PANAJI
The North Goa Court has granted permission to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch to carry out further investigation into an alleged land grab case, weeks after it filed a chargesheet.
In an application submitted before the District Judge I and Additional Sessions Judge at Merces on Monday, the investigating officer sought permission to further probe the 2022 forgery case in Mapusa, stating that “more evidence” needs to be collected, including the possible role of additional government servants from different departments. The court granted permission as there was no objection.
The case relates to the alleged fabrication of documents to fraudulently transfer rights over a parcel of land in Anjuna village, measuring approximately 15,400 sq metres. The complaint, filed by a local resident, accused several persons of impersonating legal heirs and using forged records to secure ownership of the property, depriving the rightful heirs of their claims.
Among those named in the investigation are Royson Rodrigues, who was arrested in September 2024 and later released on bail, and Mohammed Suhail, also known as Michael Fernandes, who was arrested in September 2025 and remains in judicial custody. The SIT has also identified additional accused, including Raju Maithi and Denver D’Souza, as being involved in the alleged conspiracy.
The SIT informed the court that the accused had allegedly prepared forged rubber stamps of the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records and used them to create fake certificates. The investigating officer said these materials were linked to evidence recovered in a separate Crime Branch case.
The SIT further stated that public records, including notarial deeds maintained in the archives department, appeared to have been tampered with. It has invoked various provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to forgery, cheating, impersonation, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
Despite filing a chargesheet against four accused persons, the agency said that key parts of the investigation are still incomplete.
The application also highlighted the need to examine the possible role of government officials in facilitating or overlooking the alleged fraud. The investigating officer said they plan to record additional witness statements, obtain specimen signatures of absconding accused persons, and send disputed documents for forensic examination.
“The role of government servants, if any, is yet to be established,” the SIT said in its submission, seeking the court’s approval to continue the investigation.
