Goa land scam: ED seizes crypto wallets after raids in Goa, Delhi, Chandigarh

Panaji, Oct 14 (IANS) Investigating a land scam in Goa, the ED conducted searches at six locations across Goa, New Delhi and Chandigarh and seized crypto wallets, incriminating documents and digital records, an official said on Tuesday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, conducted the search operations on October 10 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the ongoing investigation into a land scam involving Yeshwant Sawant and others, said a statement.

The search operations were undertaken at the premises of Umar Zahoor Shah and Neeraj Sharma, both of them partners of M/s Thinking of You and Rajesh Kumar, one of the Directors of M/s Purple Martini Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the ED said.

The ED recovered several incriminating documents, including Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and lease agreements pertaining to multiple land parcels that were fraudulently acquired by forging title documents across Goa.

These documents were executed between key individuals involved in the land-grabbing activities and other associated persons. The investigation is ongoing to determine the involvement of additional individuals and to uncover the full extent of the illegal land-related activities in Goa, said the statement.

Additionally, the searches led to the discovery of six decentralised crypto wallets containing cryptocurrencies worth approximately 1.5 lakh USDT, which have been frozen, it said.

Further, notes and digital records indicating the investment of cash, allegedly generated from a prominent club in Goa, into various land parcels connected with the key individuals involved in the land grabbing, were also recovered during the operation.

The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered by the Goa Police against Yeshwant Sawant and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, for allegedly defrauding the Communidade of Anjuna – village-level association -of its land located at Survey No. 496/1-A, Anjuna, Goa.

The accused are alleged to have produced fake and forged documents, viz. the Certificate of Provisional Possession dated January 26, 1952, Proceedings of Demarcation dated January 16, 1958, and the Certificate of Final Possession dated September 24, 1952, the ED said.

The federal probe agency said that no such documents were ever issued by the Office of the Communidade of Anjuna or by the Office of the Administrator of Comunidades, North Zone, Mapusa–Goa, before the concerned authorities to mutate the said land in their names.

The accused subsequently sold portions of it to other individuals, thereby generating Proceeds of Crime (PoC).

Earlier, on September 9, 2025, the ED conducted search operations that led to the identification of several land parcels fraudulently acquired by Shivshankar Mayekar and others in the names of their friends and relatives.

The total market valuation of the implicated land parcels illegally grabbed by the accused persons is likely to exceed Rs 1,200 crore, the ED said.

These properties, spanning several lakh square meters, are located in prime tourist areas such as Anjuna and Assagao in Bardez Taluka, Goa, the statement said.

During the earlier search operations, cash amounting to approximately Rs 72 lakh was seized, and seven high-end vehicles, including Porsche Cayman, BMW 650 L. Range Rover, Mercedes Benz, BMW M5, Audi A-6, etc, were seized, the ED said.

Multiple bank accounts/fixed deposits belonging to the individuals involved in these transactions were also frozen. Subsequently, Shivshankar Mayekar was arrested on October 1 for his involvement in the illegal acquisition of these land parcels. He is currently in judicial custody.

--IANS

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