ED attaches fresh Rs 193-cr worth assets in Goa land grab-linked PMLA case

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached fresh Rs 193 crore worth assets as part of its money laundering investigation into a "land grab" case in Goa, where fraudsters sold prime plots in the beach state by creating "forged" documents in the names of deceased persons.

A provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 25 to attach 24 immovable properties located across Bardez Taluka, including areas such as Calangute, Assagao, Anjuna, Nerul and Parra, the federal probe agency said in a statement.

These properties were either sold to third parties, transferred to associates via "sham" deeds, apart from other properties identified subsequently at prime tourist hotspots in the Bardez Taluka.

The market value of the attached assets is Rs 193.49 crore, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR filed by a Goa police special investigation team (SIT) into "fraudulent" and "illegal" acquisition of land in the coastal state against some persons involved in forgery, cheating and grabbing of immovable properties.

The probe found that the fraudsters created "forged" documents/deeds in the names of deceased individuals or ancestors.

Using these forged documents as genuine, they fraudulently inserted their names or the names of their associates into the land records maintained by the Goa government, according to the agency.

Subsequently, it said, these "illegally" acquired properties were either sold to third parties, generating proceeds of crime, or transferred to associates through sham sales deeds without actual payment of consideration.

The total attachment of assets in the case now stands at Rs 232.73 crore. In 2023, the ED attached properties worth Rs 39.24 crore.

The agency filed a chargesheet in this case last April before a special PMLA court in Mapusa, Goa. PTI NES ARI

Source: PTI