MARGAO: The Economic Offences Cell (EOC) of the Goa Police has begun investigating a case involving Agnelo De Sousa, 47, who allegedly cheated a resident of Salcete out of Rs 2.20 crore under the pretext of selling a property measuring over 19,000 square metres in Nuvem. On Friday, De Sousa was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Margao, where the EOC obtained a four-day remand for further investigation.
The case was initially registered at Maina-Curtorim police station on December 7, 2023, and transferred to the EOC in January this year. The complaint was filed by Jeet Jain, alleging that Agnelo De Sousa and his wife Macklin Pereira alias De Sousa, both residents of Nagwado, Betalbatim, prepared forged documents for a property in Belloy, Nuvem. They induced the complainant into purchasing the property through fraudulent means, entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and extracting Rs 2.20 crore from him.
The accused faces charges under various sections of the IPC including 420 (cheating), 423, 464, 465, 467, 468, 471, 472, 474, and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with section 34. During the investigation, the EOC issued a notice under Section 41 A of the CrPC to the accused individuals on June 6. While Macklin Pereira appeared before the EOC, Agnelo did not appear as summoned. Subsequently, when Agnelo finally appeared on June 11, he allegedly did not cooperate with the interrogation, providing vague answers and withholding information regarding the forged certificates and duplicate seals enclosed with the Deed of Succession dated November 1, 2018, submitted before the Valpoi Sub Registrar. De Sousa was subsequently arrested.
Sources within the EOC have indicated that the custody of Agnelo De Sousa is necessary to recover the original forged certificates and duplicate seals, and to prevent him from destroying evidence related to the case.