The Goa police arrested Mohammal Suhail on Friday, alleging that a multi-million land-host scam in the coastal state was mastermind.
Police said in a statement that Mohammad Suhail (48), aka Michael, who was absconding, was arrested by a crime branch team near a petrol pump in Queptum, South Goa at around 4.30 am. Suhail, a resident of Pillar in Goa, is originally from Karnataka.
Police said he was a “habitual criminal” and was first arrested for his alleged involvement in at least 13 cases related to the land-hostels.
“He was absconding for the last two years,” an official said.
The Government of Goa formed an SIT on 15 June 2022 to investigate illegal land transfer and land-hostels. SIT examined 44 FIRs associated with more than 100 properties – about 1.5 lakh sqm land – and 56 arrests including some officials of the Archives Department. The state government appointed an inquiry commission on 9 September 2022 to investigate the land-hatched cases, headed by former Bombay HC Judge Justice Justice Justice Justice VK Jadhav (retired).
The Commission in its report explained in detail how the government records were tampered with in a “systematic and organized” manner, and forged sale deeds with Portuguese-era calligraphy were put on record, allegedly “along with employees of the Archaeological and Archeology”.
In many cases, the accused prepared a conspiracy and forged land records and documents for his own names or their colleagues, often in connivance with officials in the State Archives Department, and after receiving illegal properties, the third party was cheated to the third party with fraud.
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