NT Reporter
Panaji
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Panaji zonal office, which is probing money laundering angle in the alleged multi-crore land fraud, has provisionally attached 19 immovable properties admeasuring over 5 lakh square metres in premium locations such as Anjuna, Assagao, Ucassaim and other areas. The properties are valued at approximately Rs 1,268.63 crore.
ED said these properties were allegedly acquired illegally by a group led by the key conspirator Shivshankar Mayekar, using fabricated and forged land title documents, including aforamento/allotment certificates, certificates of final possession, auto de demarcação (certificate of demarcation), historical deeds of sale, deeds of gift, and other falsified records.
Mayekar was arrested by ED on October 1 and is currently in judicial custody.
Earlier, during search operations conducted on September 9 and 10, 2025, ED had seized and frozen bank accounts and other valuable assets amounting to Rs 12.85 crore.
ED initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Goa police against one Yeshwant Sawant and others under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code for defrauding the Comunidade of Anjuna in relation to land situated in Anjuna.
The accused allegedly procured fraudulent mutation of the land in their names by submitting fabricated and forged documents before the concerned authorities and subsequently sold portions of the land to third parties, thereby generating additional proceeds of crime, the central agency said.
According to ED, investigation has revealed that Mayekar was a key conspirator who had illegally acquired multiple land parcels in the state in the names of his friends and relatives.
Four additional FIRs were registered against the accused in connection with illegal acquisition of land in Anjuna and Assagao. The investigation has also identified several more land parcels suspected to have been acquired through similar fraudulent methods.
The agency added that through information-sharing mechanism under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, details of these properties are being shared with the law enforcement agency concerned.
The ED said its inquiry has brought to light a modus operandi adopted by the group led by Mayekar. This involved identifying vulnerable land parcels; fabricating title documents such as fake sale deeds, forged gift deeds and counterfeit certificates purportedly issued by the comunidades and the administrator of comunidades; and using these forged documents to fraudulently mutate properties in the names of chosen frontmen, who later sold them to generate further proceeds of crime.
