The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 24 more properties valued at ₹193.5 crore in connection with ongoing land grab cases in Goa, further intensifying its investigation into fraudulent land transactions in the state. These properties are located in the Bardez Taluka of north Goa, a region known for its prime tourist hotspots.
This move comes after the ED’s earlier action in 2023, where it attached 31 properties worth ₹39.24 crore in the same case. The latest provisional attachment follows the agency’s investigation based on multiple FIRs lodged by the Goa Police Special Investigation Team (SIT). These cases have involved 93 parcels of land spread across 150,000 square metres, with methods such as impersonation, forging documents, and tampering with revenue records being used to illegally transfer ownership of land.
According to the ED, fraudsters employed a variety of tactics to seize these properties, including forging documents and sale deeds in the names of deceased individuals or their ancestors. The perpetrators then illegally inserted their names, or the names of their associates, into the official land records maintained by the Government of Goa. These illegally acquired properties were either sold to third parties, generating proceeds of crime, or transferred to associates through fake sale deeds without any real exchange of money.
A statement from the ED said, “These 24 attached properties include premises sold to third parties, properties transferred to associates via sham deeds, and other properties identified subsequently.” The properties in question are located in high-value areas of Bardez Taluka, which is a prominent region for tourists visiting Goa.
This latest action follows a raid on April 25, where the ED seized property documents worth ₹600 crore from key accused Rohan Harmalkar. Harmalkar is one of the primary suspects in the ongoing land grab investigations, which have attracted considerable attention due to the nature of the fraudulent transactions, involving the use of deceased people’s names to transfer valuable properties.
The SIT, which is leading the investigation into these land grab cases, has uncovered that the fraudulent dealings primarily targeted properties where the original owners were either deceased or had no legal heirs. These properties were then fraudulently transferred to the perpetrators or their associates, who subsequently sold them to unsuspecting buyers at inflated prices.
In a related development, the ED also filed a prosecution complaint against Estevan D’Souza, an accused in the scam who had previously contested the Goa Legislative Assembly elections. Along with Mohammed Suhail, D’Souza is accused of actively seeking out properties where the rightful owners were deceased or living abroad. They then executed sale deeds or powers of attorney using forged documents, impersonating legitimate owners to facilitate the illegal transfer of properties.
The ED’s action in this case is part of its broader investigation into money laundering linked to real estate fraud in Goa. The agency is likely to take further steps in the coming days as it continues to examine the vast network of forged documents, fake transactions, and illegal land deals in the state.
Goa’s land grab scandal highlights growing concerns about property-related fraud in the region, especially in areas with significant tourism demand. With the ED’s ongoing investigation, authorities are working to dismantle this complex web of fraudulent land transactions that have been impacting both residents and prospective buyers.
Sources By Agencies
