Team Goemkarponn

PANAJI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, carried out search operations at six locations across Goa, New Delhi, and Chandigarh on October 10, 2025, in connection with a large-scale land scam involving Yeshwant Sawant and others.

The searches were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, at the premises of Umar Zahoor Shah and Neeraj Sharma, partners of M/s Thinking of You, and Rajesh Kumar, Director of M/s Purple Martini Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

According to the ED, the probe was initiated based on an FIR filed by Goa Police against Yeshwant Sawant and others for allegedly defrauding the Communidade of Anjuna of land located at Survey No. 496/1-A, Anjuna, Goa. The accused allegedly used fake and forged documents, including provisional possession and demarcation certificates purportedly issued in the 1950s, to mutate the property in their names and later sell portions of it, generating Proceeds of Crime (PoC).

Earlier, on September 9, 2025, the ED had conducted search operations that led to the identification of several land parcels fraudulently acquired by Shivshankar Mayekar and others in the names of their friends and relatives. These properties, spanning several lakh square metres, are located in prime tourist areas of Anjuna and Assagao in Bardez taluka.

The market valuation of the illegally acquired land parcels is estimated to exceed ₹1,200 crore. During the previous searches, the ED seized ₹72 lakh in cash and seven luxury vehicles, including a Porsche Cayman, BMW 650L, Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, BMW M5, and Audi A6. Several bank accounts and fixed deposits linked to the accused were also frozen.

Following these developments, Shivshankar Mayekar was arrested on October 1, 2025, for his alleged role in the fraudulent land dealings and remains in judicial custody.

The ED’s latest searches aim to unearth further links and identify the trail of proceeds of crime related to the massive land fraud case.