PANAJI
As many as 24 immovable properties valued at Rs 193.49 crore have been provisionally attached by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, in connection with the land grab cases in the State.
The properties, located in the tourist hotspot of Bardez taluka, including prime areas such as Calangute, Assagao, Anjuna, Nerul and Parra, were attached through a Provisional Attachment Order dated April 25 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The ED informed that this is the second provisional attachment in the land grab cases.
Earlier, the ED had attached 31 properties worth Rs 39.24 crore in 2023, and the same was confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority, New Delhi, through an order dated April 2024.
The latest attachment includes a mix of properties sold to third parties, properties transferred through bogus transactions, and others identified during the ongoing investigation.
With this, the total value of attached properties in the case has risen to Rs 232.73 crore.
Last week, the ED conducted searches at multiple locations in the State in connection with the Rs 1,000 crore land scam, allegedly involving fraudulent transfers of high-value land parcels in prime tourist hotspots.
The ED is investigating the land scam cases based on multiple FIRs registered by the Goa Police and investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). A total of 44 FIRs were registered by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), involving 93 land parcels and properties measuring 1.5 lakh square metres across Goa. A total of 23 people, including government servants, were arrested in the matter.
The FIRs allege fraudulent and illegal acquisition of land through forgery, cheating, and manipulation of official records.
According to the ED, the accused used forged documents and property deeds created in the names of deceased individuals or their ancestors to fraudulently insert their names, or those of their associates, into government land records.
These illegally acquired properties were then sold to third parties — generating proceeds of crime — or transferred to associates via sham sale deeds without actual payment.
