Enforcement Directorate​ conducts searches in Goa in land grab case

ED said it has conducted searches in a money laundering complaint linked to an alleged land grab and cheating case in Goa.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said it has conducted searches in a money laundering complaint linked to an alleged land grab and cheating case in Goa.

It said the raids were carried out against former Attorney of Comunidade of Serula Angelo C Lobo, his brother Reginaldo Lobo and former official of Comunidade of Serula Joseph D'Sa and its former clerk Rajesh Suhas Verenkar.

The action was undertaken under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case of illegal allotment of plots as well as the illegal acquisition of land belonging to Comunidade of Serula in Goa, the central probe agency said in a statement.

Comunidade is a Portuguese era community institution, which has land holdings across the state.

"Incriminating documents and records relating to the illegal allotment, acquisition of plots and land belonging to the Comunidade of Serula have been seized," the ED said.

"The incriminating documents include old blank Indian stamp papers of 1960s, old blank papers having Portuguese stamps used for making forged documents and deeds of sale used for illegal acquisition of land," it added.

The ED said the documents seized also include old registers belonging to the administrator of Comunidades, Bardez, which were being used for the purpose of "illegal" allotment of plots.

The ED's money laundering case is based on an FIR of the crime branch of the Goa Police.

"As per the FIRs (filed by Goa Police), the members of managing committee of Comunidade of Serula were involved in illegal allotment of plots by fraudulently citing and using duplicate file numbers pertaining to files of offices of various administrators of Comunidades and gazette notifications of Goa government thereby cheating the Comunidade of Serula and other authorities," the ED alleged.

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