NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated seven luxury vehicles including brands such as Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi, following raids in a money laundering investigation tied to an alleged ₹1,200 crore land grabbing case in Goa.
This case involves an individual named Yeshwant Sawant and several others. The operation began on Tuesday and concluded on Wednesday.
According to the ED, 13 residential and commercial properties in Goa and Hyderabad were examined under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) due to the “illegal” seizure of Communidade lands in Goa, as stated in the agency’s announcement.
The ED’s case is based on a Goa Police FIR.
The suspects allegedly “illegally” altered over 350,000 square meters of land in prime locations like Anjuna and Assagao through “forged” historical documents submitted to the relevant authorities to facilitate the mutation process.
Parts of these properties were sold to various individuals, generating illicit funds amounting to crores of rupees, the ED reported.
The market value of the land parcels “illegally” acquired by the accused is anticipated to surpass ₹1,200 crore, according to the investigative agency.
The ED has seized cash amounting to ₹72 lakh as well as seven high-end vehicles, including a Porsche Cayman, BMW, Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz M5, and Audi A6.
Additionally, various bank accounts and fixed deposits associated with the individuals involved have been frozen, along with several “incriminating” documents concerning the land transactions.
The ED noted that the ongoing investigation is expected to reveal a more extensive network of individuals implicated in illegal land grabbing across Goa.
