In a significant crackdown on illicit land dealings, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Panaji has provisionally seized high-value properties across Goa with a staggering estimated worth of Rs 1,268.6 crore. The action, taken on Monday, targets assets believed to be proceeds of crime from a sprawling land fraud investigation.
Prime Properties Attached Under PMLA
The federal agency attached 19 immovable properties spanning over five lakh square metres located in some of Goa's most sought-after areas, including Anjuna, Assagao, and Ucassaim. The attachment was carried out under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to the ED, these premium land parcels were illegally acquired by a group led by Shivshankar Mayekar. The group allegedly used a complex web of fabricated documents to claim ownership. These falsified records included forged 'aforamento' or allotment certificates, certificates of final possession, demarcation certificates, historical sale deeds, and gift deeds.
The Modus Operandi of the Land Grab
The probe originated from a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Goa police against Yeshwant Sawant and others. They were accused of defrauding the Anjuna comunidade concerning land in survey number 496/1-A at Anjuna.
Investigation revealed a systematic method. The accused would first identify vulnerable land parcels. They then created counterfeit title documents, often posing as certificates issued by the comunidade or its administrator. Using these forged papers, they fraudulently mutated the properties into the names of frontmen—friends and relatives of Mayekar. These frontmen would then sell the land to unsuspecting third parties, generating substantial proceeds of crime (POC).
"The accused people allegedly procured fraudulent mutation of the land in their names by submitting fabricated and forged documents before the authorities concerned, and thereafter sold parts of the said land to third parties," the ED stated.
Expanding Probe and Ongoing Investigation
The ED's investigation has uncovered that four additional FIRs have been registered against the accused persons for illegally acquiring land in Anjuna and Assagao. Furthermore, the agency has identified several more land parcels suspected to have been acquired through identical fraudulent methods.
Earlier, during search operations, the ED had already seized and frozen bank accounts and other valuable assets worth Rs 12.8 crore. The alleged mastermind, Shivshankar Mayekar, was arrested by the ED in October 2023 and is currently in judicial custody. The ED described him as a key conspirator who illegally acquired multiple land parcels in Goa using his network.
The agency is utilizing the information-sharing mechanism under the PMLA to relay details about these properties to the concerned law enforcement agency for further action. Further investigation into the extensive land grab network is actively in progress.
