PANAJI
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Panaji has provisionally attached 19 immovable properties worth an estimated Rs 1,268.63 crore as part of its ongoing probe into suspected money laundering linked to large-scale land fraud.
The properties, located in prime areas of Anjuna, Assagao and Ucassaim, were allegedly acquired by a group led by Shivshankar Mayekar through fabricated land records.
As per the ED, the group used forged Aforamento/Allotment Certificates, Certificates of Final Possession, Auto de Demarcação, historical sale deeds, gift deeds and other falsified documents to gain control over the lands.
Earlier, during search operations on September 9 and October 10, the ED had seized and frozen bank accounts and assets worth Rs 12.85 crore.
“The ED initiated an investigation based on an FIR lodged by the Goa police against Yeshwant Sawant and others for allegedly defrauding the Comunidade of Anjuna over land located at Survey No. 496/1-A. The accused are alleged to have fraudulently mutated the property in their names by submitting forged documents before authorities, subsequently selling portions of the land to third parties to generate proceeds of crime,” reads the ED statement.
The investigation revealed that Mayekar was the key conspirator and had illegally acquired several land parcels in Goa in the names of friends and relatives. He was arrested by the ED on October 1 and remains in judicial custody. The agency said four additional FIRs have been registered against the accused in connection with illegal land acquisitions in Anjuna and Assagao.
“The ED has identified several more land parcels suspected to have been obtained through similar methods, adding that information regarding these properties is being shared with the concerned law enforcement agency under PMLA mechanisms,” it said.
The inquiry has indicated a systematic modus operandi involving identifying vulnerable land parcels, fabricating title documents issued in the name of the Comunidade or Administrator of Comunidades, fraudulently mutating property in the names of frontmen and later disposing of the land to generate proceeds of crime.
