Agency says Suhail forged documents to create fake heir; undervalued land to launder proceeds
PANAJI
Another land parcel allegedly grabbed by accused Mohd Suhail and his associates has been attached by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office. In its latest action, the agency has provisionally attached an immovable property in Anjuna, valued at Rs 6.82 crore approx under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to details released by the ED, the property is a 1,950 sq m plot bearing Survey No. 504/10 in Anjuna.
“ED initiated investigation on the basis of Charge Sheet filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Goa Police. Mohammed Suhail, Anjum Shaikh and Nure Faizal Bhatkar have been arraigned as accused in the Charge Sheet for the commission of scheduled offences including cheating, forgery, and using forged documents as genuine under the IPC, 1860. In the instant case, Suhail orchestrated a criminal plot to fraudulently transfer the title of the land belonging to the parents of the complainant with the sole intent of causing wrongful loss to the victims and obtaining wrongful gain for himself and his associates,” it stated.
ED investigation also unearthed the specific modus operandi employed by Suhail. It has been revealed that the accused is a habitual offender involved in a series of land grabbing cases across the state for which multiple FIRs have been filed by Goa Police against him.
“The investigation established that the accused persons prepared forged/fake birth certificates apparently to create a fictitious person and also forged death certificates of the rightful owners. Using these fabricated documents, a false Deed of Succession was created to show a person as the sole legal heir. Subsequently, a fraudulent Power of Attorney was executed in favour of Suhail’s associate, Bhatkar. This was used to transfer the property to Suhail’s wife Anjum Shaikh, via a Sale Deed in 2010, concealing the fraudulent nature of the acquisition,” it said.
The property was later sold to one Shaikh Salim in 2011. ED investigation further revealed a significant undervaluation of the property to project the Proceeds of Crime as legitimate.
While the registered value in the sale deed to Shaikh Salim was Rs. 50 Lakh, the investigation established the fair market value at Rs 6.82 Crore at the time. Furthermore, the investigation uncovered cash transactions over and above the registered value, which were utilized by Suhail for loan repayments and personal expenses.
