NT Reporter | Panaji
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged multi-crore land grab scam has filed chargesheets before a court in four cases involving one of the alleged masterminds Mohammad Suhail and his associates.
Presently, the Ribandar-based SIT is investigating 28 cases, while 17 cases have been chargesheeted and are under trial.
Three cases were finalised, while three FIRs have been quashed.
So far, 83 accused have been arrested including 11 repeat offenders.
One of the cases pertains to a property at Parra in Bardez. A forged/fake sale deed was dated back to 1996, and a succession deed was executed on August 6, 2021. The forged documents were produced before the office of the Bardez mamlatdar as genuine ones, and the accused succeeded in carrying out mutation process of the property, the police explained.
According to the police, the accused Mohammad Suhail (48) is the mastermind, conspirator and preparator of bank accounts. Suhail, who hails from Davanagere district in Karnataka, was arrested on July 1, 2025, and currently he is in judicial custody at Colvale.
The other associate accused Royson Rodrigues (50) is presently out on conditional bail, the police said, adding that Rodrigues prepared the forged succession deed to support Suhail’s conspiracy.
The police disclosed that another accused Raju Methi (44) is a close associate of Suhail and is absconding.
One more accused Denver Shaun D’Souza (28), who is a nephew of Suhail, assisted in the machination.
The 569-page chargesheet has been filed against the accused before the judicial magistrate first class, Mapusa.
The police said that it was revealed that two other accused – Branca Rodrigues and Premanand Desai – are no more alive. The case is under trial, and the matter has been fixed for hearing on November 17.