New UK Home Secretary's father alleges property grab in Goa, probe on

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman's father has complained that his two ancestral properties in North Goa have been grabbed by an unidentified person, following which the Special Investigation Team of the state police has filed a case and launched a probe, an official said.

Braverman, an Indian-origin barrister, was appointed as the UK's new Home Secretary by Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this week.

Braverman's father, Christie Fernandes, has complained that his two ancestral properties collectively measuring 13,900 square metres in Assagao have been usurped, Superintendent of Police (SIT) Nidhi Vasan told reporters on Friday.

Based on the complaint, the SIT has registered the First Information Report (FIR), he said, adding that investigation into the case has begun.

Fernandes complained that some unidentified person through power of attorney had filed inventory proceedings with respect to the properties bearing survey numbers 253/3 and 252/3 in Assagao village owned by him and his family members, police sources said.

As per the complaint, the inventory proceedings were filed prior to July 27 this year and he came to know about it in August.

Fernandes filed the complaint to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, state Director General of Police Jaspal Singh and Goa NRI Commissionerate through an e-mail.

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When contacted, Goa NRI commissioner Narendra Sawaikar told PTI that the e-mail was received last week by his department, which was forwarded to the state home department.

"The NRI Commissionerate does not have powers to investigate such cases. Hence, we forwarded the complaint to the home department," he said.

The Goa government earlier this year formed the SIT comprising officials from the police, revenue and Archives and Archaeology Department to investigate cases of land grabbing. The SIT is investigating more than 100 such cases in the state, and arrested more than 15 persons, including two officials from Archives and Archaeology Department.