PANAJI
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has unearthed an illegal land-grabbing racket worth over Rs 1,200 crore following search operations at 13 residential and commercial premises across Goa and Hyderabad.
The two-day search, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, pertains to the case of Yeshwant Sawant and other accused in the alleged illegal acquisition of comunidade land. The ED said the market valuation of the land parcels illegally grabbed by the accused is likely to exceed Rs 1,200 crore.
During the operation, officials seized cash amounting to around Rs 72 lakh and seven high-end vehicles, including a Porsche Cayman, BMW 650 L, Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, BMW M5 and an Audi A6. Several bank accounts and fixed deposits linked to those involved were frozen, while incriminating documents related to the land deals were recovered.
“The searches were carried out in connection with the illegal land grabbing of comunidade lands in Goa, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Goa Police under various sections of IPC, 1860, concerning the illegal acquisition of land belonging to the comunidade of Anjuna,” the agency said.
The investigation revealed that the accused had illegally mutated more than 3.5 lakh sq mtrs of prime land in Anjuna, Assagao and other parts of Goa using forged documents submitted to authorities to facilitate the mutation. Portions of these properties were later sold, generating proceeds of crime running into several crores.
“The ongoing investigation is likely to expose a wider network of persons engaged in illegal land grabbing across Goa,” the ED added.
