PANAJI:
Cases of falsifying land ownership papers and selling the same land for profit
have come to the notice of the authorities. It's happening in Goa and rightful
owners remain unaware, sometimes until they find development work being
undertaken on their
land.
Admitting that there have
been cases where papers have been falsified, state registrar cum head of notary
services, V G Salkar said, "This is a serious issue and we will be taking
immediate steps to curb the problem." Hyginus D'Souza, of Bardez is a victim
whose property was sold after a false succession deed was prepared in favour of
one Douglas Siqueira by forging
documents.
Salkar admits that
in cases he has come across, the notary had overlooked facts while preparing the
documents where even the photograph and signatures, were forgeries. A notary has
to verify the documents and get the identity of the person preparing the
documents, especially if he's a Power of Attorney (PoA) holder, verified by
another person or a lawyer.
The
police reveal that various tricks are adopted to cheat people of their property.
The most common is getting a power of attorney prepared in the name of a dead
person giving power to another dead person. The PoA is then transferred in the
name of a living person.
"Other
methods, like forging baptism and marriage certificates to establish lineage to
a family which owns a particular property, a fake deed of gift showing that the
owner is gifting the property to a friend or relative are also employed," said a
police official.
The official
added, "Sometimes even court orders are forged to carry out mutations by
deleting the original occupant's name and entering another person's
name."
Though the police are
aware of the modus operandi adopted, they can do little to change the situation.
"The police comes into the picture only after an offence has been registered. By
that time it is too late and the damage is done," said SP (North) Bosco George.