In a significant breakthrough in an alleged ₹100-crore land grab scam, Mapusa Police have arrested two individuals — Devidas and Vaman — for allegedly forging documents, including a fabricated will, to unlawfully acquire nearly 2.8 lakh square metres of ancestral property in Corjuem, Aldona.
The arrests were made after the district court earlier this week rejected their anticipatory bail pleas. Police sources revealed that the duo is part of a six-member group accused of criminal conspiracy, impersonation, and forgery. The group allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to usurp land spread across several prime survey numbers in the area.
Investigators said the accused forged the will of a deceased property owner to falsely claim inheritance rights. The forged documents were then used to initiate mutation and registration processes in an attempt to gain legal control over the vast and high-value land parcel.
The scam came to light when several legal heirs of the deceased approached Mapusa Police, alleging a plot to illegally transfer the family property. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed naming six individuals — Vishant (a land broker), Suhasini, Prakash, Vaman, Devidas, and one unidentified person.
Adding to the complexity of the case, police are also probing the possible involvement of a public notary, a stamp vendor, and a legal practitioner, who may have helped legitimise the forged documents and facilitated the fraudulent transactions.
A manhunt is currently underway to locate and arrest the remaining four accused. Police say further arrests are likely as investigations continue to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy.