Directorate of Enforcement attaches Rs 4.20 crore property in Goa land fraud case

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached immovable property valued at over Rs 4.20 crore in Socorro, Bardez, as part of a money laundering investigation. The 5,000-square-metre land parcel, which includes 11 subdivided plots, was allegedly seized through a fraudulent land grab scheme.

The investigation, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), originated from an FIR filed by a legal heir of the original property owner. The ED alleges that the property was usurped by falsely claiming that the father of two Pune-based sisters was the deceased owner during civil court inventory proceedings. This allowed the property to be mutated into the sisters' names.

Investigators found that a power of attorney was obtained in February 2018, and a payment of Rs 9 lakh was made to one of the sisters in January 2018—prior to the legal creation of ownership rights. The land was reportedly subdivided without necessary planning permissions and sold to nine different purchasers through brokers between 2018 and 2020.