In a major crackdown against organized land grabbing and money laundering in Goa, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 19 immovable properties situated in some of the state’s most expensive zones — including Anjuna, Assagaon and Ucassaim. The attached land parcels collectively span over 5 lakh sq. metres, with an estimated market valuation of ₹1,268.63 crore.
The attachment was carried out on 27 November 2025 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following revelations that the properties were acquired illegally using forged and fabricated land ownership documents.
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False titles, forged records and a well-laid land fraud conspiracy
As per the ED’s findings, the group led by Shivshankar Mayekar exploited the community land governance system (Communidade) to fraudulently manipulate land ownership entries. Investigators uncovered a wide variety of falsified records, including:
- Fake Aforamento / Allotment Certificates
- Certificates of Final Possession
- Auto de Demarcação (Boundary Demarcation Certificates)
- Tampered Deeds of Sale and Gift Deeds
- Historical entries altered using counterfeit paperwork
These forged documents were allegedly submitted to revenue authorities to mutate land titles in the names of frontmen and relatives, and later sold to unsuspecting third parties, generating Proceeds of Crime (POC) routed into the financial system.
Earlier seizures worth ₹12.85 crore in searches
This large-scale attachment follows earlier searches conducted on 9 September and 10 October 2025, in which ED had seized and frozen bank accounts and valuable assets worth ₹12.85 crore linked to the same syndicate.
Police FIR triggered deeper financial probe
The case originated from an FIR lodged by Goa Police against Yeshwant Sawant and others in relation to fraudulent acquisition of land at Survey No. 496/1-A in Anjuna. Mayekar’s network allegedly:
“Illegally mutated community-owned land into private names and monetised it through illegal sale transactions.”
ED later confirmed these sales as money laundering activities under PMLA.
Mastermind behind bars; more suspects under scanner
ED investigators established that Shivshankar Mayekar acted as the chief conspirator tasked with identifying land, orchestrating forgeries, and managing illegal acquisitions under multiple fronts.
He was arrested on 1 October 2025 and remains in judicial custody.
Key revelations so far:
- 4 additional FIRs registered related to land scams in Anjuna and Assagaon
- More properties suspected to be linked to similar fraudulent patterns
- Several accomplices and beneficiaries yet to be identified
Syndicate’s playbook: Target weak titles, fake papers, quick sale
According to the ED, the land mafia followed a sophisticated modus operandi:
1. Identify vulnerable or poorly managed land parcels
2. Forge title documents allegedly issued by Communidade officials
3. Fraudulently mutate ownership into names of associates (frontmen)
4. Dispose of land to private buyers or corporations for huge profits
The agency believes that this organized operation may have involved systemic corruption and collusion with officials.
Information sharing underway more action expected
ED stated that a PMLA-based inter-agency information network has been activated to ensure coordinated action. Law enforcement authorities have been notified to verify and secure additional suspicious land records.
“This is a major land mafia network. The investigation continues to identify the full chain of conspirators and proceeds of crime. More attachments are likely.”
Why this case matters
The action marks one of the largest land seizure cases in Goa’s recent history striking directly at fraudulent acquisition of community lands, historically protected under local governance systems.
As scrutiny intensifies, officials believe that many more parcels may soon be uncovered as part of this multi-crore illegal real estate racket.
