in Anjuna.

The 525-page chargesheet has been filed before the JMFC, Mapusa, and the hearing is scheduled for November 17.