Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has unearthed a massive land scam in Goa involving illegal grabbing of Communidade lands valued at over ₹1,200 crore. Acting under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the ED conducted extensive search operations across 13 residential and commercial premises in Goa and Hyderabad on September 9 and 10 in connection with the case of Yeshwant Sawant and others.
Investigations revealed that the accused allegedly forged old documents to fraudulently mutate more than 3.5 lakh square meters of prime land in areas such as Anjuna and Assagaon. Portions of these properties were later sold, generating further proceeds of crime running into crores.
During the raids, the ED seized around ₹72 lakh in cash along with seven luxury vehicles including a Porsche Cayman, BMW 650L, Range Rover, Mercedes Benz, BMW M5, and Audi A6. Authorities also froze several bank accounts and fixed deposits linked to the accused and confiscated incriminating documents related to the land deals.
Officials said the operation is part of a wider investigation into illegal land grabbing in the state and is expected to expose a larger network of individuals involved in similar fraudulent transactions.
Further investigation is underway.
