PANAJI
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Goa has filed a prosecution complaint against two former procurators of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, a former Inspector of Survey and Land Records, and a private real estate development firm in an alleged fraudulent transfer and sale of a prime parcel of land at Caranzalem.
In the complaint filed before the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED has alleged that it generated alleged proceeds of crime of about Rs 27.10 crore.
It names Fr Arlino De Mello, Fr Victor Conceicao Rodrigues, the then Procurators of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, Prabhakar Rama Hawaldar, the then Inspector of Survey and Land Records (City Survey, Panaji), and the private real estate firm as accused.
According to the ED, the money laundering investigation originated from an FIR registered by the Panaji Police alleging that between November 18, 2004 and December 5, 2006, the accused conspired to fraudulently enter the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in the holder's column of Form 'B' for a 2,479 sq m land parcel bearing Chalta No. 44 of P.T. Sheet No. 162 at Mitra, Caranzalem.
The agency alleged that forged documents were used to deprive the original tenant family of its lawful tenancy rights. Based on the FIR, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and initiated a money laundering probe.
In the statement issued on Friday, the ED said that during the investigation, they conducted searches in Goa on December 16, 2025 under Section 17 of the PMLA, recovering incriminating loose sheets and electronic devices.
"The financial investigation allegedly revealed that the land was fraudulently registered in the name of the Archdiocese and subsequently sold to a private real estate development firm through a sale deed dated April 9, 2007 for Rs 61.97 lakh. The firm later developed a residential-cum-commercial project on the property and sold multiple units, with the ED estimating the proceeds of crime at approximately Rs 27.10 crore," it said.
The ED stated that it had earlier provisionally attached properties worth about Rs 27.10 crore, including a hotel-cum-restaurant at Mitra, Caranzalem, Panaji, and two other immovable properties, treating them as proceeds of crime or equivalent-value assets under the PMLA.
