Panaji, July 17 (IANS) In fresh action against land‑grabbing syndicates in Goa, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested the mastermind of one such gang, a history‑sheeter and resident of Karnataka, officials said on Friday.
The ED, Panaji Zonal Office, arrested Siddique Khan alias Suleman Khan, 55, resident of Karwar, Karnataka, on July 16 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The accused was produced before the Special Court (PMLA), North Goa, which granted his custody to the ED for custodial interrogation to trace the complete money trail, identify tainted properties and other beneficiaries, and unearth the wider conspiracy, officials said in a statement.
The accused is the mastermind and principal beneficiary of an organised syndicate engaged in large‑scale grabbing of high‑value immovable properties in Goa through forged and fabricated title documents.
The ED initiated the money‑laundering investigation based on multiple criminal cases registered by the Goa Police against the accused and his associates for offences of forgery, cheating and fraudulent transfer of immovable properties, which are scheduled offences under the PMLA.
The State Police have filed charge sheets in these cases.
Investigation conducted by the ED revealed that the syndicate fabricated forged and antedated sale deeds and title documents in several instances in the names of deceased or fictitious predecessors of the rightful owners, and used them to fraudulently mutate and transfer ownership of valuable land parcels in the official land records in favour of the accused and his associates.
The properties so grabbed were thereafter sold, developed or sought to be monetised, thereby generating substantial proceeds of crime which were projected as untainted property, the ED said.
The immovable properties fraudulently acquired and held by/on behalf of the accused aggregate to approximately 25 hectares (about 62.5 acres).
As no genuine consideration was ever paid and the title was obtained purely through forgery, the proceeds of crime have been provisionally estimated at not less than Rs 300 crore, subject to final quantification, the ED added.
–IANS
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