Team Herald
MAPUSA: The Special Court (PMLA), Mapusa on Saturday dismissed the anticipatory bail application of Mohammad Suhail Shafi, a native of Karnataka, the alleged mastermind in the land grabbing cases reported in the State in 2022.
Suhail, who is now reported to be absconding had filed the anticipatory bail application after the Panjim zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in a money laundering case against him and 35 others in the matter of illegal land grabbing in the State. The Special Court had taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint in May this year.
Adv Ritesh Rawal appeared of Suhail while, public prosecutor Adv Sidharth Samant represented the ED.
Suhail was earlier arrested on two occasions by the SIT of Goa but he is now at large. He was allegedly involved in several land grabbing cases including three which were registered against him in 2013 and 2014. He used to prepare forged property documents of the land owners mostly working abroad and produce them as genuine before the authorities.
Suhail had already been chargesheeted in one of the cases before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Mapusa.
In another case, the Principal District and Sessions Court, Panjim on Friday dismissed the bail application filed by Rajkumar Maithi, also one of the accused arrested in the land grabbing case. Maithi in his application had prayed for bail to attend a wedding of his relative. But considering the serious of the cases registered against him, the Sessions Court said that the wedding was not a necessity.
Adv Vibhav Amonkar argued on behalf of Maithi and public prosecutor Adv Sidharth Samant represented the ED. Maithi and another accused Vikrant Shetty are presently remanded in judicial custody.
On the basis of several FIRs registered in different Police Stations in the State in the matter of illegal land grabbing and further investigations by the Special Investigation team (SIT) (land grabbing) by the Goa Police to investigate all such illegal land grabbing cases, the ED initiated its investigation in April this year.
The ED investigation had revealed that the accused persons were involved in the creation of forged and fabricated documents in the names of themselves and their associates and illegally acquired several properties and further sold some of these properties and generated proceeds of crime.
Earlier, the ED had attached 31 such properties having approximate value of Rs 535 crore vide Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) dated November 23, 2023. The ED is learnt to have now attached over 170 illegally acquired properties mostly in Bardeztaluka and across the State.