The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, on Monday announced that it has attached 19 immovable properties measuring over five lakh square metres in prime areas of Goa, including Anjuna, Assagaon, and Ucassaim. The properties, valued at ₹1,268.63 crore, were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to the agency, these properties were illegally acquired by a group led by Shivshankar Mayekar through the use of fabricated and forged land title documents. These included falsified Aforamento/Allotment Certificates, Certificates of Final Possession, Auto de Demarcação (Certificate of Demarcation), historical Sale Deeds, Gift Deeds, and other related records.
During earlier search operations conducted on September 9 and November 10, the ED had seized and frozen bank accounts and other valuable assets worth ₹12.85 crore.
The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Goa Police against Yeshwant Sawant and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The accused were charged with defrauding the Communidade of Anjuna in connection with land at Survey No. 496/1-A, Anjuna.
The accused allegedly used fabricated documents to fraudulently mutate the land in their names before the concerned authorities, after which they sold portions of it to third parties, thereby generating additional Proceeds of Crime (POC).
ED’s investigation revealed that Shivshankar Mayekar was the key conspirator who unlawfully acquired multiple land parcels across Goa in the names of his friends and relatives. He was arrested by the ED on October 1, 2025, and is currently in judicial custody.
It was further uncovered that four additional FIRs have been registered against the accused in connection with the illegal acquisition of land in the Anjuna and Assagaon areas.
The agency has also identified several other land parcels suspected to have been acquired using similar fraudulent methods. Details of these properties are being shared with the relevant law enforcement authorities through the PMLA information-sharing mechanism.
The investigation has brought to light a systematic modus operandi reportedly employed by Mayekar’s group. This involved identifying vulnerable land parcels, fabricating title documents such as fake sale deeds and forged gift deeds, and then using these counterfeit certificates to fraudulently mutate properties in the names of frontmen. These frontmen subsequently sold the properties, generating further POC.
Further investigation in the case is underway.