ASMITA POLJI
MAPUSA: In a victory for justice, and also for Herald, that doggedly pursued and exposed the murky network of criminals grabbing Goan families’ lands, the alleged mastermind of land grab cases, Royson Rodrigues, was arrested by the SIT on Friday.
Even as Herald has published in-depth reports of land-grab incidents across Anjuna, Assagao, Saligao and Parra, the names of the accused Royson Rodrigues with Branca Cassiana Diniz alias Branca Rodrigues (his late mother) and Paulina Juliana Diniz alias Palmira Gonsalves (his aunt) and Mariano Gonsalves (his uncle) feature in 3 cases.
In one case, Herald exposed Royson’s modus operandi to get his hands on a piece of land in Assagao, and reported about how he resurrected his dead mother and produced her to sign the sale deed. Branca, who seemed to be actively involved in grabbing others’ properties during her life, died on January 30, 2022, but miraculously rose from the grave and signed a sale deed in March 2022.
In another case that came to light after a complaint was filed by Vincent De Sousa, an 18,500 sq mts swathe of land in Badem, Assagao, which was purchased by Domingos De Sousa, the grandfather of the complainant prior to 1910, was brazenly grabbed by Royson Rodrigues and his cronies, who managed to change the title even when the issue of the property was still sub judice within the family of the rightful owners.
Revealing a shockingly twisted tale, Herald’s probe found that a fake sale deed dating back to 1934 was inserted in the archives, showing that the father of Branca Cassiana Diniz alias Branca Rodrigues had bought the property from Domingos De Sousa, and then again in a deed dated 1951, the same property was bought by the mother of Branca Rodrigues, again from De Sousa.
Later, by virtue of a succession deed made in Canacona, the Badem property was transferred to the four names that are presently mentioned on Forms I & XIV, bearing the mutation no 79705. The names are –no surprises here– Branca Rodrigues, Royson Rodrigues, Mariano Antonio Teles Gonsalves and Paulina Juliana Diniz.
In yet another case, Esperanca Oliveira, a resident of Anjuna, had filed a complaint against the usual suspects Branca Rodrigues, Paulina Diniz and Mariano Gonsalves, all (supposedly but not actually residents of Cuncolim,) Royson Rodrigues, a resident of Chaudi in Canacona and Rahul Desai, the Mamlatdar of Bardez, stated that the accused persons had dishonestly prepared forged documents in respect of her property located at Survey No. 493/3 of Anjuna village, admeasuring 15,400 sq mts, by impersonating the legal heirs. The notorious family, with the alleged the help of the Mamlatdar had succeeded in transferring the rights of Oliveira’s property in their name, thereby cheating the rightful heirs of the property, the complaint said.
