Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, has filed a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, against two priests of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, a former Inspector of Survey and Land Records, and a private real estate development firm in connection with an alleged land fraud at Caranzalem in North Goa.
The prosecution complaint has been filed before the Special PMLA Court at Merces. Those named in the complaint are Fr. Arlino De Mello, Fr. Victor Conceicao Rodrigues, both former Procurators of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, Prabhakar Rama Hawaldar, the then Inspector of Survey and Land Records, City Survey, Panaji, and a private real estate development firm as a legal entity.
According to the ED, the case pertains to the alleged fraudulent deprivation of tenancy rights over a 2,479-square-metre land parcel at Mitra, Caranzalem, bearing Chalta No. 44 of P.T. Sheet No. 162 of City Survey, Panaji.
The investigation originated from an FIR registered by Panaji Police, alleging that between November 18, 2004 and December 5, 2006, the accused conspired to enter the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in the Holder’s column of Form ‘B’ using forged documents, thereby depriving the original tenant family of its lawful tenancy rights. Based on the FIR, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).
As part of its investigation, the ED conducted searches in Goa on December 16, 2025, under Section 17 of the PMLA, during which it claimed to have recovered incriminating loose sheets and electronic devices.
The agency alleged that forged documents were used to fraudulently register the property in the name of the Archdiocese, enabling its subsequent sale to a private real estate development firm through a sale deed dated April 9, 2007, for a consideration of ₹61.97 lakh.
The ED stated that the developer subsequently constructed a residential-cum-commercial project on the land and sold multiple units to buyers, allegedly generating proceeds of crime estimated at approximately ₹27.10 crore.
The agency further said it had earlier issued a Provisional Attachment Order attaching immovable properties worth about ₹27.10 crore, including a hotel-cum-restaurant at Mitra, Caranzalem, Panaji, and two other immovable properties, treating them as proceeds of crime or equivalent-value assets under the PMLA.
The matter will now be taken up by the Special PMLA Court at Merces for further proceedings.
