ED raid at realty firm: Group members get anticipatory bail

Panaji: A Merces court granted interim anticipatory bail to Natalina Vaz and her children, Nathan and Danira Vaz, of the Models Group in a land-grabbing case under ED probe. Senior advocate S Kantak, with advocate P Talaulikar, told the court that the FIR was filed nearly 15 years ago, and at the relevant time the accused were neither linked to the construction company nor named in FIR.

They further submitted that it is purely a civil dispute, and whenever call letters were issued by the ED, they cooperated and furnished all the documents in their possession.


As per the complaint, in 2004, Fr Arlino De Mello, arrayed as accused number 1, made an application to City Survey, Panaji, requesting to record the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in the holders’ column of Form B. Accused number 2, Fr Victor Rodrigues, procurator for the Archdiocese of Goa, deposed before City Survey, Panaji, in 2006, stating that no name appeared in Form B issued by ISLR, City Survey Panaji, in respect of Chalta No. 44, PT Sheet No. 162 of Panaji City, and requested to record the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in the holders’ column of Form B based on the documents.

An order was passed by the then inspector of survey and land records, City Survey Panaji, Goa, on Dec 5 2006, recording the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in the holders’ column. As per the complaint, the name of tenant Tanu Gauns alias Kankonkar, in respect of property measuring an area of 2,475 sqm, was deleted, and the name of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman was incorporated. The complaint was filed by the son of Tanu Gauns alias Kankonkar.

Thereafter, in 2007, Models purchased the said property from the owners and even carried out the construction of residential premises and sold the flats. The investigating team applied for a ‘C’ Summary; however, in 2012, the Magistrate rejected the ‘C’ Summary and directed the investigating agency to carry out further investigation.