The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet in a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Merces, Goa. The case involves four accused, including two former Procurators of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and a real estate firm. They are implicated in a fraud related to the tenancy rights of a land parcel, which the real estate firm allegedly used to construct a residential-cum-commercial project and earned Rs 27.10 crore by selling units to multiple buyers.
The ED’s Panaji Zonal Office lodged the charge sheet against Arlino De Mello, Victor Conceicao Rodrigues, Prabhakar Rama Hawaldar, and a private real estate development firm. The investigation focuses on the fraudulent deprivation of tenancy rights over a land parcel in Mitra, Caranzalem, North Goa. The case originated from an FIR filed by the Panaji Police Station under various sections of the IPC based on a complaint.
According to the complaint, between November 18, 2004, and December 5, 2006, the accused colluded to falsely record the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman as the holder of a land parcel through forged documents. This action allegedly stripped the original tenant family of their rightful tenancy rights. Subsequently, the ED conducted a financial investigation, revealing that the accused used forged documents to transfer the land to the Archdiocese, leading to its sale to a real estate firm for a nominal sum.
The ED had previously issued a provisional attachment order seizing immovable properties worth Rs 27.10 crore, including a commercial property in Caranzalem. These properties are believed to be proceeds of crime or assets equivalent to the illicit gains from the fraudulent transaction.
