Ex-CM, Senior Politicians Masterminds In Goa Land Grabbing Cases

PANAJI: While a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up by the Goa government to investigate complaints of land grabbing and one person from near Margao was arrested in the matter, police sources allege that a former Chief Minister and at least four to six senior politicians could be the brains and masterminds behind at least 25 to 40 per cent of the cases that have come to light so far.

Names of two lawyers – one of them a flamboyant lawyer-turned-politician, who have aided or helped the accused in preparation of fraudulent and fake documents have also cropped up in the complaints.

“In all, there could be nearly 160 to 200 cases of land grabbing, fraudulent land transfer, irregular sale and transfer and other similar cases or offences in Goa,” said a former SP (Superintendent of Police) who was earlier associated with the Goa Anti Corruption Bureau.

It is not certain if any money or paper trail will be found against the suspected former CM and the other senior politicians whose names have cropped up in the investigation, as they could have used dummies on their behalf to sign the documents.

“It remains to be seen if they (politicians) will even be called for questioning as their interrogation could open a huge can of worms, that could be a possible embarrassment for the present dispensation,” opined a legal expert and senior lawyer handling some of the cases.

Another powerful politician from the North Goa coastal belt is also alleged to be involved indirectly in the scam, through his vast network of property or estate agents, frontmen and businessmen from Delhi and North India who have invested in the properties (or funded their purchase) obtained and resold by fraudulent means.

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“Forceful land grabbing or purchase/possession of land from the original owners (Goans) under threat or manipulation, should also be brought under the ambit of land grabbing offences,” opined another Goan lawyer.

According to a report in Herald, a former Director of Archaeology Department and a former-sub registrar of Bardez are amongst new suspects in the SIT’s ongoing probe into the massive land grabbing cases reported so far.

The SIT officials suspect that the total value of the usurped properties could range anywhere from a few hundred crore to even up to Rs 500 crore.

The Herald report claimed that the identities of the government officials were not disclosed to the media, but Luiza Fernandes, Caitano Fernandes, Meena Ramakant Naik and others from Durgabhat-Ponda were named in a fresh First Information Report (FIR) by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

According to media reports about 60 to 70 offences are suspected to have occurred in North Goa and a similar number could have taken place in South Goa.

A social activist from Parra in North Goa, Benedict D’souza has urged the government to go to the bottom of the matter and nab all those involved, including the rich and powerful.

Minakshi Shinde of Goa Against Corruption said her team was tracking the developments and would not hesitate to move the appropriate courts if the investigation got derailed or did not proceed in the right direction, under pressure from powerful lobbies and individuals.

She also demanded that action should be taken against illegal structures, hotels, restaurants and cottages in the Candolim-Calangute-Parra and Arpora belt as there are several cases pending and the illegal structures are thriving with the active connivance of Panchayat officials.

Meanwhile, speaking to media persons in Panaji, Revenue Minister Atanasio `Babush’ Monserrate warned that government officials who were involved in fraudulent and illegal land grabbing cases will be taken to task while those who have acted strictly as per the rules should not be afraid of the police investigation.

He said the SIT will investigate various complaints of illegal land transferred by fraud and forging documents and signatures and identities of non-existent of deceased persons. (Read More Here)