AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
In a significant crackdown on alleged drug-linked assets, the Di rectorate of Enforcement (ED), Panjim Zonal Office, has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 7.17 crore belonging to Prasad Prakash Walke and his wife Sheetal. The action, taken under provisions of the Pre vention of Money Launder ing Act (PMLA), stems from offences registered under the NDPS Act, 1985. The move comes even as ED officials were reported ly close to sealing an illegal construction allegedly built on land belonging to the Co munidade of Assagao. The ED initiated its probe based on a com plaint filed by the Narcot ics Control Bureau (NCB), Goa Zone, in Crime No 01/2021 dated March 7, 2021, against Prasad Prakash Walke and Ugo chukwu Solomon Ubabuko. Investigators reportedly found that proceeds from illicit drug trafficking had been channelled into the banking system through substantial cash deposits. “Apart from a lot of money found in various bank ac counts of Walke and his wife Sheetal, that indicate that the same were proceeds
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from sale of drugs, we dis covered immovable prop erties in Assagao to the tune of over seven crores,” said an officer involved in the investigation on condi tion of anonymity. Three properties in As sagao have been attached — two two-storey houses in Survey Nos 182/47 and 182/56, and a three-storey residential house in Survey No 155/10. “The three properties,” according to the ED, “are held in the names of Prasad Prakash Walke and Shee tal Prasad Walke and have been attached as they con stitute proceeds of crime derived from scheduled offences of the NDPS Act 1985.
According to NCB records, Walke was first arrested on March 7, 2021, along with foreign national Ubabuko, with commercial quantities of LSD, cocaine, charas and ganja. Sources in the Anti-Narcotic Cell (ANC) said Walke, a resident of Assagao, was arrested again in 2023 with MDMA, ecstasy powder and hydroponic weed. He is cur rently in judicial custody. News of the ED’s action did not come as a surprise to many residents along the coastal belt. “He started his business by providing sound for rave parties held many years back. They were the first to pro vide sound and later hold parties for others,” said a neigh bour on condition of anonymity. “He was a known drug dealer for many years. Initially, he sold drugs under the disguise of providing sound for rave parties on the belt. I hope the action by the ED serves as a deterrent to others,” said a lady on condition of ano nymity. On January 16, 2026, the ED conducted search opera tions at 26 premises across multiple states, including the residence of an alleged drug peddler from Vagator and his associates, to establish a nexus related to international drug trafficking and laundering of proceeds of crime. “The raid and the attachments by the ED is proof that our own intelligence agencies are not performing as well as they should be. They (the ED) are way ahead in all land grab cases and now fortunately for us, they have started knocking on the doors of drug dealers,” said activist Balb him Tukaram Malvankar. The ED reiterated its commitment to tackling drug traf ficking and money laundering through stringent enforce ment of the PMLA and related laws. “As part of the Nasha Bharat Abhiyaan, the ED remains steadfast in its resolve to dismantle drug trafficking net works by striking at their financial roots,” the agency said in a press statement. “The operation of seizing property approximately worth around Rs 7.17 crore shows our continuous efforts to curb illegal drug trade and to trace, identify and attach pro ceeds of crime generated from such activities along with sending a strong deterrent message,” said an ED source. For many residents of Anjuna and Vagator, however, the larger concern remains policing and enforcement at the ground level. “Explain to me,” reasoned Maxcy D’Souza from Vagator, “how is it that people who have been in jail for cases relat ed to drugs, continue to run their places with no respect for the law. It is only with drug money that people can af ford to break the seals of their premises and function with the authorities looking the other way.” “Just like the High Court, the ED now seems to be the next central agency trying to bring some order in this self-inflicted chaos we are in,” observed D’Souza. AIR TICKET CHANGES: CANCEL WITHIN 48 HOURS WITH NO EXTRA CHARGE The regulator has further clarified that in cases where tickets are booked through travel agents or portals, the re sponsibility for processing refunds rests with the airline. Refunds must be completed within 14 working days. The amended norms also address cancellations due to medical emergencies. If a passenger or a family member listed on the same PNR is hospitalised during the travel period, airlines may offer either a refund or a credit shell. In other cases, refunds will be processed after assessment by an airline’s aerospace medicine specialist or a DG CA-empanelled expert. The changes come amid persistent grievances over de layed refunds. In December 2025 alone, airlines received 29,212 passenger complaints, 7.5 per cent of which were related to refunds. The issue gained prominence during flight disruptions involving IndiGo in December, after which the civil aviation ministry directed the carrier to clear pending refunds within a set timeline. India, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation mar kets, saw domestic airlines carry over 16.69 crore passen gers in 2025, according to DGCA data.
