The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at eight locations across Goa and Pune on July 4, 2025, in connection with a major land grabbing and money laundering case involving an ancestral property in Socorro, North Goa. The 5,000-square-meter land, located at Survey No. 210/5, was allegedly fraudulently acquired through a web of forged documents and manipulated legal proceedings.
The investigation names John Paul Valles, Sandeep Vazarkar, and their associates as key conspirators. According to the ED, they orchestrated an elaborate scheme by initiating fraudulent inventory proceedings (Inventory No. 134/2019/C), falsely claiming family ties to the original property owner. This allowed them to transfer ownership to two women, Sandra De Sa and Maureen Saldanha.
Using a forged Power of Attorney from two Pune-based individuals, Valles allegedly subdivided the property and sold multiple plots. Vazarkar is believed to have facilitated these transactions by identifying buyers and collecting brokerage commissions.
The ED’s searches yielded crucial evidence, including fake sale deeds, forged Power of Attorney documents, records of inventory proceedings, handwritten diaries containing cash transaction details, and various electronic devices. These materials are currently being analyzed to trace the money trail and identify the beneficiaries of the illicit proceeds.
The case was originally registered by Porvorim police based on a complaint filed by Jeronimo Oliveiro Desouza, the rightful heir to the property. The ED’s intervention under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) aims to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy, recover unlawfully acquired assets, and bring the culprits to justice.
The ongoing investigation highlights the sophistication of white-collar property crimes and the ED’s commitment to cracking down on fraudulent land grabs in Goa.