High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Goan origin Portuguese national residing in the United Kingdom in a land mutation fraud case, holding that his custodial interrogation is necessary.The case was registered in 2021 after mutation files were found missing from the Salcete Mamlatdar’s office and allegedly forged documents were used to obtain mutations. Investigators alleged that mutations relating to two properties were sought in the name of the applicant’s father in January 2018, more than two years after his death.The applicant denied the allegations and claimed he had been falsely implicated. The prosecution opposed bail, alleging that he was involved in a land-grabbing syndicate.The court observed that the material and witness statements collected during the investigation prima facie indicated the applicant’s involvement in the offence. It accordingly rejected his application for pre-arrest bail.
