PANAJI: According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the market value of land parcels allegedly illegally acquired by Yeshwant Sawant and others is expected to surpass Rs 1,200 crore, as reported by Murari Shetye. The ED conducted searches on Monday and Tuesday at 13 residential and commercial locations across Goa and Hyderabad in this alleged land grab case, seizing Rs 72 lakh and seven luxury vehicles.
The investigations were initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) due to illegal grabs of comunidade lands in Goa. This action followed an FIR filed by the Goa police pertaining to the unlawful acquisition of land belonging to the comunidade of Anjuna.
The ED’s operations revealed that the accused fraudulently mutated over 3.5 lakh square meters of land in key areas like Anjuna and Assagao under their names by using forged documents submitted to relevant authorities.
Parts of these properties were sold to multiple buyers, creating illicit proceeds amounting to crores. The ED has anticipated that the total market value of the misappropriated land could exceed Rs 1,200 crore.
During the searches, several bank accounts and fixed deposits belonging to the accused individuals were frozen, and multiple incriminating documents related to the land transactions were seized. The ongoing investigation is expected to unveil a broader network involved in illegal land grabs throughout Goa.
In April, the Mapusa police registered an FIR against a couple concerning alleged land grabbing linked to the Anjuna comunidade. The comunidade’s attorney, Sebastian D’Souza, claimed in his complaint that Yeshwant and Minakshi Sawant, along with unidentified individuals, unlawfully obstructed him from exercising property rights over a 2 lakh square meter piece of land in Anjuna, prior to February 19, 2024.
