Margao: Even as a special investigation team (SIT) continues to probe land-grab cases, reports of people being cheated by property fraudsters are rising in South Goa. Police have booked multiple cases in recent days, including two FIRs registered at Fatorda and Margao town police stations.On Oct 20, Fatorda police registered a case under Sections 236, 316(2) and 318(2) read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on a complaint filed by Mariano Siqueira of Curtorim.Siqueira alleged that two sale deeds were executed on Feb 6, 2026, at the Salcete sub-registrar’s office. The first accused, Russel Milagres D’Cunha of Mumbai — son of the complainant’s landlady — allegedly made false declarations in the deeds, describing himself as a bachelor and the sole and universal heir of his late mother and her husband. The complainant, however, claimed D’Cunha was married and had living siblings at the time the deeds were executed.The deeds relate to properties at Uguirim in Curtorim and were executed in favour of Jerson Siqueira of Curtorim, named as the second accused.Mariano Siqueira also stated that he has been in possession of three ground-floor shops in the building for over 25 years under an agreement, and that the shops contained goods worth around Rs 12 lakh. He alleged the accused committed criminal breach of trust by disregarding the implied agreement over the property and the goods in his possession.In a separate case, Margao town police on Oct 18 registered an FIR under Sections 403, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 422 of the BNS on a complaint by Ritesh Verma of Bank of Baroda, Margao.According to the complaint, between 2014 and 2023, Uday Naik, Urvashi Naik and Yuvaraj Naik, all residents of Kundaim in Ponda, availed credit facilities worth Rs 75 lakh from the erstwhile Vijaya Bank in Margao, which merged with Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1, 2019. The accused allegedly offered a property as collateral security by creating an equitable mortgage and represented that the first two accused were its lawful owners.The bank alleged the accused concealed that the same property had already been mortgaged to EDC Ltd for a loan taken by Pure Beverages and was later sold in an auction. By hiding the prior charge and using the same title documents, the accused allegedly induced the bank to sanction the loan, causing a wrongful loss of Rs 75 lakh.
