Realty firm, church officials colluded to usurp agri land: ED

Panaji: The Enforcement Directorate conducted search and seizure operations at the residential and business premises of Models Real Estate Developers and its partners in Panaji, in connection with allegedly illegally usurping tenanted agricultural land.The ED investigation has revealed that former partner of Models, the later Peter Vaz, connived with officials of the Archdiocese of Goa and then officials of the city survey office to enter a criminal conspiracy to fraudulently manipulate revenue records. “During the searches conducted at the residential premises of Diogo Nathan Vaz and Natalina Estela Vaz at Caranzalem and the registered office of Models Real Estate Developers at St Inez, the ED seized incriminating material, including a sale and purchase agreement dated Feb 2, 2007, and title deeds of a property in Dubai, purchased by the late Peter Vaz,” said the ED.The directorate conducted the search under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The searches were part of an ongoing PMLA investigation into a massive land-grabbing case involving the illegal acquisition of prime property in Caranzalem. The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered at Panaji police station. “The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy to illegally usurp tenanted agricultural land bearing chalta no.

44 (new 44A) of P.T. sheet no. 162 at Caranzalem, belonging to the family of Tanu Gauns,” said the ED.“In furtherance of the conspiracy, the name of the lawful tenant was illegally deleted from form ‘B’ of the city survey records on the basis of forged and fabricated documents. Consequently, the disputed property was unlawfully sold to Models Real Estate Developers, represented by the late Peter Vaz,” said the ED.The said partnership firm thereafter developed a residential project, ‘Models Mystique’, on the impugned land, thereby generating further proceeds of crime (PoC), said the ED.“Digital devices seized during the searches revealed contacts of international investors, primarily from the UAE, allegedly reflecting cash-based transactions,” said the ED.The ED said documents establishing the lawful tenancy rights of Gauns on the disputed property and records indicating the estimated cost of construction of apartments on the impugned land were also recovered. Further investigation is in progress.