Panaji, July 10: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, has filed a prosecution complaint before the Special PMLA Court at Merces against two former Procurators of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, a former City Survey official, and a private real estate development firm in connection with an alleged land fraud and money laundering case involving property at Mitra, Caranzalem.

According to an ED press release, the accused include Fr. Arlino De Mello, Fr. Victor Conceicao Rodrigues (then Procurators of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman), Prabhakar Rama Hawaldar (then Inspector of Survey and Land Records, City Survey, Panaji), and a private real estate development company. The complaint has been filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The case originates from an FIR registered by the Panaji Police alleging that between November 18, 2004, and December 5, 2006, the accused conspired to fraudulently record the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in the holder’s column of City Survey records relating to a 2,479 sq. metre parcel of land at Mitra, Caranzalem by using forged documents. The alleged forgery deprived the original tenant family of its lawful tenancy rights.

Based on the FIR, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and carried out searches under Section 17 of the PMLA on December 16, 2025, during which incriminating documents and electronic devices were seized.

The ED stated that its financial investigation found that the forged documents were allegedly used to transfer the land in the name of the Archdiocese, following which it was sold to a private real estate developer through a sale deed dated April 9, 2007, for ₹61.97 lakh. The developer subsequently constructed a residential-cum-commercial project, with units sold to multiple buyers, allegedly generating proceeds of crime amounting to approximately ₹27.10 crore.

The agency further stated that it had earlier issued a Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) attaching immovable properties worth around ₹27.10 crore, including a commercial hotel-cum-restaurant property at Mitra, Caranzalem, along with two other immovable properties representing the alleged proceeds of crime and equivalent value derived from the transaction.

The prosecution complaint is now before the Special Court under the PMLA for further proceedings.