Digital Goa, Nov 25- Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached 31 immovable properties located in the state of Goa worth Rs. 39.24 Crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the money laundering investigation against various persons involved in the illegal acquisition of properties. ED initiated investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by Goa Police against Vikrant Shetty, Mohammed Suhail, Rajkumar Maithi and other accused persons involved in the illegal grabbing of immovable properties across the state of Goa. Subsequently, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Goa Police was also formed by the Govt. of Goa to investigate the matter. ED investigation revealed that various immovable properties were illegally acquired by the accused persons in their names or in the names of their associates or relatives. The accused persons placed forged documents in the land records for supporting their claim that the immovable properties belonged to their ancestors. Based on these forged documents they were able to get their names updated or inserted in the land records by making succession deeds or inventories. Few of these illegally acquired properties were sold by the accused persons to buyers from Goa and other States. Earlier this month also ED had provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs. 11.82 Crore in possession of Estevan D’Souza, Moses Fernandes and Samir Korgaonkar in land grabbing scam in the state.
