Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Apr 29: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, announced today that it has provisionally attached 24 immovable properties valued at a substantial Rs 193.49 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the ongoing Goa land grab case.
These properties, strategically located across the Bardez Taluka – encompassing prime areas such as Calangute, Assagao, Anjuna, Nerul, and Parra – were attached through a Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) issued on April 25, 2025.
This marks the second provisional attachment made in this significant case, according to the ED. Previously, in 2023, the agency had attached 31 properties worth Rs 39.24 crore. This earlier attachment was subsequently affirmed by the Adjudicating Authority (PMLA), New Delhi, through an order dated April 15, 2024.
The ED's investigation is rooted in multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the Goa Police and diligently investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on land grabbing. These FIRs detail allegations of fraudulent and illegal land acquisition through methods including forgery, cheating, and the manipulation of official records.
According to the ED's findings, the accused individuals employed forged documents and property deeds, often created in the names of deceased individuals or their ancestors, to illicitly insert their own names or those of their associates into government land records. These illegally obtained properties were then either sold to unsuspecting third parties – generating illicit proceeds – or transferred to associates through sham sale deeds without any actual financial transaction.
The latest round of attachments includes a diverse range of properties: those already sold to third parties, properties transferred through these fictitious transactions, and additional properties identified during the continuing investigation. Importantly, all the attached properties are situated in high-value, tourism-centric areas within the Bardez Taluka.
With this recent decisive action, the total value of properties attached in connection with the Goa land grab case has now escalated to Rs 232.73 crore.
The ED had previously filed a charge sheet in this case on April 12, 2024, before the Special Court (PMLA) in Mapusa, which has already taken cognizance of the matter. The investigation remains active and further probes are currently underway.