83 accused held; alleged mastermind Suhail named in multiple cases
Amresh Parab
Panaji: Of the 45 cases pertaining to land grab, 23 are currently under investigation (51%), while the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed chargesheets in 17 cases (37%) which are pending trial.
A senior police officer said three cases have been closed, wherein in two cases ‘A’ abated and in one case ‘C’ final reports were submitted before the courts, while two FIRs were quashed by the High Court of Bombay at Goa. The state government had formed the SIT on June 15, 2022, to probe the alleged multi-crore land scam. Some cases were transferred from police stations to the SIT, while the SIT also registered FIRs.
Police said the SIT recently filed chargesheets in four cases involving one of the alleged masterminds, Mohammad Suhail, and his associates. Police said that so far 83 accused persons have been arrested, including 11 accused arrested in more than one case. According to police, Suhail (48), a native of Davangiri, Karnataka, is the mastermind .
Police said that other associates of Suhail include Royson Rodrigues, Rajkumar Methi, Vikrant Shetty, Sunil Kumar, Sandric Fernandes and others. The SIT has also filed chargesheets in two different cases against one of the main accused, Siddhique alias Suleiman Khan.
Referring to preventive steps to ensure properties under SIT investigation are not transferred to third parties, police said the mamlatdar and sub-registrar concerned have been intimated regarding the crime registered in respect of the property concerned.
Regarding restoring or returning land to original owners, police said the parties concerned have to obtain appropriate orders from the authority concerned.
