The Enforcement Directorate executed extensive search and seizure operations on Tuesday at multiple premises linked to Models Real Estate Developers and its partners in Panaji, Goa, as part of a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The raids targeted residential and business locations amid allegations of a major land-grabbing conspiracy involving valuable property at Caranzalem.
The probe originated from a First Information Report filed by Panaji Police Station, centering on a criminal conspiracy to illegally acquire tenanted agricultural land identified as Chalta No 44, originally owned by the family of Tanu Gauns. Investigations have uncovered purported collusion involving officials from the Archdiocese of Goa, a former City Survey Office employee, and the late Peter Vaz, a key partner in Models Real Estate Developers.
Authorities allege that revenue records were deliberately falsified through forged documents, resulting in the unlawful removal of the legitimate tenant's name from Form 'B' of the city survey records. This manipulation facilitated the fraudulent transfer and sale of the disputed land to Models Real Estate Developers, enabling the firm to proceed with development activities on the site.
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The partnership subsequently constructed a residential complex named 'Models Mystique' on the contested property, generating what the ED describes as additional proceeds of crime. Searches conducted at the residences of Diogo Nathan Vaz and Natalina Estela Vaz in Caranzalem, along with the company's registered office in Santa Inez, yielded significant incriminating evidence.
Among the seized items were a 2007 sale and purchase agreement, title deeds for a Dubai property allegedly purchased by Peter Vaz, digital devices indicating connections with international investors from the UAE suggestive of cash transactions, documents affirming Tanu Gauns' tenancy rights, and records detailing the construction costs of apartments on the disputed land. The operation underscores ongoing efforts to unravel the extent of the alleged fraudulent scheme.
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